Community Disaster Program Specialist

American Red Cross • La Crosse, WI

3d • Onsite

About The Position

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 also create and maintain a foundation of continuous and robust volunteer engagement using established processes and collaborating with volunteer services staff. You will work with volunteers to ensure that the communities you serve are ready to respond to disasters. Regional disaster employees are required to deploy to disaster relief operations outside of their region at a minimum of once a year. Deployments contribute to skill building, career development and exposure to different types of disasters. Allowances may be provided for personal circumstances and local response activity. Employees must meet all training and physical capacity requirements for deployment.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree required, or equivalent combination of education and related experience required.
• Minimum 3 years of related experience.
• A current valid driver's license and good driving record is required.
• Ability to coordinate staff and volunteer activities.
• Excellent interpersonal, verbal, and written communication skills.
• Proven record of accomplishment of collaboration with diverse groups and individual’s representative of all the demographics of this community, managing multiple priorities, facilitation, problem solving, marketing, leadership, and partnership management.
• 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.
• Geographic Community Disaster employees are expected to work daily in their assigned geographic area to engage and mobilize communities and support volunteers.
• Regional leadership and functional employees are expected to work daily within their region's geographic area to provide leadership and functional support, engage and mobilize communities, and support volunteers.
• Regularly required to sit; use hands to handle or feel; and talk or hear.
• Frequently required to reach with hands and arms.
• Occasionally required to stand; walk and stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl.
• Must frequently lift and/or move up to 15 pounds and occasionally lift and/or move up to 30 pounds.
• Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception and ability to adjust focus.
• Ability to work in a small cubicle and have the ability to sit at a computer terminal for an extended period of time.

Nice To Haves

• Demonstrated ability to inspire and coordinate volunteers, fostering a sense of purpose and community impact.
• Proven experience building strong relationships with diverse community groups to drive participation and support.
• Strong written and verbal communication abilities that enhance collaboration, clarity, and influence across all levels.
• Skilled in MS Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook), enabling efficient documentation, reporting, and presentation.

Responsibilities

• Facilitate and support a diverse volunteer team responsible for the implementation of volunteer-led disaster cycle services programming as well as ensure disaster cycle services are delivered in a rapid, accessible, and equitable manner, both culturally and linguistically, to meet the urgent, disaster-caused needs of our clients, with a focus on frontline communities.
• Assist with the successful implementation of either specific disaster cycle services program activities, or a specific disaster cycle services function within an assigned geographic area.
• Engage disaster volunteers who are the primary workforce, and representative of the communities they serve, both 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 targets for volunteer engagement and volunteer-led Disaster Action Team response to local home fires or support specific function tasks within assigned geographic area.
• Act as the local point of contact for partners and communities. Partner with local organizations and leaders supporting frontline communities and community resiliency before, during and after disasters.
• Participate in disaster response operations in the region in alignment with the Disaster Cycle Services Concept of Operations, upon completion of training requirements.

Benefits

• Medical, Dental Vision plans
• Health Spending Accounts & Flexible Spending Accounts
• PTO: Starting 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 6% match
• Paid Family Leave
• Employee Assistance
• Disability and Insurance: Short + Long Term
• Service Awards and recognition

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level