Helene Recovery Project Manager

Helene Recovery Project Manager

Buncombe County Government recently created a Helene Recovery Office to lead our recovery from Tropical Storm Helene. This Helene Recovery Project Manager position reports to the Helene Recovery Officer and will assist with coordination between County departmental leadership and State of North Carolina and Federal Government partners. Our community was severely impacted by Helene, which was the largest natural disaster in the history of the state of North Carolina with an estimated impact of $60 Billion across the state. Buncombe County is located in the center of the disaster area, with over 10,000 homes impacted by the storm in our county alone. This office is committed to restoring and rebuilding our community with a focus on the quality of lives for all Buncombe County residents. This office is at the forefront of recovery and heavily involved in projects such as redevelopment of parks, housing repair and assistance, stabilization of landslides and waterways, and economic recovery projects. This position is in-person and will work from 200 College Street in downtown Asheville, NC. This position will work from 8AM to 5PM from Monday to Friday.

The purpose of this position is to manage and coordinate a range of projects related to the County's Tropical Storm Helene disaster recovery efforts, ensuring they are implemented effectively, address community needs, and align with the County's strategic goals.

Minimum Education, Training and / or Experience (required at time of hire) : Bachelor's degree in public administration, emergency management, or related field and four (4) years of experience in project management, emergency management, disaster recovery; or an equivalent combination of education and experience.

Essential Functions of the position :

• Serve as a catalyst in the planning, development, and prioritization of Tropical Storm Helene disaster recovery projects, including capital and programmatic projects such as facilities, parks, landslides, streambanks, and more.
• Monitor and evaluate progress to ensure project performance (timeline, budget, and resource utilization) against plan. Identify and resolve problems in a timely manner to keep projects on track and within budget.
• Collaborate as part of a team to actively engage key stakeholders, community members, and agency partners, sharing relevant information and fostering transparency and awareness.
• Partner with internal staff to develop and deliver strategic communications that enhance understanding and visibility of program goals and priorities.
• Track, analyze, and synthesize project data to support continuous quality improvement efforts, and develop evaluation reports and presentations.
• Lead assigned Helene recovery projects and serve as the primary point of oversight. Coordinate with relevant programmatic departments, such as Agriculture, Economic Development, General Services, Parks and Recreation, and Sustainability.
• Coordinate with internal support departments such as Budget, Finance, IT, Legal, and Strategic Partnerships to ensure project adherence to county policy and procedure.
• Coordinate with contracting agencies and serve as the liaison for Helene recovery-related initiatives.
• Prepare reports and briefings for public hearings, providing updates, findings, and project status.
• Lead or participate in the design and review of engineering and architectural projects; provide technical guidance to management, field staff, and contractors.
• Develop and maintain comprehensive financial analyses and funding overviews to support project planning and execution.
• Coordinate contracting agencies for Helene recovery projects and act as liaison with such organizations.
• Prepare reports for public hearings on topics such as project updates, status, or results from findings.
• Develop comprehensive financial overviews of project needs and relevant funding streams.
• Maintain accurate project data and records, including regular progress reports and special documentation as requested.
• Perform other related duties as assigned.

Knowledge, Skills, Abilities :

In order to uphold internal pay parity and equity, salaries are non-negotiable for new and current Buncombe County employees. All new employees are paid according to their years of relevant education and experience above minimum requirements for the position and employees have the opportunity to obtain pay increases via cost of living increases and promotions. Buncombe County Government realizes the importance of a diverse professional workforce and the need to foster a responsive and innovative organizational culture, one that fully engages all of our employees, honoring and building on each employee's unique experiences, opinions, and perspective. It is the policy of Buncombe County to provide equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all persons regardless of race, natural hair or hairstyles, ethnicity, creed, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin or ancestry, marital or familial status, pregnancy, veteran status, religious belief or non-belief, age, or disability or any other legally protected class under federal or NC State law. EEO practices and employment decisions regarding recruitment, hiring, assignment, promotion and compensation shall not be based on any of these protected classes. In addition, the County expressly prohibits any form of workplace harassment or discrimination.