Response Director, United States

World Central Kitchen is seeking a tenacious and adaptable Response Director who excels at quick, strategic decision-making, thrives at triaging competing priorities, and is a master at building relationships, leading and motivating large teams, and teaching a diverse team of people. The Response Director embraces chaos and ambiguity while implementing WCK responses, and oversees all ground activities of the activation. The Response Director is responsible for ensuring food aid rapidly reaches communities in need in alignment with WCK’s North Star values.

Duration : The Response Director is a three (3) year term exempt position with the opportunity for renewal, offering a unique chance to lead and shape WCK's responses.

This position reports directly to the Chief Relief Officer.

Preferred Location : Florida. Must live within one (1) hour of an international airport.

Key Responsibilities :

Activation Management

• Respond within four (4) hours notice to a disaster area to act as Response Director, managing relief operations on the ground, or in rare cases, remotely.
• Direct Activation Managers and oversee the work of their teams, including Culinary, Distribution, Community Outreach, and Procurement / Logistics. Manage multiple additional departments represented on the ground, when needed.
• Ensure strategic and streamlined implementation of relief activities on the ground, operationalizing WCK’s North Star.
• Build and train local teams to meet our human capacity needs to feed the need, embracing our accordion model.
• Direct the scope of responses, programmatic changes, and activation timelines, in conjunction with the Chief Relief Officer.
• Facilitate and implement cross-departmental collaboration and information sharing between WCK departments and Activation Managers on and off activation, including, but not limited to, Safety and Security, Communications, Data & GIS, Technology, Volunteers, Communications, Development, Finance, and Human Resources.
• Ensure smooth transitions and complete handovers with other Response Directors, and between Activation Managers, when rotating field teams through phases of the activation.
• Complete the After-Action Report process immediately following activation wind-down, collating and drawing learnings for process improvement.

Budgeting and Logistics

Community and Stakeholder Engagement

Requirements

The role of Response Director is critical in ensuring that WCK’s relief operations are effective, responsive, and accountable, following through on our commitment to communities in need, and upholding the high standards of the organization, guided always by WCK’s North Star.

Application & Cover Letter

This application requires a cover letter that explains your interest in this position and in working for WCK.

References and Background Checks

To help ensure the safety of our communities and our teams, our selection process will include reference and background checks, subject to any legal or regulatory requirements.

Equal Opportunity

WCK is an equal opportunity employer committed to inclusion and diversity and to ensure equal opportunity for all applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, veteran status, or other protected characteristics.

Applicants must be authorized to work for any employer in the United States. We are unable to sponsor or take over sponsorship of employment at this time.

E-Verify

For US based employment, WCK participates in E-Verify and will provide the federal government with your Form I-9 information to confirm that you are authorized to work in the U.S. Employers can only use E-Verify once you have accepted a job offer and completed the Form I-9. Please view the E-Verify posters here with important information.

Para empleados en los EEUU, WCK participa en E-Verify y proporcionará al gobierno federal la información de su Formulario I-9 para confirmar que usted está autorizado para trabajar en los EE.UU.. Los empleadores sólo pueden utilizar E-Verify una vez que usted haya aceptado una oferta de trabajo y completado el Formulario I-9. Haz clic aquí para ver los carteles de E-Verify con información importante.

No recruiters or agencies, please.

Benefits

Why Join Us?

Innovative Environment : Be part of a forward-thinking team that values creativity and innovation.

Global Impact : Your work will have a direct impact on building a diverse and talented global team.

Professional Growth : Opportunities for continuous learning and career development.

Dynamic Team : Work with a supportive and enthusiastic team that values collaboration and fun.

If you’re ready to bring your unique talents to a role that’s as challenging as it is rewarding, we’d love to hear from you. Apply today and let’s build the future of World Central Kitchen together!

WCK is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees.

Join us in being a part of WCK's global talent journey!

Salary Range : $120,000 - $140,000 USD (Depends on experience)