DAR (Disaster Assessment and Recovery) Specialist, Disaster District 17

Location: Victoria, Texas; must live within 50 miles of the assigned place of duty. The role serves multiple counties and requires extensive travel, including overnight deployments lasting several days or weeks, as well as nights and weekends.

Company

Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service supports agriculture, life sciences, disaster education, and community resilience across Texas.

What you will do

• Plan and deliver educational programs on emergency preparedness, disaster response, recovery, wildfire mitigation, and resilience.
• Coordinate with Texas A&M System agencies, the Texas Division of Emergency Management, local jurisdictions, elected officials, and community organizations.
• Complete preliminary damage assessments of agricultural operations and infrastructure and support public assistance requests.
• Establish and maintain county animal issue committees, animal supply point operations, VOAD/COAD relationships, and long-term recovery partnerships.
• Conduct site inspections for public assistance projects and disaster recovery housing programs.
• Recruit and train volunteers, evaluate program effectiveness, and revise educational activities based on feedback and results.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in a related discipline; no prior experience is required.
• Knowledge of word processing, spreadsheet, and database applications, with the ability to apply technical knowledge to solve problems.
• Understanding of adult and youth learning processes and the ability to use varied teaching methods.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills and the ability to multitask and work cooperatively.
• Ability to lift up to 75 pounds.
• Must live within 50 miles of the assigned place of duty and be willing to deploy to disaster areas for an undetermined period.

Nice to have

• Bachelor’s degree in agriculture, emergency management, community or urban planning, education, or a related discipline.
• Spanish bilingual ability.
• Incident Command System courses 100, 200, 300, and 400 and National Incident Management System courses 700 and 800.
• Knowledge of regional agricultural practices, food systems, FEMA, USDA, and government emergency frameworks.
• Current CDL license.

Culture & Benefits

• Mission-driven public service work supporting communities across all 254 Texas counties.
• Health, dental, vision, life, and long-term disability insurance.
• Paid holidays, monthly paid sick leave, and monthly paid vacation.
• Automatic enrollment in the Teacher Retirement System of Texas.
• Employee wellness initiative.

Hiring process

• Submit complete application data or an attached resume.
• Employment is contingent on credential verification and completion of a criminal history investigation.