Program Specialist, Disaster Workforce Engagement

Job Description

As a Disaster Workforce Engagement Specialist, you will guide, lead, and support teams of trained volunteers to deliver comfort and care during disasters, creating and maintaining robust volunteer engagement. You will collaborate with volunteer services staff to ensure the communities served are prepared to respond. Regional disaster employees will deploy to disaster relief operations outside their region at least once a year.

This is a hybrid role that can be performed anywhere within the region.

• Empower volunteers:
  Facilitate and support a diverse volunteer team to implement volunteer‑led disaster cycle services programs, ensuring rapid, accessible, and equitable delivery to frontline communities.
• Support the program:
  Assist with the implementation of specific disaster cycle services activities or functions within an assigned geographic area.
• Mission capacity building:
  Engage disaster volunteers who represent the communities served, both culturally and linguistically.
• Engage community:
  Support local efforts to prepare, mobilize, and partner with communities for disaster response and recovery.
• Manage in a matrix:
  Implement plans to meet targets for volunteer engagement and volunteer‑led Disaster Action Team response to local incidents.
• Know your communities:
  Act as the local point of contact for partners and communities, collaborating with local organizations and leaders to support resilience before, during, and after disasters.
• Ready to respond:
  Participate in disaster response operations in the region after completing required training.

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Minimum 3 years of related experience.
• Travel may be required; deployment to disaster operations outside the assigned region is required for disaster services positions.

• Coordinate staff and volunteer activities.
• Excellent interpersonal, verbal, and written communication skills.
• Demonstrated collaboration with diverse groups, managing multiple priorities, facilitation, problem solving, marketing, leadership, and partnership management.
• Intermediate proficiency with Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook).
• Ability to work outside regular duty hours, including nights and weekends.

• Chapter‑based positions:
  Work daily in the assigned geographic area to engage and mobilize communities and support volunteers.
• Regional positions:
  Work daily within the region’s geographic area to provide leadership, functional support, and community engagement.

Salary range for Illinois: $55,000–$60,000. Salaries are geographic‑specific and may vary based on skills and experience.

Regular duties require sitting, handling objects, speaking, hearing, reaching, occasional standing, walking, lifting up to 15 pounds (occasionally 30 pounds). Vision requirements include close, distance, color, peripheral, depth perception, and focus adjustment. Work environment includes moderate noise in typical office spaces.

• Medical, Dental, Vision plans
• Health Spending and Flexible Spending Accounts
• PTO: starting at 15 days a year, adjusted for FLSA status and tenure
• Paid holidays: 11 holidays (six core, five floating)
• 401(k) with 6% match
• Paid family leave
• Employee assistance program
• Short‑term and long‑term disability and insurance
• Service awards and recognition

The American Red Cross is an Equal Opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, race, color, religion, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, age, or any other characteristic protected by law. Qualified applicants with arrest or conviction records will be considered for employment in accordance with the Los Angeles County and San Diego Fair Chance Ordinances, the California Fair Chance Act, and other applicable state and local laws.

The American Red Cross is an EONS partner and shares employment opportunities with the national service alumni network.

Information on the EEOC Summary of Rights is available.