Disaster Emotional and Spiritual Care Program Manager

Evangelical Lutheran Church in America•Chicago, IL

26d•Hybrid

About The Position

This position serves as the Disaster Emotional and Spiritual Care (DESC) program manager for a three-year Lilly Endowment-funded capacity-building initiative focused on strengthening, deepening, and expanding LDR’s Disaster Emotional and Spiritual Care (DESC) initiative. This role will provide centralized leadership for building a coordinated, scalable, and sustainable emotional and spiritual care infrastructure across ELCA synods. This role will oversee the development, implementation, and growth of synodically-based and regional DESC teams. This includes coordinating training efforts, managing logistics, supporting volunteer team development, and serving as a key liaison between LDR staff, synods, facilitators, and partners. This role will help move LDR from an ad hoc model of emotional and spiritual care to a structured, replicable, and sustainable system. This is a full-time, term contract (starts fall 2026, ends March 31, 2029), exempt, Chicago-based position. This position has responsibilities that will require being in the office a minimum of 2 days each week and more as needed. The eligibility of a candidate for positions may depend on the residency of the candidate, and the budget for the role, including salary or pay, insurance coverage, and/or tax burden. Candidates for this position must reside within the fifty United States or the District of Columbia and be authorized to work lawfully in the United States. In compliance with federal law, all persons hired will be required to verify identity and eligibility to work in the United States and to complete the required employment eligibility verification document form upon hire.

Requirements

3+ years of related experience in one or more of the following areas: disaster response, emotional/spiritual care, pastoral care, or related field; field organizing, volunteer management; network building; engagement strategy; program interpretation and development, event planning and network communication, and grant management or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
Experience designing or facilitating training programs, especially adult learning and/or trauma-informed approaches.
Demonstrated ability to manage projects and work collaboratively in a team-based, multi-tiered environment. Ability to work collaboratively across diverse stakeholders and geographic contexts.
Exemplary interpersonal communication skills; ability to effectively present both verbal and written information in a clear manner.
Exceptional commitment to timeliness; excellent organizational skills; ability to manage multiple, diverse projects simultaneously and under time pressures; ability to prioritize projects. Experience with Microsoft software products.
An understanding of faith-based leadership, congregational systems, or denominational structures preferred.
Appreciation for the mission, vision, and values of the ELCA.
Commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, accessibility, and anti-racism. Experience with diverse constituents is preferred.
Minimum Technical Competency: Computer knowledge that enables you to operate a Windows Computer and follow basic troubleshooting instructions. Software skills to efficiently use computer programs and applications. Ability to leverage computer knowledge and software skills to understand new software, follow process, and identify opportunities for improvement. Experience using Microsoft Office applications (Word, Excel, Teams, Outlook, etc.) preferred.

Nice To Haves

Experience in event planning and onsite management highly desirable, including budget tracking, communication and relationship-building, team collaboration and program planning.

Responsibilities

Oversee implementation and coordination of a three-year Lilly Endowment-funded grant initiative related to building Disaster Emotional and Spiritual Care programmatic infrastructure for Lutheran Disaster Response.
Serve as the primary liaison and program lead for LDR’s Disaster Emotional and Spiritual Care (DESC) programming, coordinating across LDR staff, synods, congregations, partners, trainers, and volunteers to implement the grant-funded initiative.
In partnership with LDR’s Training and Networks team, lead the coordination, delivery, and ongoing development of DESC training across the ELCA’s domestic footprint. This includes advancing trauma-informed, skill-based curricula and expanding accessible learning formats (facilitated, asynchronous, and blended). Ensure the DESC education portfolio is theologically grounded in ELCA accompaniment and aligned with the Service & Justice MERGE (Migrant, Economic, Racial, Gender, Environmental) justice framework.
Lead the design, development, and ongoing support of synod-based DESC teams, including recruitment, onboarding, and long-term sustainability. Establish and operationalize standardized practices for activation, debriefing, and follow-up, and develop protocols, role descriptions, and codes of conduct. Advance a Training of Trainers (ToT) model to build and scale a network of locally based facilitators.
Develop and sustain strong partnerships with synod leaders, disaster coordinators, clergy, and lay leaders, while leading communication, collaboration, and peer learning across DESC teams through regular virtual and in-person convenings.
Lead and support evaluation and reporting efforts by tracking DESC team formation, training outcomes, and activations; documenting best practices to inform a scalable expansion model; and preparing written reports to meet grant reporting requirements.
Other duties as assigned.