Job Purpose:
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 an experienced and mission-driven Response Team Lead to join our team in Jamaica. 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.
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:
- Deployment based in St. Elizabeth, Jamaica with occasional travel to Kingston
- Expected to remain in country for the duration of the deployment
- Housing provided for duration of IOM grant
- Supervises: Program Managers, Program Coordinators, Roster members, local hires, and/or volunteers assigned to specific projects
- Must have current passport for international deployment
- Flexibility to possibly deploy to various locations in response to disasters and humanitarian crises
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:
- Familiarity with Caribbean recovery context
- Preferred experience in managing institutional grants
- 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)
