Director of Resiliency Programs - 2025518

Are you a person of compassion? An advocate for justice? Someone who stands up for the rights of the vulnerable and speaks out for the marginalized, the exploited and the forgotten?  Do you believe in our calling as Christians to welcome the least of these and love our neighbor?

If you answered ‘yes’, to any of the above, World Relief, and millions of people around the world need you.

At this pivotal moment in time, we are rapidly expanding and growing our team to meet the increasing needs of our world. We are looking for people who want to use their gifts and talents to make a real and tangible difference in our world and the lives of the suffering.

If you’re looking for a purpose-driven career in which you can grow your talents, while also standing up for the rights of the vulnerable, we want you to join us today.

ORGANIZATION SUMMARY

World Relief is a global Christian humanitarian organization whose mission is to boldly engage the world’s greatest crises in partnership with the church. The organization was founded in the aftermath of World War II to respond to the urgent humanitarian needs of war-torn Europe. Since then, for 80 years, across 100 countries, World Relief has partnered with local churches and communities to build a world where families thrive and communities flourish.

Today, organizational programming focuses on humanitarian and disaster response, community strengthening and resilience, and refugee & immigrant services and advocacy.

This position is reliant upon funding and may be subject to modification or termination based on resource availability.

POSITION SUMMARY:

World Relief is seeking a Director of Resiliency Programs to provide strategic and operational leadership for World Relief Memphis’ Resiliency Department. The Director will guide programs that connect refugees and immigrants to welcome and stability, foster holistic well-being, social connection and community integration, and promote flourishing.

Building upon the foundation of World Relief’s framework for Mental Health and Psychosocial Services, this role leads a department dedicated to supporting newcomers with the resources and interventions essential to facilitating positive integration, while also working to promote a quality of life in which newcomers can flourish and thrive. The Director oversees a continuum of services including initial resettlement, crisis prevention and intervention, case management, group and other community-based programming models delivered through trauma-informed, strengths based, client-centered, and culturally responsive interventions. This position fosters a culture of innovation, collaboration, and excellence within the Resiliency Department, ensuring programs are outcomes-driven, client-centered, compassionate, empowering and aligned with World Relief’s holistic model of integration that honors each individual’s dignity, respects their agency, culture and experiences, and promotes their well-being.

This position reports to the Associate Director of World Relief Memphis, serves on the Memphis Leadership Team, and supervises departmental staff. The Director also collaborates closely with the Directors of Mental Health and Psychosocial Services and Initial Resettlement at World Relief headquarters, contributing to and drawing from national communities of practice to ensure alignment with proven multi-disciplinary models, shared learning, and continuous program improvement across the network.

• This role is responsible for supervising others and includes responsibilities consistent with supervising employees, including but not limited to monitoring daily work activities, tracking and approving timesheets including approving time off, monitoring performance including entering goals, progress check-ins, and weekly or bi-weekly check-ins, documenting performance concerns, entering staff promotions, transitions, and separations in HRIS within required time frame. Managers at World Relief are also considered spiritual leaders and are expected to lead staff in a manner consistent with our Christian values, including but not limited to praying with staff, leading devotionals, and fostering a Christian environment in interactions with staff throughout World Relief.

• Leadership and Strategy
• Provide strategic leadership and vision for the Resiliency Department while advancing a service delivery model grounded in six evidence-based standards of best practice: trauma-informed, client-centered, strengths- based, culturally informed, socio-ecological/psychosocial and do no harm.
• Translate World Relief’s mission and strategic goals into a cohesive local integration strategy that promotes immigrant welcome, holistic well-being, social connection, resiliency, rights and responsibilities, and community inclusion.
• Serve as a member of the WRM Leadership Team, actively shaping organizational culture, planning, and cross-departmental collaboration.
• Foster a departmental culture characterized by compassionate and empowering intervention strategies, continuous learning, inclusion, and innovation.
• Hire, supervise and support Resiliency Programs staff through coaching, accountability, celebration, and professional development.
• Collaborate with the Directors of Mental Health and Psychosocial Services and Initial Resettlement and participate in national communities of practice to align WRM’s Resiliency Programs with national standards, share best practices, and contribute to network-wide learning initiatives.

• Program Oversight and Development
• Oversee all Resiliency Programs including initial resettlement, crisis intervention and prevention, individual and group case management.
• Ensure programs deliver high-quality, data-informed services that lead to measurable and successful interventions and client goal completion related to vulnerability and stability, well-being, system navigation, community integration and other client determined goals and outcomes.
• Maintain and modify program policies and procedures for departmental operations.
• Partner with other WRM departments (Education, Economic Empowerment, Flourishing Families, and Church & Community Development) to co-design and implement cross-departmental initiatives such as food security, mental health and well-being, digital literacy, health navigation, community orientation and other services that promote overall client stability, well-being, integration and resilience.
• Support the design and replication of innovative service delivery models to effectively equip and utilize Good Neighbor Teams, Community Ambassadors, church or community parter-led groups, and Cultural Companions to build mutually transformative relationships that foster community, inclusion and belonging.
• Ensure that case management services, including client and community assessments, intervention strategies, community-based partnerships and community resources reflect evidence-based models and are consistent with WR national standards of best practices.

