Job Description
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Job Purpose:
The Deputy Area Director, California serves as the senior operational leader responsible for translating CORE’s strategic vision into high-impact execution across emergency management and health-focused programming statewide. Reporting to the Area Director, the role oversees day-to-day program delivery, financial and compliance performance, staff leadership, business development, and cross-departmental coordination, while also serving as CORE’s operational lead for recovery from the 2025 Los Angeles Wildfires. The role works in close strategic partnership with CORE’s Senior Director of Humanitarian Response and Technical Services to ensure alignment between field operations, technical standards, and CORE’s broader emergency response and recovery strategy. The position directs CORE’s Altadena Recovery Hub and integrated fire recovery portfolio — including disaster case management, cash assistance, debris management, benefits navigation, and community engagement — ensuring a unified, survivor-centered approach that meets regulatory, donor, and community expectations while driving measurable recovery outcomes.
Main Responsibilities:
- CA Wildfire Recovery Leadership
- Serve as CORE’s operational lead for wildfire recovery efforts in California, reporting to the Area Director and ensuring coordinated, high-impact delivery across all response pillars.
- Manage and coach a team of direct reports through a regular cadence of 1:1s, team meetings, and performance check-ins to ensure alignment, accountability, and delivery.
- Oversee the Altadena Recovery Hub, Lincoln Ave Community Center, ensuring effective integration of disaster case management, cash assistance, debris management, benefits navigation, and community engagement.
- Lead coordination across CORE response teams and partner organizations to ensure a unified, survivor-centered recovery effort.
- Serve as a primary liaison with local, state, and federal agencies to navigate post-fire regulations, compliance, rebuilding, and repopulation requirements.
Fundraising, Government Advocacy & Community Representation:
- Lead fundraising for LA wildfire recovery, mobilizing at least $2M in new public, private, and philanthropic funding in the first year, with annual fundraising goals reviewed and updated each year to reflect evolving recovery needs, pipeline maturity, and organizational strategy.
- Serve as a senior CORE representative for LA wildfire recovery, building public, private, and philanthropic support to fund long-term recovery for fire-impacted households and communities.
- Lead resource mobilization for California-based long-term programming, working with CORE’s Development team to secure philanthropic gifts, corporate support, foundation grants, and public funding streams.
- Act as CORE’s primary community liaison for Altadena and other impacted areas, ensuring survivor needs, equity priorities, and recovery gaps are clearly communicated to donors, policymakers, and recovery partners.
- Advocate with local, state, and federal government agencies — including LA County, State of California, FEMA, HUD, and philanthropic disaster funds — to secure funding, policy flexibility, and recovery resources for fire-affected residents.
- Represent CORE in recovery task forces, government briefings, and funding coordination forums, helping shape recovery strategies, eligibility criteria, and investment priorities.
- Partner with elected officials, community leaders, and coalitions to elevate the voices of impacted families and ensure recovery funding reaches the most vulnerable households.
- Support media, public communications, and donor briefings that highlight recovery needs, program impact, and funding gaps.
- Work with program and finance teams to translate community needs into fundable program models, budgets, and proposals that unlock public and private recovery dollars.
Integrated Recovery Operations & Community Systems:
- Lead the design and delivery of CORE’s end-to-end wildfire recovery system, integrating cash assistance, debris management, disaster case management, benefits navigation, and community engagement into a unified, survivor-centered response.
- Oversee needs assessments, vulnerability targeting, and equitable prioritization of assistance, ensuring the most impacted households receive timely financial, material, and recovery support.
- Supervise field leads for cash assistance, debris removal, DCMP, and community navigation, ensuring all services operate in coordination, meet quality standards, and comply with donor, safety, and regulatory requirements.
- Manage transparent, accountable, and fraud-resistant systems for cash distribution, contractor payments, and household assistance.
- Direct debris clearance, environmental safety, and repopulation efforts in coordination with contractors, utilities, and local authorities, ensuring families can safely return home.
- Lead community engagement, town halls, and feedback mechanisms so recovery priorities reflect lived experience and evolving needs.
- Oversee the Relief Compass and Benefits Navigation platforms to help households access FEMA, insurance, housing, healthcare, and long-term recovery resources.
- Ensure high-quality Disaster Case Management, supporting families with complex housing, financial, health, and psychosocial recovery needs.
- Lead partner coordination, training, and technical assistance to strengthen local recovery capacity and ensure consistent standards across the response network.
Performance, Financial & Organizational Leadership:
- Oversee program performance, financial management, and accountability across CORE’s California preparedness, response, and recovery portfolio.
- Lead monitoring, reporting, and data-driven decision making across cash, debris, DCMP, and community recovery programs.
- Manage day-to-day financial oversight of a $3–5 million portfolio, including burn rates, invoicing, and donor-compliant reporting.
- Serve as the Area Director’s primary operational partner, ensuring strategy is executed effectively.
- Represent CORE with government, funders, and recovery partners, and support business development and surge response as needed.
Scope and Travel:
Qualifications:
Essential:
- 8-10 years of progressive management in relevant field
- Bachelor’s degree in relevant Emergency Management, non-profit management, Business, Finance, or other relevant fields and/or equivalent experience at a senior level (experience may be accepted in lieu of Bachelor’s degree)
Desired:
- Advanced degree in relevant development/humanitarian aid work subjects.
Experience:
- Additional Preferences:
- At least 5 years management experience in the nonprofit and/or humanitarian aid field
- A demonstrated ability to engage, partner, liaise and fundraise with corporations, foundations, high-net worth individuals, and institutional donors
- Supervisory experience required
- Experience with business and proposal development and
- grant writing (required)
- Experience with program planning, implementation and evaluation
- Commitment and passionate about the values, mission and vision of CORE
- Strong team player mentality with ability to communicate openly, maintain good relationships with the team, internal and external stakeholders, donors and community partners
- Proactive, motivated and willing to take responsibility
- Proven and effective leader, problem solver and ability to motivate others
- Ability to cope with stress, thrives in an ever-changing environment
- Attention to detail and structured way of approaching tasks, plans ahead
- Very good working knowledge of Microsoft Office including MS Outlook, Teams, Word and Excel
- Excellent writing, reporting and communication skills
- Bilingual in Spanish or another language preferred
Skills & Competencies:
- Experience with CDBG grants
- Experience working with local government agencies and entities
- Experience with business development and development
- Strong operational skills
