Crisis Response & Community Engagement Specialist

Job Description

Job Description

Kara provides compassionate support to individuals, families, schools, businesses, healthcare organizations, and community partners navigating grief and loss. We are seeking a Crisis Response & Community Engagement Specialist to support Kara’s Community Outreach & Crisis Response Program .

This position directly delivers and coordinates crisis response services following a death or impending death, ensuring communities receive timely, compassionate, and appropriate care. In this hands-on role, you will provide direct on-site and remote crisis support, plan and facilitate interventions, and recruit, train, and guide Kara’s volunteer crisis response team members.

In addition to leading crisis interventions, this role strengthens community partnerships through active engagement, education, and presentations—building awareness of grief support resources and preparing organizations to respond thoughtfully to death and loss.

The ideal candidate combines strong organizational skills with a grounded, compassionate presence, sound judgment, and the ability to remain calm in high-acuity situations. This person will be comfortable providing frontline support, working independently, and collaborating closely with volunteers, community partners, and Kara staff.

Core Values

Mission-Driven Commitment: You demonstrate a genuine commitment to Kara’s mission and guiding values of empathy and compassion.

Compassionate Presence: You approach individuals and communities impacted by death with sensitivity, respect, cultural awareness, and professionalism.

Adaptive Composure: You are able to remain calm, organized, and responsive when supporting communities during times of crisis.

Collaborative Service: You build trusting relationships with volunteers, schools, businesses, healthcare organizations, and community partners while working as part of an integrated Kara team.

Operational Excellence: You bring strong follow-through, attention to detail, and the ability to manage multiple priorities while ensuring quality service delivery.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Crisis Response & Direct Support

●  Provide Direct Crisis Support: Deliver on-site and remote crisis intervention, grief support, and group debriefings for schools, businesses, healthcare organizations, and community partners following a death or impending death.

●  Support Response Activations: Evaluate incoming crisis requests alongside the Program Director and help mobilize volunteer response teams for field interventions.

●  Provide Frontline Field Support: Co-facilitate crisis interventions in the field alongside volunteers, ensuring care is compassionate, responsive, and trauma-informed.

●  Debrief Volunteers: Conduct peer debriefings with volunteers following crisis interventions, sharing field observations and recommendations with the Program Director.

●  Coordinate Follow-up Care: Conduct post-intervention outreach with client organizations to assess ongoing support needs and coordinate appropriate referrals.

Community Engagement & Partnership Development

●  Cultivate Community Partnerships: Actively nurture and strengthen relationships with schools, healthcare providers, businesses, and local organizations—serving as a trusted point of contact for grief awareness and crisis support.

●  Co-Facilitate Trainings & Presentations: Partner with the Program Director to deliver community workshops, educational presentations, and outreach events focused on grief support and crisis response preparedness.

●  Identify Outreach Opportunities: Collaborate with the Program Director to identify new opportunities for community collaboration, resource sharing, and expanded engagement.

● Promote Grief Support Resources: Educate community partners on Kara’s full continuum of care to help streamline referral pathways for individuals and groups seeking grief services.

Volunteer Engagement & Training Support

●  Co-Facilitate Volunteer Meetings: Assist the Program Director with planning and running monthly volunteer team meetings, including agenda prep and team updates.

●  Assist with Volunteer Trainings: Partner with the Program Director in planning, facilitating, and implementing annual and quarterly crisis response team trainings.

●  upport & Equip Volunteers: Provide ongoing guidance, logistical preparation, and encouragement to volunteers so they feel prepared and supported in their roles.

Program Operations & Administration

●  Maintain the Master Program Calendar : Keep the central program calendar updated to ensure seamless scheduling across all crisis responses, community trainings, presentations, volunteer activities, and program events.

●  Coordinate Response & Event Logistics: Organize team dispatching, venue arrangements, material preparation, and resource allocation for all crisis interventions and community outreach activities.

●  Maintain Accurate Program Records: Enter service requests, intervention notes, volunteer hours, and outcome data into Kara’s tracking systems in a timely and confidential manner.

●  Support Program Evaluation: Distribute and collect service evaluations from client organizations to assist the Program Director in monitoring service quality and impact.

●  Collaborate Across Agency Teams: Work closely with Kara staff to support agency-wide client operations and special initiatives while maintaining strict confidentiality and professional boundaries.

