Community Disaster Program Manager

Job Description:

Joining The American Red Cross is like nothing else - it's as much something you feel as something you do. You become a vital part of the world's largest humanitarian network. Joining a team of welcoming individuals who are exceptional, yet unassuming. Diverse, yet uncompromising in unity. You grow your career within a movement that matters, where success is measured in people helped, communities made whole, and individuals equipped to never stop changing lives and situations for the better.

When you choose to be a force for good, you'll have mentors who empower your growth along a purposeful career path. You align your life's work with an ongoing mission that's bigger than all of us. As you care for others, you're cared for with competitive compensation and benefits. You join a community that respects who you are away from work as much as what you do while at work.

Where Your Career is a Force for Good!

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW (Job Overview):

The Community Disaster Program Manager (CDPM) serves as the American Red Cross disaster preparedness, response, and recovery leader across El Paso, Culberson, Presidio, Jeff Davis, Hudspeth, and Brewster counties. This role is not eligible for relocation assistance.

The successful candidate will be responsible for recruiting, developing, and leading volunteer teams; strengthening community partnerships; advancing disaster readiness initiatives; and ensuring communities are prepared to respond effectively to emergencies and disasters.

This position reports to the El Paso Chapter and works closely with volunteers, community leaders, nonprofit organizations, government agencies, and internal Red Cross partners.

Regional disaster employees are required to deploy disaster relief operations outside of their region at a minimum 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.

WHERE YOUR CAREER IS A FORCE FOR GOOD (Key Responsibilities):

Volunteer Leadership & Capacity Building

• Recruit, engage, develop, and retain a diverse network of disaster volunteers.
• Build and sustain high-performing volunteer teams capable of supporting disaster preparedness, response, recovery, and resilience efforts.
• Identify, mentor, and develop Disaster Leadership Volunteers to increase local mission capacity.
• Foster an inclusive volunteer culture that reflects the communities served, both culturally and linguistically.

Community Engagement & Partnership Development

• Build and maintain strategic relationships with community organizations, local government, emergency management agencies, faith-based organizations, schools, and other stakeholders.
• Engage diverse communities and strengthen the Red Cross presence throughout the assigned territory.
• Identify opportunities to expand community resilience through collaboration and partnership.
• Serve as the local Red Cross disaster subject matter expert and ambassador.

Program Leadership & Strategy

• Lead disaster cycle services activities across the assigned geographic area.
• Develop and execute strategic plans that align with organizational priorities and community needs.
• Establish measurable goals, evaluate outcomes, and continuously improve program effectiveness.
• Identify resource gaps and develop solutions to strengthen community readiness and response capacity.

Disaster Readiness & Response

• Coordinate and support local disaster preparedness activities.
• Ensure the community maintains readiness resources, facilities, supplies, and partnerships necessary to support disaster operations.
• Initiate and support disaster relief operations in alignment with Red Cross Disaster Cycle Services standards and procedures.
• Support regional and national disaster relief efforts through operational deployments.

Collaboration & Matrix Leadership

• Partner effectively with employees, volunteers, and regional leadership teams in a matrixed environment.
• Influence and motivate stakeholders without direct authority.
• Collaborate across departments to achieve mission objectives and community outcomes.

• Education: Bachelor's degree required, or equivalent combination of education and related experience required.
• Experience: Minimum 5 years of related experience building, mobilizing, leading, and developing volunteer teams to execute a social services program or service.
• Travel: A current valid driver's license and good driving record are required.

Leadership & Volunteer Management

• Proven ability to recruit, engage, inspire, and develop volunteers.
• Experience leading teams through influence and collaboration.
• Strong accountability and ownership for achieving results.

Communication & Relationship Building

• Exceptional verbal, written, interpersonal, and presentation skills.
• Ability to build trust and credibility with volunteers, community leaders, partners, and stakeholders.
• Skilled facilitator capable of working effectively with diverse audiences.

Strategic Thinking & Program Management

• Strong project management, organizational, and prioritization skills.
• Ability to manage multiple initiatives simultaneously while maintaining attention to detail.
• Strategic mindset with the ability to translate goals into actionable work plans and measurable outcomes.
• Demonstrated analytical and problem-solving abilities.

Community Engagement

• Proven success engaging and collaborating with diverse communities.
• Cultural competency and ability to build inclusive partnerships across varied backgrounds and perspectives.
• Experience developing sustainable community partnerships and collaborative networks.

Technical Skills

• Intermediate proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and Teams, and project management tools such as Asana.

• Chapter-based positions: Geographic Community Disaster employees are expected to work daily in their assigned geographic area to engage and mobilize communities and support volunteers.
• Regional positions: 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.

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. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to sit; use hands to handle or feel; and talk or hear. The employee is frequently required to reach with hands and arms. The employee is occasionally required to stand, walk, and stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl. 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 by this job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and the ability to adjust focus. The work environment consists of moderate noise (e.g., a business office with computers, phones, printers, and light traffic). The employee must be able to work in a small cubicle and sit at a computer terminal for extended periods of time.

The ideal candidate will possess many of the following:

• Bilingual English/Spanish proficiency highly preferred.
• Demonstrated success building, developing, growing, and retaining volunteer teams.
• Experience leading volunteer-driven programs within nonprofit organizations.
• Strong background in community development, community engagement, and partnership cultivation.
• Experience working with diverse, multicultural, and multilingual populations.
• Proven record of delivering measurable outcomes through strategic planning and execution.
• Exceptional project management and organizational capabilities.
• Experience working in a matrixed organizational environment.
• Background in disaster services, crisis management, public health, or community resilience programs.
• Previous nonprofit sector experience strongly preferred.

As a mission-based organization, we believe our team needs great support to do great work. Our comprehensive package includes:

• Medical, Dental, and Vision plans
• Health Savings Accounts and Flexible Spending Accounts
• PTO starting at 15 days per year (based on position and tenure)
• 11 paid holidays, including six core holidays and five floating holidays
• 401(k) with up to a 6% company match
• Paid Family Leave
• Employee Assistance Program
• Short-Term and Long-Term Disability Insurance
• Service Awards and Recognition
  

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 the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance for Employers, San Diego Fair Chance Ordinance, the California Fair Chance Act and any other applicable state and local laws.

AmeriCorps, the federal agency that brings people together through service, and its partners - the Peace Corps, AmeriCorps Alums, National Peace Corps Association, and the Service Year Alliance - launched Employers of National Service to connect national service alumni with opportunities in the workforce.American Red Cross is proud to be an EONS partner and share our employment opportunities with the network of organizations.

Interested in Volunteering? Visit redcross.org/volunteertoday to learn more, including our most-needed volunteer positions.

To view the EEOC Summary of Rights, click here: Summary of Rights