Humanitarian Response Roster, Program Lead

Job description

CORE (Community Organized Relief Effort) is a crisis response organization that brings immediate aid and recovery to underserved communities across the globe. Our mission is simple: save lives and strengthen communities impacted by or vulnerable to crisis. Wherever the crisis is and whenever people are in need, we are there. CORE’s ability to impact communities is directly emboldened by each member of our staff and leadership.

We are seeking experienced and mission-driven Response Team Leads to join our emergency response roster for limited-term deployments. This role is responsible for leading the overall response operations on the ground, overseeing site functions and programmatic teams (such as distribution, home repair, community hubs, or resource navigation), managing local partnerships, and executing CORE’s response strategy.

The Team Lead acts as CORE’s primary field leader, responsible for ensuring coordination, safety, quality control, and effective communication across all functions. They serve as the point of contact for local partners, support agencies, and internal leadership during the response phase. This position requires exceptional leadership, decisiveness, and the ability to adapt under rapidly evolving conditions.

Roster work is available on an as-needed basis (it is not full-time or continuous).

Roster members may be activated based on needs arising from emergencies and must be prepared for rapid deployment, sometimes on short notice, for durations ranging from 2 to 10 weeks.

Main Responsibilities:

Project Leadership and Implementation

• Oversee the planning, execution, and real-time adjustment of emergency response programs, including but not limited to shelter, WASH, case management, relief distributions, infrastructure repair, and community engagement.
•  Lead rapid and ongoing needs assessments to inform program strategy and prioritize interventions.
•  Ensure program activities are grounded in contextual analysis, community feedback, and operational feasibility.

Deployment and Operational Oversight

• Serve as CORE’s senior-most representative in the field, providing strategic and operational leadership across all scopes of work.
•  Ensure quality, safety, and accountability standards are upheld across all response activities.
•  Represent CORE in coordination meetings with government agencies, humanitarian actors, and local partners.
•  Ensure compliance with internal protocols, donor requirements, and humanitarian standards

Interdepartmental Coordination

• Facilitate coordination between field operations and HQ departments including Communications, Partnerships, Development, Finance, and Logistics.
• Ensure timely flow of accurate data, narrative updates, and documentation for internal and external stakeholders.

Team Supervision and Training

•  Supervise and support field-based staff, roster members, and volunteers across programmatic and operational roles.
•  Lead onboarding, mentoring, and just-in-time training for incoming team members.
• Support the adaptation and dissemination of SOPs, assessment tools, and training materials specific to the deployment context.
• Promote a culture of safety, inclusivity, and continuous learning among field teams.

Administrative and Reporting Duties

•  Ensure accurate tracking of project outputs, deliverables, and key performance indicators.
• Contribute to donor and HQ reporting, including situation reports, lessons learned, and end-of-deployment summaries.
• Support documentation of program impact, gaps, and recommendations to inform transition to recovery and long-term programming.

Scope and Travel:

• Supervises: Program Managers, Program Coordinators, Roster members, local hires, and/or volunteers assigned to specific projects
• Travel to U.S.-based emergencies and potentially international sites
• Called upon in with short notice for deployments of 2-12 weeks as needed.
• Must have current passport for international deployments

Qualifications:

• Relevant experience in emergency response, humanitarian aid, community development, or related fields.
• A bachelor’s degree is welcomed but not required—equivalent experience, including lived or professional experience in disaster-affected communities or crisis settings, is strongly valued.
• Demonstrated ability to lead teams, manage projects, and work across diverse communities and partners during emergency or high-pressure situations.
• Commitment to CORE’s mission and a strong understanding of the challenges faced by underserved or crisis-impacted populations.

Experience:

• Proven experience in emergency operations or volunteer management.
• Excellent communication and coordination abilities, with experience working across multiple departments and teams.
• Flexibility to deploy to various locations in response to disasters and humanitarian crises.
• Minimum 3 years of professional experience in emergency response, humanitarian aid, or related program implementation
• Prior experience leading teams or managing response projects in humanitarian contexts
• Familiarity with construction, shelter, WASH, distribution, or other sectoral experience is a plus

Skills & Competencies:

• Proficient in Microsoft Office Suite and project management tools
• Strong leadership, decision-making, and interpersonal skills under pressure
• Ability to adapt to evolving needs in dynamic environments
• Skilled in stakeholder engagement, community-based work, and equitable service delivery
• Valid Driver’s License and clean driving history
• Spanish or other secondary language proficiency preferred
• Available for deployments of at least two weeks

Preferred but not required certifications or field experience in:

Tarping

Muck & Gutting

Medical

   WASH

Construction/Shelter Repairs

   Chainsaw Operations

Safety and Safeguarding

MEAL (Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability, and Learning)

$85,000 - $90,000 a year

Clear pre-employment background check requirements, including local, state, and national criminal records checks, sex offender registries, employment, education verifications and child abuse registry check (if required by state regulations) are required post job offer and prior to employment.

Safeguarding

CORE is committed to keeping children and vulnerable individuals safe and has a Zero Tolerance policy for sexual exploitation and abuse. Every CORE employee, consultant and volunteer is bound by CORE’s Code of Conduct and Safeguarding Policy. By applying for this position, an applicant confirms that they have not previously violated an employer’s safeguarding, sexual misconduct, (child) sexual exploitation and abuse, or human trafficking policy.