Community Disaster Program Manager

American Red Cross - LaGrange, GA

Full-time - Mid Level

LaGrange, GA

Social Assistance

About the position

As a Community Disaster Program Manager at the American Red Cross, you will play a crucial role in ensuring effective collaboration with Volunteer Services and engaging partners across various communities within your assigned geographic area. Your primary responsibility will be to identify, mobilize, and engage these partners while assessing current readiness resources, facilities, supplies, and local vendors to address any gaps in disaster preparedness. You will work closely with volunteers to ensure that the communities you serve are well-prepared to respond to disasters, thereby contributing to the overall mission of the Red Cross in disaster response and recovery. In this position, you will lead and support a diverse volunteer team responsible for implementing volunteer-led disaster cycle services programming throughout your assigned area. This includes functional activities such as mass care, response, community preparedness, recovery, and planning and readiness. You will also be tasked with developing and supporting disaster volunteers who represent the communities they serve, ensuring that they are culturally and linguistically aligned with the populations they assist. Your role will involve cultivating Disaster Leadership Volunteers and engaging community partners with specific expertise to enhance disaster readiness and response efforts. As a subject matter expert in disaster management, you will act as a liaison to maximize the Red Cross's presence and community engagement. You will initiate and coordinate disaster relief operations in your area, ensuring alignment with the Disaster Cycle Services Concept of Operations. This position requires a commitment to continuous disaster response, with regional disaster employees expected to deploy to disaster relief operations outside their region at least once a year. This deployment not only contributes to skill building and career development but also provides exposure to various types of disasters, enhancing your professional experience within the humanitarian sector.

Responsibilities

• Lead and support a diverse volunteer team responsible for implementing volunteer-led disaster cycle services programming throughout the assigned geographic area.
• Implement disaster cycle services activities within the assigned geographic area or specific functional activities within the region.
• Develop and support disaster volunteers who are the primary workforce and representative of the communities they serve.
• Cultivate and develop Disaster Leadership Volunteers to meet specific responsibilities in disaster readiness, preparedness, response, and recovery.
• Lead and coordinate efforts to prepare and mobilize communities and engage partners for disaster response and recovery.
• Build relationships and collaborate in a matrix management environment with internal partners, including employees and volunteers.
• Act as the Red Cross disaster subject matter expert within the assigned geographic area to maximize community engagement and mobilization.
• Initiate and coordinate disaster relief operations in alignment with the Disaster Cycle Services Concept of Operations.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree required, or equivalent combination of education and related experience required.
• Minimum 5 years of related experience with building, mobilizing, leading and developing volunteer teams to execute a social services program or service.
• Valid Driver's License.
• Excellent interpersonal, verbal, and written communication skills.
• Demonstrated analytical and decision-making skills to interpret program trends and develop creative processes for continuous improvement.
• Proven record of accomplishment of collaboration with diverse groups and managing multiple priorities.
• Intermediate level proficiency with Microsoft Office software, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook.
• Ability to work outside of regular duty hours including nights and weekends.

Nice-to-haves

• Experience in Project Management and emergency response.

Benefits

• Medical, Dental Vision plans
• Health Spending Accounts & Flexible Spending Accounts
• PTO: Starting at 15 days a year; based on FLSA status and tenure
• Holidays: 11 paid holidays comprised of six core holidays and five floating holidays
• 401K with 5% match
• Paid Family Leave
• Employee Assistance
• Disability and Insurance: Short + Long Term
• Service Awards and recognition