FEMA Seeking Applicants to Join Hurricane Recovery Team

With 85 percent of the FEMA workforce in the field supporting 22 disasters nationwide, the agency continues to grow its workforce to bolster recovery activities underway in the states and U.S. territories affected by Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, Maria, and Nate. FEMA is hiring dedicated people to join our recovery team, comprised of locally-hired workers. Through its hiring of temporary local employees and Cadre of On-Call Response/Recovery Employees (CORE), FEMA diversifies its workforce while affording opportunities for survivors to help fellow survivors.

The types of jobs that are available include (but are not limited to) the following:

• Applicant Services Specialist
  
• Administrative Support Assistant
  
• Analysts
  
• Civil engineer
  
• Construction Cost Estimator
  
• Courier
  
• Crisis Counselor
  
• Customer Service Specialist
  
• Digital Communications Specialist
  
• Emergency Management Specialist
  
• Environmental Specialist
  
• Equal Rights Advisor
  
• Floodplain Management Specialist
  
• Graphics Specialist
  
• Geospatial Information
  
• Systems Specialist
  
• Hazard Mitigation
  
• Outreach Specialist
  
• Historic Preservation Specialist
  
• Housing Coordinator and Reports Writer
  
• Insurance Specialist
  
• Intergovernmental Affairs
  
• Mass Care Specialist
  
• Media Relations Specialist
  
• Program Liaisons
  
• Resource Manager
  
• Registered Nurse
  
• Travel Specialist
  
• Voluntary Agency Liaison
  
• Writers
  

Fluency in English and Spanish, for some positions, is preferred.

Temporary Local Hires

FEMA hires local residents, who are often disaster survivors themselves, to help their fellow citizens in the recovery process. Local hiring allows disaster survivors to get back to work while adding to the long-term recovery of the local community and bringing a special understanding of the problems faced by fellow disaster survivors.

Most temporary local hires are employed following a streamlined, rather than a competitive, process. A local hire’s term of employment is 120 days, though it may be extended in 120-day increments up to one year. Temporary local hires do not earn career tenure or competitive status in the federal government. This means that they must compete with the public for future federal jobs rather than receive preference.

If interested in joining FEMA as a Temporary Local Hire, applicants can search positions on FEMA’s Hurricane Workforce page. For additional information on temporary local hire positions, contact FEMA Region II, IV, or IV Office.

• Florida: To apply for open positions, create an account at employflorida.com and use the keyword: FEMA. More information for job-seekers and employers can be found on the Hurricane Irma Recovery Jobs Portal.
• Puerto Rico: Those who wish to apply should email their resume to fema-workforce-caribbean@fema.dhs.gov​ and include the words “Puerto Rico” in the subject line. For those applicants without internet access, they should submit resumes in a sealed envelope at any post office in Puerto Rico marked “FEMA Jobs.” The U.S. Post Service will deliver resumes to the FEMA recovery team in Puerto Rico.
• Texas: Job-seekers should register at WorkinTexas.com, the Texas Workforce Commission’s website, where application instructions are posted. In partnership with the Texas Workforce Commission, the National Labor Exchange identifies positions here​ to assist Texan employers with recruitment needs related to Hurricane Harvey.

Cadre of On-Call Response/Recovery Employees (CORE)

FEMA hires CORE employees to work for a specific, limited period, between two to four years. These positions may be renewed if there is ongoing disaster work and funding is available. All CORE positions are hired under the Robert T. Stafford Act and are excluded from the provisions of Title 5 of the United States Code, which governs jobs in the competitive service. These CORE positions are eligible for the same benefits as permanent full-time (PFT) positions, but do not gain competitive status nor career tenure during their term. FEMA hires candidates into CORE positions under a streamlined, rather than competitive, process.

To become a member of the Cadre of On-Call Response/Recovery Employees (CORE), applicants should apply through FEMA on USAJobs.gov.

If you have any questions, please contact FEMA’s Intergovernmental Affairs Division at (202) 646-3444 or at FEMA-IGA@fema.dhs.gov.