Community Disaster Program Specialist

American Red Cross•St Louis, MO

About The Position

The Community Disaster Program Specialist guides, leads, and supports trained volunteer teams delivering comfort and care during disasters. The role builds and maintains ongoing volunteer engagement, collaborating with volunteer services staff and working with volunteers to help communities prepare for disaster response. The specialist supports local disaster-cycle services programming and community preparation, response, and recovery efforts, with a focus on meeting urgent disaster-caused needs in rapid, accessible, equitable, culturally appropriate, and linguistically appropriate ways, particularly for frontline communities. The position works daily in its assigned geographic area to engage and mobilize communities and support volunteers. Regional disaster employees must deploy outside their region at least once a year; deployment requires completion of training and physical capacity requirements. The position requires work outside regular duty hours, including nights and weekends. Candidates within 50 miles of the St. Louis chapter are preferred. Relocation assistance is not available. The work environment includes moderate noise, such as in a business office with computers, phones, printers, and light traffic. The employee may work in a small cubicle and sit at a computer terminal for extended periods.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree, or an equivalent combination of education and related experience.
At least 3 years of related experience.
Current valid driver’s license and good driving record.
Ability to coordinate staff and volunteer activities.
Excellent interpersonal, verbal, and written communication skills.
Proven ability to collaborate with diverse groups and individuals representative of community demographics.
Experience managing multiple priorities, facilitating, problem solving, marketing, leadership, and partnership management.
Intermediate proficiency with Microsoft Office, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook.
Ability to work outside regular duty hours, including nights and weekends.
Ability to meet training and physical capacity requirements for disaster deployment.
Physical ability to sit regularly; handle or feel objects; talk or hear; reach frequently; stand, walk, and stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl occasionally; and frequently lift or move up to 15 pounds and occasionally up to 30 pounds.
Vision abilities including close, distance, color, and peripheral vision, depth perception, and ability to adjust focus.
Ability to work in a small cubicle and sit at a computer terminal for extended periods.

Nice To Haves

Demonstrated ability to inspire and coordinate volunteers, fostering purpose and community impact.
Proven experience building strong relationships with diverse community groups to drive participation and support.
Strong written and verbal communication skills that support collaboration, clarity, and influence across all levels.
Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook.
Demonstrated ability to lead, motivate, and support volunteers and team members while fostering collaboration, accountability, and a positive team culture.
Candidates located within 50 miles of the St. Louis chapter are preferred.

Responsibilities

Facilitate and support a diverse volunteer team implementing volunteer-led disaster-cycle services programming.
Ensure disaster-cycle services are delivered rapidly and accessibly, and equitably across cultural and linguistic needs, to meet clients’ urgent disaster-caused needs, with a focus on frontline communities.
Assist with implementation of designated disaster-cycle services program activities or functions within an assigned geographic area.
Engage disaster volunteers, the primary workforce, ensuring they represent the communities they serve culturally and linguistically.
Support local efforts to prepare and mobilize communities and engage partners to prepare for, respond to, and recover from disasters and emergencies.
Implement plans to meet assigned volunteer-engagement targets and support volunteer-led Disaster Action Team responses to local home fires or other assigned functional tasks.
Serve as a local point of contact for community and partner organizations.
Partner with local organizations and leaders to support frontline communities and community resiliency before, during, and after disasters.
Participate in regional disaster response operations after completing training requirements.
Deploy to disaster relief operations outside the region at least once a year, as required for regional disaster employees.