Community Disaster Program Specialist

Location: Des Moines, IA

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By joining the American Red Cross you will touch millions of lives every year and experience the greatness of the human spirit at its best. Are you ready to be part of the world's largest humanitarian network?

Join us—Where your Career is a Force for Good!

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.

Candidates located within 50 miles of the Des Moines, IA chapter are preferred. Please note that relocation assistance is not available for this position.

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW (Job Overview):

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.

Join us in meeting the needs of continuous disaster response! 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.

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

Empower Volunteers: 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.

Support the Program: 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.

Mission Capacity Building: Engage disaster volunteers who are the primary workforce, and representative of the communities they serve, both culturally and linguistically.

Engage Community: Support local efforts to prepare and mobilize communities and engage partners to prepare for, respond to, and recover from disasters and emergencies.

Manage in a Matrix: 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.

Know Your Communities: 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.

Ready to Respond: Participate in disaster response operations in the region in alignment with the Disaster Cycle Services Concept of Operations, upon completion of training requirements.

Pay Information: The salary range for this position is $51,200.-$52.253.

Note that American Red Cross salaries are aligned to the specific geographic location in which the work is primarily performed. Other factors that may be used to determine your actual salary may include your specific skills, how many years of experience you have and comparison to other employees already in this role.

WHAT YOU NEED TO SUCCEED (Minimum Qualifications):

• Education: Bachelor's degree required, or equivalent combination of education and related experience required.
• Experience: Minimum 3 years of related experience.
• A current valid driver's license and good driving record is required.

REQUIRED SKILLS AND ABILITIES:

• 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.
  

RESIDENCY REQUIREMENTS

• 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.

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS:

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 ability to adjust focus. The work environment will consist of moderate noise (i.e. business offices with computers, phones and printers, light traffic). The employee must have the ability to work in a small cubicle and have the ability to sit at a computer terminal for an extended period of time.

WHAT WILL GIVE YOU THE COMPETITIVE EDGE (Preferred Qualifications):

• Volunteer Engagement: Demonstrated ability to inspire and coordinate volunteers, fostering a sense of purpose and community impact.
• Community Engagement: Proven experience building strong relationships with diverse community groups to drive participation and support.
• Excellent Communication Skills: Strong written and verbal communication abilities, including public speaking, presentations, and group facilitation, enhancing clarity, influence, and collaboration across all levels.
• Tech‑Savvy with Advanced Microsoft Office Skills: Proficient in leveraging digital tools, databases, and the full MS Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook) to streamline processes, support data accuracy, and produce high‑quality documentation, reports, and presentations.

DISCLAIMER: The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by individuals assigned to this position. They are not intended to be construed as an exhaustive list of responsibilities, duties and skills required of personnel so classified.

BENEFITS FOR YOU:

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

• 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
  

Apply now! Joining our team will provide you with the opportunity to

make your career a force for good!

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.
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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