Project Management in Emergency Management | A Career Accelerator

Earning the reputation for being able to "get things done"

Project management isn’t just a formal discipline, it’s a career accelerator. In my work with emergency management teams across the country, I’ve noticed a consistent pattern: the professionals who drive real change aren’t just technically skilled, they are also able to get things done. In short, they know how to manage (and deliver) projects.

During blue sky periods, emergency managers often lead new planning efforts, design exercises, conduct program assessments, or launch a community outreach campaign. Although these initiatives may be routine, what truly sets outstanding professionals apart is their ability to deconstruct complex tasks, effectively manage diverse stakeholders, and execute these projects with precision.

It doesn't matter if you're an emergency manager for a government agency, a utility, in the healthcare sector, a transportation entity, or any other field preparing for an uncertain future. In emergency management, project management is one of the three core competencies that separate top professionals. These include:

• Technical Skills: Mastery of the field, from planning and exercise development to specialized functions such as alert and warning, evacuation, or mass care.

• Collaboration & Communication: The ability to bring groups of people together, coordinate with response partners, lead and facilitate discussions, and secure stakeholder buy-in.

• Project Management: The skills needed to effectively plan, execute, and close initiatives.

You can be highly knowledgeable in your field, but without the ability to structure and execute projects, your impact will be limited. Similarly, strong collaboration skills aren't enough if ideas aren’t translated into action. Project management serves as a force multiplier, it enhances technical and communication skills, making professionals more effective and influential.

In this article, we’ll explore why project management is one of the most valuable skills you can develop as an emergency manager, how it evolves throughout a career, and how you can build these capabilities—even without formal certification.

The Role of Project Management at Different Career Stages

Project management plays a critical role at every stage of a career.

For new professionals, learning how other people manage projects can help you find ways to stand out from your peers. Managers notice when someone repeatedly turns in assignments a few days before the deadline. They remember the person who stepped in to help when the team was stretched thin. They recognize the person who delivers work that needs little revision before it's done. Over time, these small acts compound into a reputation as being someone they can count on. Initially, you may manage projects as a “project manager of one”—yourself—but this lays the groundwork for managing larger and more complex projects later.

For mid-career professionals, which is admittedly an incredibly broad group, project management opportunities expand in two significant ways.

First, you might begin by leading small teams as a “working manager” who both contributes to deliverables and guides others. As you advance, you can evolve into a dedicated project manager responsible for shaping the project's vision, coordinating with a large number of subject matter experts, and making project decisions that drive success.

Second, your role might evolve into a program manager, overseeing an entire capability within your office—be it continuity of operations, situational awareness, damage assessment, or another strategic function. This may also involve scoping and proposing projects that you believe will advance each of the programs and disaster response or recovery programs in your purview.

For directors, the focus shifts yet again as senior leaders may only personally manage the most critical projects and are responsible for strategic project selection and oversight. This includes managing and curating the portfolio of initiatives that will drive the organization forward.

Beyond facilitating professional growth within emergency management, developing project management skills is an investment that unlocks pathways into other careers as well. The competencies in project, program, and portfolio management are highly transferable, enabling transitions both into and out of the field.

Where to Begin

For emergency managers and public safety professionals looking to enhance their project management skills, I offer three pieces of advice.

First, start doing. There's truly no substitute for hands-on experience. Every project, whether large or small, is an opportunity to set goals, develop a plan, mobilize resources, execute the plan, and learn from the results. Each project is a chance to see how the different elements of project management come together and identify what works for you, what doesn't, and what you want to do differently on the next one.

Remember that one of the benefits of learning to manage projects well is developing a reputation as a person who can get things done. Don't limit yourself to just the projects available in your job either. Personally, some of my most impactful growth came from volunteering to lead disaster recovery and mitigation community service projects with Team Rubicon.

Second, establish your approach. As you gain experience, develop an approach to project management that works for you. Create templates and tools that help you manage projects more effectively, require less effort, and don't get you bogged down in the mechanics of project management. This is what will help you take on complex and challenging projects with ease.

But remember, the best project managers don’t just follow rigid frameworks. They know when to adapt, simplify, or abandon formal tools in favor of practical execution, an ability that will become increasingly valuable as AI and automation reshape our work environments. I recommend that you build your approach with this in mind.

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Developing your own project management approach doesn’t mean you need to reinvent every tool and build process from scratch.

For Left of Bang Academy members, the "Project Management in Emergency Management Playbook" is a curated collection of articles and resources designed to guide you through every step of managing emergency management projects.

Drawing on over 20 years of hands-on experience—from managing local government disaster management initiatives and military operations, to leading a private sector preparedness portfolio and volunteer efforts—this playbook encapsulates the proven and practiced processes and tools I rely on daily. It’s also a distillation of the critical insights I’ve gathered from developing emerging project managers and evaluating emergency management candidates for key jobs.

If you're ready to streamline your learning curve and elevate your project management practice, learn more about the Playbook here.

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Third, don't worry about a certification unless you really need it. Questions like “Should I get my Project Management Professional (PMP) certification?” are common. While a certification can be beneficial—especially if it opens doors to higher pay tiers or specific career opportunities—it does not define competence.

As Seth Godin has written, “An expert is someone who can keep a promise.” … “Credentials, on the other hand, are awarded to folks who are good at being awarded credentials.” Real-world project experience and a proven track record speak louder than any pay-to-play credential.

When I got my PMP, it was a requirement for a consulting project we were being considered for, however, I'm also not spending the time or money to get it renewed. The piece of paper is not what's important and having the certification hasn't unlocked some hidden tier of opportunities or led to a wave of recruiters calling with job offers.

If you want to develop project management skills, my recommendation is to start by leading projects—not by studying for a test. When I would interview job candidates to fill project manager roles, the way they described their approach to project management is what determined whether they moved on in the process, not their certifications. Invest your time and money in developing the skill.

Final Thoughts: Preparing for Opportunity

Disaster response is project management at speed. The best emergency managers know how to:

• Scale operations quickly as response efforts grow.

• Delegate effectively under pressure.

• Shift from managing themselves to leading teams and operations.

Like everything else in our profession, those who hone these skills before disaster strikes will be best positioned to lead when it matters most. They will be the people their leaders turn to when high-priority projects and initiatives need to be delivered, delivered well, and delivered yesterday. But that reputation isn't built after just one project, it is established with a track record of successfully delivering projects on time, on budget, and at a high level.

If you’re ready to sharpen your project management skills, consider joining the Left of Bang Academy and exploring the “Project Management in Emergency Management Playbook.” More importantly, take the initiative—volunteer to lead projects, build your library of resources, and continually refine your process. With each project, your reputation as someone who gets things done will only grow.