Emergency Preparedness and Response, Senior Director

Action Against Hunger USA; Washington (District of Columbia); On-site; USD 120,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

Action Against Hunger USA in Washington is seeking a Senior Director for Emergency Preparedness and Response. This role is crucial for providing strategic leadership and operational oversight for humanitarian response efforts.

The ideal candidate will have a minimum of 15 years of senior management experience in humanitarian settings, particularly during crises, and will be responsible for developing strategies aimed at improving response capacity while ensuring accountability and advocacy in line with global humanitarian standards.

Qualifications

• Minimum 15 years of senior management experience in humanitarian response.
• Strong understanding of work in natural disasters and conflict zones.
• Experience engaging high-level external stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• Provide vision and direction for humanitarian agenda.
• Ensure strategic linkages between programs.
• Lead and manage a global humanitarian network.

Skills

Humanitarian law knowledge

Leadership skills

Fundraising experience

Adaptability

Multi-sectoral programming

Education

Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in relevant field

Job description

Emergency Preparedness and Response, Senior Director

Washington, DC, USA •

Job Description

Posted Sunday, July 5, 2026 at 4:00 AM

About Us

Action Against Hunger USA (ACF USA) is part of the Action Against Hunger International network, a global leader in the fight against hunger operating in 55 countries with programs focused on nutrition, health, climate resilience, food security, and emergency response. We manage operations in Kenya, South Sudan, Somalia, Tanzania, Uganda, Ethiopia, Zambia, and Haiti, working alongside communities to address the root causes of hunger and strengthen resilience.

About the Role

The Senior Director, Emergency Preparedness and Response is a senior executive responsible for the strategic vision, operational leadership, and external representation of ACF USA’s humanitarian response and preparedness efforts. This role ensures that aid is delivered quickly, effectively, and in alignment with international standards during crises. Key Strategic Focus areas include:

• Leadership & Strategy: Sets the global humanitarian agenda, developing multi-year strategies and disaster management standards to improve organizational-wide preparedness and response capacity.
• External Representation & Resource Mobilization: Acts as the primary liaison with major humanitarian donors, UN agencies, and inter-agency bodies to advocate for humanitarian access and secure funding working closely with the External Relations Department.
• Operational Excellence: Oversees a portfolio of major responses, ensuring technical quality, accountability, and the efficient use of resources across offices.
• Preparedness & Early Warning: Drives emergency preparedness planning and strengthens early warning systems to enable rapid action when new crises emerge.

This position is ideal for a mission-driven executive leader with strong humanitarian technical expertise, global leadership experience, and a demonstrated ability to link technical excellence with funding growth and organizational impact.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Leadership and Representation

• Provide vision and direction in the design and implementation of ACF USA’s humanitarian agenda, ensuring achievement of organizational impact goals in line with the global strategy.
• Monitor and uphold humanitarian principles and program quality standards in ACF USA’s programmatic work and humanitarian advocacy.
• Ensure strategic linkages between ACF USA’s humanitarian programs and the other impact areas, working closely with the Vice President, Technical Services & Quality Assurance.
• Represent ACF USA at key international humanitarian working groups and fora, working closely with the Humanitarian Advocacy network across ACF to advance critical advocacy issues influencing key policy makers and officials on a global level.
• Lead ACF USA’s engagements with key humanitarian institutional and private donors working closely with the External Relations Department.
• Lead and Chair ACF USA’s Humanitarian Working Group and act as steward for the organization-wide emergency preparedness and response protocols and online resources.

Management and Oversight

• Lead and manage a global humanitarian network across ACF USA. The GHD will foster a unified, consistent, and streamlined culture and approach across the organization, including effective coordination and decision-making mechanisms.
• Convene crisis coordination calls on humanitarian crises and responses.
• Promote a comprehensive approach to ensure that surge and deployment capacity complement regional and country capacities when emergencies occur or as needed.
• Ensure oversight of humanitarian data collection, reporting and MEAL across ACF USA working closely with the global Evidence and Learning team.

Resource Development and Mobilization

• Collaborate with ACF USA’s External Relations/fundraising teams to launch timely appeals and donor engagement, working closely with relevant stakeholders across the ACF network.
• Oversee the management of financial and related resources to ensure they are used effectively to maximize impact.
• Expand and strategically diversify ACF USA’s humanitarian donor base. Ensure that humanitarian response teams are adequately resourced.
• Ensure compliance with the requirements of key donors and internal rules and regulations.

External Representation and Strategic Policy and Advocacy

• Serves as a key global external representative and media spokesperson for ACF USA on major humanitarian crises.
• Works in close coordination with the ACF USA Humanitarian advocacy team and across the network to align crisis-specific operational advocacy with ACF global humanitarian policy positions.
• Ensure that ACF USA’s humanitarian work considers the evolving humanitarian context, using evidence-informed approaches and fostering innovation.
• Promote accountability throughout ACF USA’s humanitarian agenda, guiding our work in line with our external commitments to key agreements such as CHS, Grand Bargain, SPHERE.
• Ensure that humanitarian responses and initiatives utilize appropriate technological advancements. Foster a culture of learning and agile adaptation.
• Stay abreast of emerging and evolving policies and standards in the humanitarian sector.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in a relevant field (e.g., International Development, Humanitarian Assistance, Social Sciences)
• Advanced knowledge of humanitarian law, principles, and complex multi-sectoral programming.
• Minimum 15 years’ senior management experience leading humanitarian response design and management, and related advocacy, fundraising & coordination in complex humanitarian or fragile settings, including significant time in field operations.
• Strong understanding of humanitarian work in on‑site settings including in natural disasters and conflict zones.
• Demonstrated experience working in multiple regions, especially those with high humanitarian needs like Horn of Africa, East Africa, Haiti.
• Demonstrated expertise in leading and coordinating diverse humanitarian strategies, responses, and accountability measures.
• Proven track record of successfully managing and leading multi‑sectoral humanitarian teams and initiatives.
• Proven track record of speedy action and coordination for at-scale high quality, locally led humanitarian responses.
• Demonstrated leadership in developing and implementing business continuity plans in emergency crisis situations that ensure effective implementation of vast humanitarian portfolios without disruption.
• Demonstrated experience in development contexts that demonstrate humanitarian work contributes to longer‑term recovery.
• Demonstrated expertise in upholding accountability to affected people, and centrality of protection.
• Strong experience in fundraising, including private and institutional donors, and launching appeals in a timely manner.
• Experience in engaging with high‑level external stakeholders and forums in the humanitarian system.
• Demonstrated experience in humanitarian response planning, budgeting, and financial management.
• Demonstrated organizational and staff leadership, management, decision‑making & development skills.
• Ability to work effectively in a fast‑paced and challenging environment, demonstrating resilience, adaptability, and problem‑solving skills.
• Willingness and ability to be deployed as necessary, and to travel extensively, including in extreme‑risk contexts.