Regional Disaster Officer

Regional Disaster Officer for the Central & South Texas Region - American Red Cross Central and South Texas Region

The Regional Disaster Officer (RDO), a member of the Regional Leadership Team, serves as the senior disaster services executive for the Central & South Texas Region and is responsible for the strategic leadership, operational readiness, and effective delivery of disaster services across the region. Working in close partnership with the Regional Chief Executive Officer and Regional Leadership Team, the RDO serves as a strategic thought partner, helping to assess regional risks, establish priorities, develop strategies, and execute plans that strengthen disaster preparedness, response, recovery, and community resilience.

The RDO oversees the implementation of disaster services through a team that includes directors, employees, and volunteers. This position is accountable for ensuring that regional programs are executed consistently, efficiently, and in alignment with organizational standards, established performance metrics, and the evolving needs of the communities served. The RDO ensures that employees and volunteers are assigned specific relationship management responsibilities with key emergency management officials, governmental agencies, nongovernmental organizations, community partners, and corporations that support disaster services.

This includes developing and maintaining an effective account management approach to external partnerships.

During disasters, the Regional Disaster Officer serves in a senior operational leadership role for events of any scale and may participate in or lead larger operations at the regional, divisional, or national level.

The position is responsible for government partnerships, program management, measurement and evaluation, operational readiness, information management, preparedness, response management, and continuous improvement. The scope and complexity of the position are influenced by factors including the number of municipalities served, regional geography, population, disaster risk, frequency and scale of events, program activity, regional structure, and the presence of significant grant funding. The RDO provides leadership, guidance, development, and support to employees and volunteers, with a particular focus on building leadership capacity, elevating team performance, empowering decision-making, and strengthening the volunteer workforce.

All duties and responsibilities must be performed in compliance with applicable American Red Cross standard operating procedures and all applicable federal, state, and local regulations.

Key Responsibilities:

• Strategic Thought Leadership and Partnership with the Regional CEO
• Strategy Development and Strategic Execution
• Disaster Program Management
• Disaster Response and Operational Leadership
• Team Leadership, Development, and Empowerment
• Volunteer Workforce Leadership
• Community Mobilization and External Partnerships
• Government Relations and Community Resilience
• Collaboration and Organizational Leadership
• Executive Communication
• Performance Measurement and Continuous Improvement

Scope and Decision-Making Authority

• Establish policies and operating practices appropriate to the function and consistent with organizational requirements.
• Interpret organization-wide policies and practices and recommend modifications when regional conditions, operational experience, or emerging risks indicate a need for improvement.
• Exercise significant independent judgment in matters related to disaster strategy, operational readiness, program execution, workforce leadership, resource deployment, external partnerships, and emergency response.
• The scope and complexity of the position are influenced by the region's disaster risk assessment, geographic footprint, population, concentration of vulnerable communities, number of municipalities and government jurisdictions, frequency and scale of disaster events, grant-funded activity, program complexity, and organizational structure.

Minimum Qualifications:

Education

• Bachelor's degree required.

* A combination of education and relevant professional experience may satisfy the education and general experience requirements, provided that the combined years meet the minimum requirements for the position. Required management experience may not be substituted.

Professional Experience

Minimum of 10 years of related experience, or an equivalent combination of education and relevant experience.

Experience should include progressively…