Community Disaster Program Specialist

Job Description

As a Community Disaster Program Specialist, you will guide, lead, and support teams of trained volunteers to deliver comfort and care in times of disaster. You will create and maintain volunteer engagement frameworks and ensure communities are ready to respond to disasters.

• Empower Volunteers: Facilitate and support a diverse volunteer team responsible for implementing volunteer‑led disaster cycle services programming and ensuring rapid, accessible, equitable delivery.
• Support the Program: Assist with successful implementation of specific disaster cycle services program activities or functions within an assigned geographic area.
• Mission Capacity Building: Engage disaster volunteers—who are the primary workforce and representative of the communities they serve—in culturally and linguistically appropriate ways.
• Engage Community: Support local efforts to prepare and mobilize communities and engage partners to prepare for, respond to, and recover from disasters and emergencies.
• Manage in a Matrix: Implement plans to meet targets for volunteer engagement and for volunteer‑led Disaster Action Team response to local home fires or for supporting specific function tasks within the assigned area.
• Know Your Communities: Act as the local point of contact for partners and communities, partnering with local organizations and leaders to support frontline communities and community resilience before, during, and after disasters.
• Ready to Respond: Participate in disaster response operations in the region after completing training requirements.

• Bachelor’s degree required, or equivalent combination of education and related experience.
• Minimum three years of related experience.
• Valid driver’s license and clean MVR.

• Ability to coordinate staff and volunteer activities.
• Excellent interpersonal, verbal, and written communication skills.
• Proven record of collaboration with diverse groups and community representatives, 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:
  Expected to work daily in the assigned geographic area to engage and mobilize communities and support volunteers.
• Regional positions:
  Expected to work daily within the region’s geographic area to provide leadership, functional support, and community engagement.

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. The employee must regularly sit, use hands to handle or feel, and talk or hear. The employee frequently reaches with hands and arms, occasionally stands, walks, stoops, kneels, crouches, or crawls. The employee must frequently lift and/or move up to 15 pounds and occasionally lift and/or move up to 30 pounds.

Specific vision abilities required include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and ability to adjust focus. The work environment will have moderate noise. The employee must be able to work in a small cubicle and sit at a computer terminal for extended periods.

• Bilingual English/Spanish.
• Experience with volunteers or volunteer work.
• Community engagement experience.
• Experience in disaster‑related programs is highly preferred.
• Experience working in a matrixed environment with cross‑functional teams.
• Professionalism and composure maintained under operational pressure.
• Sound judgment during operational activities.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Leadership in a fast‑paced operational setting.

• Medical, Dental, Vision plans
• Health Spending Accounts & Flexible Spending Accounts
• PTO:
  Starting 15 days a year (based on status and tenure)
• Holidays: 11 paid holidays (six core holidays and five floating holidays)
• 401(k) with 6% match
• Paid Family Leave
• Employee Assistance
• Disability and Insurance:
  Short‑term and long‑term
• Service Awards and recognition

The above statements describe the general nature and level of work performed by individuals in this position. They are not intended as an exhaustive list of responsibilities, duties, and skills required.

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 applicable state and local laws and ordinances.