Senior Director, Community Response Operations

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: 

This is a people manager position reporting to the Senior Director, Community Operations. The role provides strategic leadership and end‑to‑end oversight of regionally‑managed level 1 response operations.  The position will ensure programs are delivered consistently, aligned with organizational priorities, and grounded in a strong understanding of the systems, processes, and infrastructure that enable effective service delivery.

Responsibilities include shaping and assessing program strategies, overseeing operational performance, and identifying opportunities for continuous improvement, with a focus on client experience, capacity building, and community mobilization. The position ensures that community response efforts are supported by scalable, sustainable infrastructure and integrated workflows across teams, partners, and technology platforms.

This role designs flexible, community‑informed approaches while maintaining visibility into the full operational ecosystem, from field execution to underlying support systems.  Additionally, the position leads the integration of community response and recovery operations priorities into the organization’s overall business plan, ensuring alignment between strategic objectives, operational capabilities, and infrastructure readiness

WHERE YOUR CAREER IS A FORCE FOR GOOD: 

• Formulate community response operations strategy in the development and implementation of programs, evaluate overall activities of programs to ensure consistency with the direction of the organization, and exercise control over management personnel responsible for specific programs.
• Ensure consistent delivery of community response operations programs, quality and growth of programs and the integration with other programs within the organization.
• Review community response operations program to ensure progress is being accomplished toward overall program objectives and make change recommendations based on business needs.
• Develop and implement short and long-term strategies to integrate community response operations priorities into the overall organization business plan and manage the execution of those strategies.
• Hire, manage, and evaluate direct and indirect staff. Direct staff in the development and implementation of departmental policies, procedures and programs.  Engage volunteers in a meaningful way.
• Collaborate proactively with cross‑functional colleagues to align strategies, share expertise, and support the development and execution of complementary program initiatives across the organization.

WHAT YOU NEED TO SUCCEED: 

• Education: Bachelor's degree required.
• Experience: Minimum 10 years of related experience or equivalent combination of education and related experience required.
• Management Experience: 7 years of management experience.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills with the ability to think critically and strategically required.
• The ability to develop and implement an organizational vision which integrates key American Red Cross goals, priorities, values, and other factors is critical.
• Candidate must demonstrate the ability to balance change and continuity--to continually strive to improve customer focus and organizational performance within the Red Cross framework, to create a work environment that encourages innovation, and to maintain focus, intensity and persistence, even under adversity.
• The ability to design and implement strategies which develop direct reports and others in the organization, and foster integrity and trust in meeting the organization’s vision, mission, and goals and the ability to make timely and effective decisions and produce results through strategic planning and the implementation and evaluation of programs and policies is required.
• Demonstrated ability to acquire and administer human, financial, material, and information resources in a manner which instills public trust and to use new technology to enhance decision making while fostering an environment of accountability and continuous improvements.
• The ability to explain, advocate and express facts and ideas in a convincing manner and negotiate with individuals and groups internally and externally is required.
• It also involves the ability to develop an expansive professional network with other organizations, and to identify the internal and external politics that impact the work of the organization and the ability to hammer out tough agreements and settle disputes equitably.
• Must be able to read situations quickly and listen with focus. Ability to work on a team.

Travel: Travel may be required 10-20%.*

Combination of candidate’s education and general experience satisfies requirements so long as the total years equate to description’s minimum education and general experience years combined (Management experience cannot be substituted.)

PAY INFORMATION:

The salary range for this position is $145,000-$155,000*

*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. 

This role is not eligible for relocation assistance.

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 at 15 days a year; based on type of job and tenure
• Holidays:  11 paid holidays comprised of six core holidays and five floating holidays
• 401K with up to 6% match
• Paid Family Leave
• Employee Assistance
• Disability and Insurance: Short + Long Term
• Service Awards and recognition

*LI-JG1

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