Title: Regional Disaster Response SME – Southeast Region (NC, SC, GA, VA, FL)
Location: Field‑Based with Travel Across North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Virginia, and Florida
Compensation: $121,000 - $164,000
Benefits: Comprehensive package including medical, dental, vision, 401(k) with company match, paid time off, and travel opportunities
About Ceres Environmental Operations
Ceres Environmental Operations (CEO) is a leader in crisis management, rapid response, and disaster recovery, committed to rebuilding stronger, safer communities. We specialize in emergency response, environmental services, planning, and consulting—including debris removal, blue roofs, logistics, debris management, demolition, recycling, forest management, and coastal and marine restoration. As a licensed general contractor, we offer unparalleled expertise to restore stability where it’s needed most.
Driven by Purpose, Powered by People
At CEO, we believe you're more than just an employee; you’re part of a team with a purpose and a meaningful mission. Every team member plays a vital role in restoring hope, helping communities recover and rebuild.
We value initiative, respect diversity, and give our people the freedom to lead. We offer competitive pay, travel opportunities, and a culture built on resilience and teamwork. If you show up with compassion, share the commitment, react with urgency, and deliver solutions, you’ll fit right in. We don’t just respond to challenges; we rise to them.
What We Are Looking For
We are seeking a highly experienced Regional Disaster Operations Subject Matter Expert (SME) to support all-hazards emergency response and recovery operations across the Southeast United States (North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Virginia, and Florida).
This region experiences hurricanes, severe coastal storms, tornadoes, inland flooding, riverine events, winter storms, high wind events, and large scale impacts to essential utilities and critical infrastructure. Many missions also involve waterway debris, marsh/canal systems, urban/suburban impacts, and coastal barrier environments.
The SME is responsible for planning, coordinating, and executing multiagency, multicounty disaster operations while ensuring safety, compliance, and operational efficiency. This is a senior field leadership role requiring strong decision making, USACE experience, and the ability to manage complex disaster environments across three states.
Key Responsibilities
Disaster Operations & Field Leadership
- Lead on the ground operations across coastal, inland, and urban areas within the Southeast Regional US.
- Manage multicounty operations during simultaneous or cascading disaster events.
- Direct work crews, subcontractors, logistics teams, and equipment in fastmoving, high risk environments.
- Support missions involving waterway debris removal, canal/levee operations, coastal storm impacts, and emergency access clearance.
All Hazards Planning & Coordination
- Develop incident specific plans for hurricanes, severe storms, tornadoes, flooding, winter weather, and coastal surge events.
- Create and implement sectoring plans, routing and logistics models, and resource deployment strategies tailored to the region’s geography.
- Coordinate with USACE, FEMA, state and local EOCs, DOT agencies, coastal authorities, watershed districts, utilities, and municipal emergency divisions.
Site & Infrastructure Operations
- Support activation and oversight of incident facilities including staging areas, temporary operations sites, and command centers.
- Guide assessment and stabilization of impacted transportation routes, waterways, levees/dikes, coastal structures, utilities, and public facilities.
- Ensure environmental and regulatory compliance for all operational activities across three states.
Documentation, Reporting & Technology
- Oversee field documentation systems, including ADMS/LOADM or similar platforms, ensuring highquality, auditready data.
- Support QC and monitoring teams in maintaining accurate daily logs, geotagged documentation, and compliance reports.
- Provide leadership in afteraction reviews, readiness evaluations, and improvement planning.
Safety & Compliance
- Enforce organizational and regulatory safety standards, including USACE EM 38511 and OSHA requirements.
- Conduct ongoing risk assessments and safety briefings in coastal, waterway, and high traffic environments.
- Ensure compliance with local, state, and federal requirements across all mission activities.
Required Qualifications
- Direct USACE project experience (required): must have served in a leadership or field operations role on at least 5+ USACE disaster response, civil works, debris, or emergency infrastructure project.
- 7+ years of all hazards disaster response, emergency management, waterway/coastal operations, or heavy civil/emergency field leadership.
- Experience leading multiagency operations and coordinating with state and municipal EOCs in NC, SC, and/or GA.
- Strong understanding of Southeastern disaster environments, including hurricanes, storm surge, tornadoes, riverine flooding, and coastal/inland impacts.
- Ability to manage staff, subcontractors, and equipment in high pressure, dynamic environments.
- Proficiency with ADMS, monitoring platforms, GIS based tools, or similar field documentation systems.
- Valid driver’s license; ability to deploy for extended durations.
Preferred Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree in emergency management, Engineering, Construction Management, Environmental Science, or related field (or equivalent experience).
- Experience with NC DOT, SC DOT, GDOT, county emergency management agencies, utilities, coastal authorities, and ESF3 support roles.
- HAZWOPER 40, OSHA 30, USACE CQM certification or ability to obtain.
- Background in civil construction, utilities, waterway management, debris operations, or emergency infrastructure repair.
- Experience with operational planning, resource deployment, coastal resiliency, or waterway/levee operations.
Key Competencies
- Strong leadership, communication, and situational awareness
- Ability to operate under pressure and make rapid, sound decisions
- Skilled in interagency coordination and incident management
- High accountability for data accuracy, documentation, and safety
- Adaptability to changing conditions, priorities, and operational demands
Physical Requirements and Environment
- Ceres provides reasonable accommodation to qualified individuals with disabilities and to applicants with sincerely held religious beliefs, as required by law.
- Essential requirements may include:
- Ability to lift and move up to 50 pounds with or without reasonable accommodation.
- Ability to work in adverse weather, disaster‑affected environments, and field conditions.
- Willingness to wear PPE, including hard hats, protective eyewear, steel‑toed boots, and other safety gear.
- Ability to safely navigate uneven terrain, burn scars, debris sites, and elevated or confined spaces.
- Commitment to following all safety standards and protocols.
Why Join CEO?
At CEO, you won’t just have a job — you’ll have a mission. Your work directly impacts the speed and strength of community recovery after disasters.
We offer:
- A collaborative, mission‑driven culture
- Opportunities for professional growth and advancement
- The chance to make a lasting difference for communities across the U.S.
Ceres Environmental Operations is proud to be an Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action Employer.
Work Authorization
Applicants must be authorized to work in the United States. Employment eligibility verification is required at hiring. Ceres does not sponsor employment‑based visas unless otherwise stated.
E‑Verify: ** We comply with Federal law by verifying employment eligibility.
