The Story of Team Rubicon
Team Rubicon is BUILT TO SERVE. What are you built for?
The fierce commitment to the bigger picture I’ve experienced firsthand at Team Rubicon has inspired me, and solidified my pursuit of a career of service that extends far beyond myself.
- Amy Smerdel, Intern
The work we do in the field has the unique ability to bring people together, whom, prior to arriving, never imagined they’d leave with countless new friends. All willing to drop anything to help out.
- Jerome Deniz, Training
I wake up every day proud to work for an organization that lives by its values.
- Andrew Glenn, Training
Culture is king.
Anyone joining Team Rubicon must understand that our mission to provide disaster response comes first. But it is our volunteer members (who wear our signature ‘grey shirts’ on response operations) who make that mission possible. Our leaders serve our members, and in doing so enable our members to serve their communities.
Team Rubicon needs leaders who aren’t afraid to dare to be great. We’re not interested in those who stand outside the arena lobbing in criticism; we look for the bold soul who despite the threat of failure, steps inside to pursue greatness.
We can’t all be good at everything. As leaders, we must work to define roles and maximize the contribution of our teammates. As teammates, we aspire to work in harmony toward achieving a higher goal than any one of us could accomplish on our own.
This is our attitude. It has been since the beginning. Team Rubicon was born with the belief that if we only look at obstacles, if we only listen to and make excuses, then success will not be ours. We are entrepreneurial, resourceful and determined no matter how chaotic the situation.
Like military service, committing to becoming the best disaster response organization in the world can be mentally, physically and emotionally grueling. We should take care of ourselves and each other so we are best equipped to serve those in greatest need. Many of our employee benefits are designed to promote wellness and we encourage staff to take advantage of them.
At Team Rubicon, we strictly forbid dueling, but we don’t forbid much else. We strive to treat team members like adults. Want a beer after a long day? Just be smart. Need a few days off? Cool, just let us know. As long as we act like adults, we’ll be treated like adults.
We shouldn’t be afraid to spend money—that will only throttle growth. But, we must be prepared to defend every dollar we spend. Think of it this way—imagine your mother donated that dollar. Would you spend it? Every leader must be committed to fiduciary responsibility, transparency and financial stewardship.
Culture is king, and we see it as the intersection of our ethos and our action.
As a direct result of the culture of Trust and Respect that Team Rubicon has honed for the past eight years, we are proud to announce that TR is being recognized on a global stage.
In 1910, Theodore Roosevelt stood before a crowd and dared men and women to use their courage, skill, and tenacity to accomplish great things. To step into the arena. When you join Team Rubicon, you are expected to be that man or woman in the arena. Each quarter, we present the Teddy Award to one exceptional Team Rubicon employee who stepped into the arena and tackled an audacious task.
Jamie, much more than simply our resident Scotsman, is the living embodiment of the phrase, "Bloom where planted." as there's not much Jamie hasn't done or filled in for over the past few months.Day job as a Senior Readiness Associate? He's been there, done that, and created the dashboard for the rest of the staff and our volunteer leaders. You can't swing a stick at the list of dashboards in EMS without hitting the work he's been putting in to make the system work mo' bettah' for everyone else!Disaster ops associate? No problem. Jamie has covered down in this role throughout a historic wildfire season across the Northwest and oversaw spinning up Operation McKenzie rush in OR and Operation UAracane in UT, all while tracking multiple wildfires across the rest of the territory.Geo Associate? Sure thing! Jamie covered down for me while I changed my socks to maintain situational awareness on all things wildfire happening in CO. Under his steady hand, we got a recon going and are pursuing several avenues for Team Rubicon to assist communities in the face of the largest wildfires in CO history.t's a rare day indeed to not find him in the thick of whatever battle happens to be going on, and Jamie always brings a steady hand and a keen sense of empathy to the table. I challenge you to find anyone who says otherwise!
Check out all of our open positions