New

Principal, Emergency Preparedness Planning & Exercise Design

Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
$104,600.00 - $138,600.00 Annually
United States, Pennsylvania, Philadelphia
Dec 12, 2025
SHIFT: Day (United States of America) Seeking Breakthrough Makers Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) offers countless ways to change lives. Our diverse community of more than 20,000 Breakthrough Makers will inspire you to pursue passions, develop expertise, and drive innovation. At CHOP, your experience is valued; your voice is heard; and your contributions make a difference for patients and families. Join us as we build on our promise to advance pediatric care-and your career. CHOP does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, sex, national origin, religion, or any other legally protected categories in any employment, training, or vendor decisions or programs. CHOP recognizes the critical importance of a workforce rich in varied backgrounds and experiences and engages in ongoing efforts to achieve that through equally varied and non-discriminatory means. A Brief Overview The Principal, Emergency Preparedness Planning & Exercise Design (Principal Planner) plays a critical role within the Emergency Preparedness and Business Continuity (EP/BC) programs, possessing extensive knowledge and proven experience across all phases of emergency management: planning, mitigation, response, and recovery. The Principal Planner will have enterprise-wide accountability for developing and managing a comprehensive exercise and testing program that strengthens organizational resilience. This position is responsible for designing, coordinating, and executing a portfolio of crisis response, business continuity, and recovery exercises that align with enterprise risk priorities, regulatory standards, and strategic objectives. Working under the direction of the Senior Director of Emergency Preparedness and Business Continuity, this role partners closely with the Emergency Preparedness and Business Continuity Managers, operational leaders, and key internal stakeholders to ensure readiness across the organization. The Principal Planner will drive an integrated, systems-based approach to testing response capabilities, identifying gaps, and translating lessons learned into sustainable improvements. Effort 40% Management (project management and exercise program development) 30% Strategic (planning and guidance) 30% Technical/Operations (leading and performing technical skills/duties/projects) What you will do Strategic Exercise and Readiness Program Leadership Lead the development of a multi-year, enterprise-wide exercise program strategy that aligns with CHOP's risk intelligence, regulatory mandates, business continuity objectives, and emergency management goals. Design, coordinate, and facilitate a full spectrum of exercises-including drills, tabletops, workshops, functional, and full-scale simulations-emphasizing scalable, repeatable, and data-informed models across service lines and business units. Develop and manage the annual enterprise exercise calendar, ensuring synchronization with audit cycles, accreditation reviews, and business continuity milestones. Integrate risk and impact analytics into scenario design to validate real-world readiness for high-priority threat and hazard scenarios, ensuring testing of both strategic decision-making and operational execution. Serve as a senior advisor and subject matter expert in the design, implementation, and continuous evolution of CHOP's enterprise-wide emergency management framework, ensuring alignment with national standards, regulatory mandates, and emerging risk landscapes. Program Evaluation, Improvement, and Knowledge Management Oversee all exercise documentation and deliverables, including objectives, Master Scenario Events Lists (MSELs), injects, facilitator guides, evaluation criteria, and After-Action Reports (AARs) consistent with HSEEP and CHOP internal standards. Lead enterprise-wide after-action and improvement planning processes, facilitating multi-disciplinary reviews to identify systemic vulnerabilities, capability gaps, and process inefficiencies. Establish and track corrective actions through closure, ensuring accountability and measurable performance improvement across departments. Translate exercise findings into actionable updates for enterprise response plans, business continuity strategies, and training programs, fostering a continuous improvement cycle. Enterprise Training, Coaching, and Capability Development Serve as an internal advisor and coach to departmental preparedness leads, business units, and executive stakeholders on exercise design, facilitation, and evaluation of best practices. Support the development and delivery of preparedness and continuity training programs, aligning content with observed readiness gaps, capability maturity, and regulatory expectations. Mentor Emergency Preparedness Fellow and emerging leaders within the Emergency Preparedness Fellowship Program, supporting professional development and succession planning in partnership with the Manager of Emergency Preparedness. Cross-Sector and External Engagement Collaborate with external agencies, healthcare coalitions, vendors, and infrastructure partners to conduct joint and regional exercises that enhance CHOP's role in the broader healthcare and critical infrastructure resilience ecosystem. Represent CHOP in regional, state, and national preparedness forums, contributing subject matter expertise to advance best practices and interagency coordination. Operational Readiness and Incident Response Integration Serve in the Emergency Preparedness/Business Continuity On-Call rotation, providing 24/7 operational support and capturing insights from real-world events to inform future training and exercise initiatives. Participate in enterprise incident response and recovery operations, contributing to post-incident after-action analysis, improvement planning, and institutional learning. Ensure emergency management technologies, communications systems, and operational workflows are tested, validated, and optimized through exercise and response activities. Leadership Scope and Professional Influence Recognized as CHOP's principal authority in exercise design, evaluation, and capability validation across emergency preparedness and business continuity domains. Serves as a strategic advisor to senior leadership, providing recommendations that shape enterprise readiness strategy and risk-informed investment decisions. Lead enterprise hazard-specific planning teams and interdisciplinary committees, fostering enterprise-wide integration between Emergency Preparedness, Business Continuity, and clinical and support operations. Directly contributes to CHOP's regulatory compliance posture, accreditation readiness, and organizational resilience performance. Functions with a high degree of autonomy, judgment, and strategic influence, mentoring staff and influencing preparedness practices across all CHOP entities. Education Qualifications Bachelor's Degree Emergency Management, Business Continuity, Public Health, Homeland Security, or related discipline Required Certificate FEMA Independent Study Courses IS-100 Required Certificate FEMA Independent Study Courses IS-200 Required Certificate FEMA Independent Study Courses IS-700 Required Certificate FEMA Independent Study Courses IS-800 Required Certificate FEMA Independent Study Courses IS-120 Preferred Master's Degree Emergency Management, Business Continuity, Public Health, Homeland Security, or related discipline Preferred Experience Qualifications At least eight (8) years progressive experience in emergency preparedness, business continuity, or enterprise risk functions within complex, highly regulated environments (e.g., healthcare, critical infrastructure, or large-scale enterprise operations). Required Skills and Abilities Demonstrated expertise in exercise design and facilitation using the HSEEP framework or equivalent standards. (Required proficiency) Proven ability to lead multi-stakeholder initiatives, synthesize technical and operational inputs, and drive cross-functional outcomes. (Required proficiency) Strong presentation, facilitation, and instructional design skills; experience delivering training across a range of formats and audiences. (Required proficiency) Solid understanding of regulatory frameworks and accreditation requirements (e.g., CMS EP Rule, Joint Commission, NFPA 1600, ISO 22301). (Required proficiency) Professional certifications such as CBCP, CHEP, CHPCP, CEM, or FEMA EMI credentials (Preferred proficiency) To carry out its mission, CHOP is committed to supporting the health of our patients, families, workforce, and global community. As a condition of employment, CHOP employees who work in patient care buildings or who have patient facing responsibilities must receive an annual influenza vaccine. Learn more. EEO / VEVRAA Federal Contractor \| Tobacco Statement SALARY RANGE: $104,600.00 - $138,600.00 Annually Salary ranges are shown for full-time jobs. If you're working part-time, your pay will be adjusted accordingly. ------------------- At CHOP, we are committed to fair and transparent pay practices. Factors such as skills and experience could result in an offer above the salary range noted in this job posting. Click here for more information regarding CHOP's Compensation and Benefits.