• Partnerships and Collaboration
• Build and sustain strong partnerships with key stakeholders, such as healthcare partners, food pantries, mental health services, public health authorities, landlords and MLGW, mainstream public benefits offices, and other relevant social service providers and community–based agencies to ensure effective and efficient referrals and service provision for our clients.
• Collaborate with the Church & Community Engagement Department to mobilize, equip and engage volunteers, mentors, and church partners to build the capacity and impact of Resiliency programs.
• Host and facilitate regular local community gatherings for service providers, immigration advocates, refugee and immigrant community members, and other community stakeholders to collaborate, strategize, and identify solution-oriented action plans to address the multifaceted issues faced by refugees and the host community working towards inclusion and collaboration.
• Represent WRM at local coalitions, community events and public forums to advocate for policies and systems that remove barriers to effective resettlement and integration and promote cultural fluency, collaboration and inclusion
• In collaboration with external engagement staff, serve as a public ambassador for WRM’s resettlement and resiliency work, highlighting its role in strengthening the broader Memphis community.

• Operational and Financial Management
• Oversee departmental budgeting, forecasting, and fiscal accountability in collaboration with the Finance & Operations team.
• Ensure that all programs meet or exceed funder requirements and internal performance metrics.
• Support grant proposal development, renewal processes, and data and compliance reporting, collaborating with the development and external engagement staff to secure funding aligned with departmental goals.
• Contribute to the diversification of funding through grants, public-private partnerships, and in-kind campaigns.
• Maintain systems and processes for accurate data tracking, reporting, and evaluation across all program areas.

• Evaluation and Impact
• Establish clear metrics to evaluate program effectiveness and participant outcomes across all Resiliency program offerings while also providing leadership as a focal point for WRM around the implementation and execution of WR national DMEAL strategies.
• Review program data regularly with staff to identify strengths, gaps, opportunities for improvement, and successes to celebrate.
• Contribute to organizational learning by sharing success stories, evaluation data, and program insights with WRM leadership and WR national teams.
• Facilitate production of communications and marketing materials as it relates to Department activities in collaboration with Marketing and Communications Specialist.
• Ensure departmental participation in internal and external monitoring, audits, and evaluation processes.

• Mature and personal Christian faith
• Committed to the mission, vision, and values of World Relief
• Desire to serve and empower the Church to impact vulnerable communities
• Able to affirm and/or acknowledge World Reliefs Core Beliefs, Statement of Faith, Christian Identity and National Association of Evangelicals' For the Health of The Nation document
• Bachelor’s degree required; graduate degree in social work, psychology, nonprofit management, or related field preferred. 
• Minimum of five years of experience in Initial resettlement, Preferred Communities or other federal refugee case management programs, or relevant social work practice. 
• Experience working cross-culturally and in partnership with immigrant or refugee communities. 
• Strong leadership and team-building skills with experience supervising and developing professional staff.
• Demonstrated ability to design, implement, and evaluate federal resettlement and case management programs, with a strong preference for Resettlement and Placement and Preferred Communities experience.
• Proven ability to think strategically and execute operational plans effectively.
• Strong background in Motivational Interviewing, De-escalation, and trauma-informed practice.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with a high degree of cross-cultural competency.
• Experience cultivating partnerships with diverse stakeholders including public and non-profit social service providers, government agencies, community-based organizations, landlords and health care providers.
• Strong financial and grant management skills with ability to manage multiple funding streams.
• Commitment to trauma-informed, strength-based, culturally responsive, and client-centered service delivery.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite.
• Current driver’s license and access to reliable transportation required 

• Familiarity with case management databases and data visualization tools preferred.
• Bilingual or multilingual ability preferred but not required.

World Relief offers a competitive benefits package and employee discount program for full-time, Regular, and part-time (25+ hours per week) employees

World Relief is honored to be recognized with the Gold-level Cigna Healthy Workforce Designation for exceeding the core components of our well-being program including leadership and culture, program foundations and execution, and whole person health.

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Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

We are proud to be an EEO/AA employer M/F/D/V. We maintain a drug-free workplace and perform pre-employment substance abuse testing.

For World Relief staff, strong commitment to the mission, vision, and values of World Relief is essential, and Christian faith is a prerequisite for employment, based upon United States federal guidelines provided in Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.