 

QUALIFICATIONS

Essential Requirements

●  Mission Alignment: A genuine commitment to Kara’s mission, values, and guiding principles of empathy and compassion.

● Bilingual Communication: Fluency in Spanish and English (verbal and written) required.

●  Education & Experience: Bachelor’s degree in a related field (social work, psychology, human services) or equivalent experience, with a background in social services, crisis response, mental health, or community outreach.

● Community Engagement: Demonstrated experience building relationships with schools, healthcare providers, and community partners.

● Crisis Readiness: Ability to remain calm, organized, grounded, and flexible during high-acuity situations and in unpredictable field environments.

● Compassionate Presence: Demonstrated capacity to support grieving individuals and communities with empathy, cultural humility, and trauma-informed care.

● Communication & Interpersonal Skills: Strong verbal and written communication skills, with comfort speaking publicly and facilitating conversations.

● Organization & Logistics: Strong project coordination, time management, and detail-oriented operational skills.

● Independence & Collaboration: Ability to work independently in the field while collaborating effectively as part of an integrated team.

● Confidentiality & Ethics: Unwavering commitment to maintaining strict confidentiality, professional boundaries, and high ethical standards.

●  Technical Proficiency: Proficient in Google Workspace, Microsoft Office Suite, Zoom, and database tracking systems.

Preferred Qualifications

●  Direct Bereavement & Postvention Practice: Experience facilitating grief support groups, leading crisis postventions, or conducting supportive peer debriefings.

●  Volunteer Training & Education: Hands-on experience designing or delivering adult trainings, workshops, and volunteer preparation programs.

●  Local Community Connections: Established relationships within local community networks, particularly with historically underserved, marginalized, or high-need populations.

●  Familiarity with Kara: Prior knowledge of Kara’s peer grief support model, programs, and community role.

Work Environment & Schedule

●  Hours & Hybrid Model: Part-time hybrid position (20–25 hours per week ) combining office time, remote work, and on-site community service.

●  Travel & Transportation: Requires local travel to schools, businesses, healthcare facilities, and community partners. Candidates must possess a valid driver's license, clean driving record, and reliable personal transportation.

●  Schedule Flexibility: Requires flexibility to respond to time-sensitive crisis activations and participate in community presentations, volunteer meetings, and events that occasionally occur during evenings or weekends.

** Cover Letter must be submitted for consideration. **

Serving the San Francisco Bay Area since 1976, Kara provides comprehensive bereavement support, grief education, and crisis response to individuals and communities facing the difficult realities of death and dying. Reaching more than 7,000 individuals in 2025, Kara provides a wide breadth of grief support and education services to the community including: individual and group peer support; in- house psychotherapy; on-site crisis intervention; grief education and training services; Camp Kara, a bereavement camp for children 6-17 years old; and community events.

Through a time-tested and highly effective peer support model (adopted from the Shanti Model), over 250 Kara volunteers, supervised by a high quality staff, help grieving adults and youth understand what they are experiencing and to cope in healthy ways. Kara provides a space where those in grief find deep relief in the company of others who understand. Our services are designed to be accessible, and we are funded primarily by charitable donations and the heartfelt generosity of the community we serve.

Kara is committed to the principles of diversity, equity and inclusion and maintains no affiliations with any religious or government-based organizations.

Company Description

Serving the San Francisco Bay Area since 1976, Kara provides comprehensive bereavement support, grief education, and crisis response to individuals and communities facing the difficult realities of death and dying. Reaching more than 7,000 individuals in 2025, Kara provides a wide breadth of grief support and education services to the community including: individual and group peer support; in- house psychotherapy; on-site crisis intervention; grief education and training services; Camp Kara, a bereavement camp for children 6-17 years old; and community events.\r\n\r\nThrough a time-tested and highly effective peer support model (adopted from the Shanti Model), over 250 Kara volunteers, supervised by a high quality staff, help grieving adults and youth understand what they are experiencing and to cope in healthy ways. Kara provides a space where those in grief find deep relief in the company of others who understand. Our services are designed to be accessible, and we are funded primarily by charitable donations and the heartfelt generosity of the community we serve.\r\n\r\nKara is committed to the principles of diversity, equity and inclusion and maintains no affiliations with any religious or government-based organizations.