Bushfire Resilience Officer / Natural Hazards Officer Career Profile

What the role involves

Bushfire Resilience and Natural Hazards Officers may support community engagement, risk mapping, emergency planning, grants, land management actions, climate adaptation projects and coordination between agencies.

The role can sit within local government, emergency management, climate adaptation, natural resource management, planning or resilience teams.

Typical employers

Roles in Australia may be found with:

• local councils
• state emergency and resilience agencies
• bushfire and fire management organisations
• natural resource management groups
• consultancies
• state government environment, planning or climate teams
• infrastructure and utilities organisations
• community resilience and disaster recovery programs

Key tasks

• supporting bushfire, flood, heat or natural hazard resilience projects
• helping prepare plans, reports, maps and community information
• coordinating workshops, meetings and stakeholder engagement
• supporting grants, preparedness programs or recovery actions
• working with emergency services, councils, land managers and communities
• reviewing climate, hazard, land-use or vulnerability information
• tracking actions in resilience, adaptation or disaster risk plans
• supporting vegetation, asset or land management activities
• helping communicate practical risk reduction actions

Skills and qualities

This role suits people with a mix of practical, technical and communication skills. Useful qualities include:

• interest in climate adaptation, emergency management and community resilience
• strong communication and stakeholder engagement skills
• ability to work with maps, risk information and reports
• project coordination and administration ability
• understanding of bushfire, flood, heat or storm hazards
• sensitivity when working with affected communities
• collaboration across agencies and disciplines
• practical problem-solving and calm judgement

Qualifications and pathways

Pathways may come from environmental management, planning, emergency management, geography, climate adaptation, community development or natural resource management. Useful options may include:

• Diploma or degree in environmental management, planning, emergency management, geography, climate adaptation or natural resource management
• training in disaster resilience, bushfire planning, climate risk, GIS, community engagement or emergency management
• experience in local government, emergency management, land management, planning, community programs or recovery work
• field safety, incident management, fire awareness or first aid training may be useful

With experience, officers may move into Climate Adaptation Officer, Emergency Management Coordinator, Resilience Manager, Natural Hazards Planner, Bushfire Planning Specialist or Disaster Recovery Manager roles.

Salary and job outlook

Salary varies depending on council or government level, hazard specialisation, emergency management responsibilities, regional location and seniority. Public-sector salary bands and current job ads are the best references.

Where jobs are usually found in Australia

Roles are found in councils, state agencies, regional resilience programs and consultancies across Australia, especially in bushfire-prone, flood-prone, coastal, heat-affected and regional communities.

Tips for getting started

• learn about bushfire, flood, heat and climate risk in your region
• build GIS, mapping, project coordination and community engagement skills
• volunteer or gain experience in emergency services, landcare or community resilience where appropriate
• understand local government, planning and emergency management processes
• show empathy, reliability and good communication in community-facing work
• keep examples of plans, workshops, grants or resilience projects you have supported

Related environmental careers

• Climate Change Adaptation Officer
• Climate Risk Analyst
• Environmental Planner
• Natural Resource Manager
• Water Sensitive Urban Design Officer
• Community Engagement Officer
• Park Ranger
• Vegetation Management Officer