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Boston Career Explorer

Management

Emergency Management Directors

Plan and direct disaster response or crisis management activities, provide disaster preparedness training, and prepare emergency plans and procedures for natural (e.g., hurricanes, floods, earthquakes), wartime, or technological (e.g., nuclear power plant emergencies or hazardous materials spills) disasters or hostage situations.

Also called: 911 Communications Manager, Emergency Management Coordinator, Emergency Management Director, Emergency Management System Director (EMS Director), Emergency Manager, Emergency Planner

Median pay in Greater Boston
$126,570
$60.85/hr
Jobs in Greater Boston
160
Massachusetts 2024–2034
+3.3%
20 openings a year
Typical U.S. entry requirement
Bachelor's degree
5 years or more of related work experience

Greater Boston: Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH metro area, May 2025. Growth and openings: Massachusetts statewide projection.

Pay range in Greater Boston

Yearly pay in Greater Boston by percentile
10th25thMedian75th90th
$81,410$98,670$126,570$176,560$196,970

10% of workers earn less than the first figure and 10% earn more than the last.

What you’d do

  • Consult with officials of local and area governments, schools, hospitals, and other institutions to determine their needs and capabilities in the event of a natural disaster or other emergency.
  • Develop and maintain liaisons with municipalities, county departments, and similar entities to facilitate plan development, response effort coordination, and exchanges of personnel and equipment.
  • Coordinate disaster response or crisis management activities, such as ordering evacuations, opening public shelters, and implementing special needs plans and programs.
  • Prepare emergency situation status reports that describe response and recovery efforts, needs, and preliminary damage assessments.
  • Maintain and update all resource materials associated with emergency preparedness plans.
  • Prepare plans that outline operating procedures to be used in response to disasters or emergencies, such as hurricanes, nuclear accidents, and terrorist attacks, and in recovery from these events.

AI and this job

AI exposure: how much of this job’s work AI tools can do or help with, based on national research. It is not a forecast of job loss.

Higher exposure79 of 100

The index averages three national research measures, each shown as a percentile of all jobs:

  • AIOE 73
  • Language-model AIOE 70
  • GPTs-are-GPTs 93

Observed AI use today: Little or none (Anthropic Economic Index)

This job has higher AI exposure, though little or no AI use has been observed so far. AI tools could help with status reports, plan updates, and resource materials. Leading a response during a crisis, building trust with local officials, and making fast decisions under pressure still rely on people.

Likely to change

  • Drafting emergency status reports
  • Updating preparedness plans and materials

Still relies on people

  • Directing response during a real emergency
  • Building trust with officials and institutions

Written with AI from the data on this page. Check with a career coach before making a decision.

Next steps from here

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Training near Boston

College and school programs in the Boston metro area that lead to this job, with 2023-24 completions (IPEDS).

3 programs near Boston (plus 3 graduate)

Related occupations

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