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School Disaster Reduction Specialist

Education

Job highlights

Share your disaster risk reduction experience to adequately prepare schools.
Experience Saint Lucia as the locals do through a year-long stay.
Build meaningful connections with colleagues and community members.

St. Lucia • North America
In partnership with: Ministry of Education, Sustainable Development, Innovation, Science, Technology and Vocational Training

Learn about service in St. Lucia

Applications are now closed. View current openings.

Special benefits

Hands-on, valuable international work experience
Travel to and from country, housing and monthly living allowance, and full coverage of medical and dental needs during service

Competitive advantage for positions at Peace Corps and opportunities to save on graduate degrees and other education programs
Monthly accrued Volunteer service award (readjustment allowance) totaling $6,000 before taxes, with option to access for ongoing financial obligations

Key dates

Apply by

February 15, 2026

Know by

April 1, 2026

Depart on

August 31, 2026

Duration

12 months

Description and qualifications

About the project

Professionals experienced in assessing risks and mitigating disasters are needed in the Caribbean.

There is a global trend toward resilience planning, especially in regions that can be impacted by natural hazards. Becoming increasingly aware of gaps in local emergency preparedness, Saint Lucia’s Department of Education is prioritizing its school safety program. Not only will this effort ensure continuity of learning and the safety of both students and staff, but it’ll also benefit the larger community since all schools on the island act as hurricane shelters.

As Disaster Reduction School Specialist, you will collaborate with school staff to develop the necessary protocols for preparing and responding to emergencies that affect the education sector. Together, you will reduce risk factors and promote health and safety for both students and staff.

Learn more about what Volunteers do in country by visiting our St. Lucia project page.

Required skills

Qualified candidates will have the following criteria:

BA/BS in any field relevant to environmental management and/or disaster management
AND
2 or more years of experience in Environmental Management, Natural Resource Management, and/or Disaster Risk Reduction

Language: There are no pre-requisite language requirements for this position.

Required behavioral competencies

These competencies are essential for all service assignments and are assessed in the application and interview process:

Motivation for and commitment to service

Adaptability and open-mindedness

Problem solving and resourcefulness

Behavioral maturity and professionalism

Photos from St. Lucia

A Volunteer plays chess with students outside a school in Dominica.

Girls participating in Camp GLOW, a girls' leadership camp, hike up Mt. Qua Qua in Grenada. Campers were proud to make it to the top!

Outdoor yoga begins a morning at Camp GLOW, a leadership camp for girls in Grenada.

Girls having fun during an outdoor yoga session at Camp GLOW, a girls' leadership camp in Grenada.

As a secondary project, this Volunteer helps post-op patients at a spay-neuter free clinic in St. Lucia.

A group of local health practitioners and a Volunteer put on a diabetes health fair at a hospital in the Eastern Caribbean.

Volunteer Sheena facilitates an interactive learning session about HIV/AIDS with primary school students in St. Vincent.

Activities

How you and the community will make an impact together:

Plan and develop a multi-year school safety strategic development plan.
Create teaching resources to integrate disaster risk reduction into lesson planning.
Develop project proposals to fund school safety programs and a business continuity plan for the department of education.
Conduct workshops for teachers on conducting hazard risk assessments with school and community mapping.
Craft standard operating procedures for disaster emergency response within the education sector.

You may also work on additional projects that meet the community’s interests and priorities, such as supporting First Aid/CPR trainings for teachers.

Living conditions

Volunteers live in houses or apartments a short bus ride from the work site. Some housing may be stand alone and some may be within family home structures.

Learn more about the living conditions, including detailed information on culture, communications, housing, and health/crime statistics on our St. Lucia country page. You can also delve into stories about local communities by reading our blog or Volunteer stories.

Meet a Volunteer in St. Lucia

Blaine C.

Education Volunteer

"To truly have a sense of community, we need to know and interact with the people we share a space with. To be part of a community is an intentional act that fills me with a sense of belonging."

See full Volunteer profile

Training

After a 3-week orientation on topics such as health and safety, you will move to a community where you will collaborate with school staff to assess the local needs and develop a work plan in line with their established goals.

Peace Corps/St. Lucia will equip you with Creole language resources and you may work with a local tutor who can help you build basic language skills to connect with the community.

Couples information

No couples are accepted for this position.

Next steps

Application process

From application to departure takes around nine months. Learn about the application process for Volunteer opportunities.

Medical/legal clearance

You will need to be cleared medically and legally in order to serve in St. Lucia. Review information on medical clearance and legal clearance to learn about the process.