Lead Business Partner Specialist

LEAD BUSINESS PARTNER SPECIALIST

About Cara Collective

Cara Collective seeks to fuel a courageous national movement to eradicate relational and financial poverty. Throughourthree entities Cara Cleanslate and Cara Plus weengage job seekers employers and other organizations across the country to break the cycle of poverty through the power and purpose of employment.

At present we produce 1000 jobs each year; however our results dont just end with employment. Todaywe takethe insights gained over the past 30 years to equip other organizations and employers with practices to help build a more inclusive economy. Learn more at .

About the Cara Collectives External Affairs Team

The External Affairs Team advances Cara Collectives mission by amplifying our brand cultivating strategic partnerships and securing the resources needed to sustainably achieve enterprise-wide goals. We drive systems-change engagement locally and nationally support partners in deepening and diversifying their investment in our work and strengthen Cara Collectives reputation as a sector leader in workforce development and poverty alleviation.

About the Role

The Lead Business Partner Specialist is a dual-impact individual contributor role responsible for strengthening Cara Collectives employer partnerships while expanding employment opportunities for Cara participants. This role blends corporate relationship management with strategic business development cultivating and growing a portfolio of employer partners to deepen engagement strengthen collaboration and increase high-quality job placements.

The Lead Business Partner Specialist builds trusted relationships with employers to understand their evolving talent needs and workforce priorities. By developing deep insight into industry trends hiring practices and organizational workforce strategies this role translates employer needs into actionable insights for Caras employment placement doing so the Lead Business Partner Specialist helps ensure Cara participants have access to a diverse range of meaningful employment opportunities that support long-term economic mobility.

Through proactive relationship management opportunity identification and cross-team collaboration this role plays a critical part in aligning employer demand with Caras mission to create pathways to employment and career advancement.

Qualifications

The ideal candidate is a relationship-driven professional who thrives at the intersection of mission and business engagement. You are energized by building strong partnerships with employers and identifying opportunities that expand access to meaningful employment for individuals seeking economic mobility.

You bring a strategic and collaborative mindset balancing relationship management with data-informed decision making. You are comfortable representing Cara Collective externally cultivating new partnerships and translating employer needs into opportunities for participants. At the same time you work effectively across teams to ensure alignment between employer demand and participant success.

Requirements

• A minimum of 35 years of professional experience in business development employer engagement account management workforce development talent acquisition or a related field.
• Demonstrated ability to build and maintain strong relationships with external partners including employers corporate stakeholders or community organizations.
• Experience managing a portfolio of partners or accounts including maintaining consistent communication and identifying opportunities to deepen engagement.
• Ability to identify and develop new partnership opportunities that support organizational goals and expand employment pathways.
• Strong communication and presentation skills with the ability to effectively represent an organization to external partners and stakeholders.
• Experience collaborating cross-functionally with internal teams to support program outcomes and partner success.
• Comfort working with data and CRM systems (such as Salesforce) to track engagement placements and partnership activity.
• Strong organizational and time management skills with the ability to manage multiple relationships and priorities simultaneously.
• Demonstrated commitment to equity inclusion and expanding economic opportunity for individuals impacted by poverty or systemic barriers to employment.
• Strong work ethic and business acumen with the ability to succeed in a fast-paced collaborative environment.

Key Responsibilities

The purpose of this section is to outline the primary responsibilities of the position providing a clear and structured overview of the roles expectations and duties within our organization.

Corporate Partnership Management (60%)

• Cultivate manage and expand relationships with employment partners to support ongoing hiring needs.
• Serve as the primary point of contact for assigned employer accounts maintaining consistent and professional communication.
• Support employer engagement including job order development regular check-ins and site visits.
• Provide thoughtful tailored candidate recommendations that align with employer requirements and talent pipeline strengths.
• Contribute to revenue and engagement goals by helping deepen high-value partnerships.

Reporting Data and Evaluation (20%)

• Maintain accurate timely documentation in Salesforce and other internal data systems.
• Track key metrics including job placements employer engagement caseload progress and partnership outcomes.
• Conduct market and industry analysis to monitor hiring trends talent needs and growth areas.

Lead liaison to internal departments (20%)

• Collaborate with internal teams to ensure a seamless participant-centered experience.
• Provide Partner Feedback: Collect and analyze feedback from partners to inform program improvements and ensure they meet the needs of both employers and job seekers.
• Support expansion into background-friendly career-pathway and high-volume employment opportunities.

Allotherresponsibilitiesasassigned

Reports To

Director of Business Development & Engagement

Report(s)

N/A

Workplace Type & Team Culture

Cara Collective has a strong team culture that values collaboration communication and camaraderie. We believe in the power of working together in person which is why we expect our employees to be onsite at one of our Chicago-based locations multiple days each week. The exact number of onsite days per week may vary by role employee tenure and other commitment to in-person collaboration fosters a sense of belonging and teamwork among our employees creating a supportive and dynamic work environment.

We consistently measure staff satisfaction through employee surveys and have found that year over year the vast majority of staff agree that Cara Collective is a great place to work and grow. This high level of employee satisfaction reflects our dedication to creating a positive and fulfilling workplace for all members of our team.

Starting Pay Range

We take budget and starting salary very seriously. We market our roles and are using a salary analysis tool called Payscale and offer competitive market-based compensation to all employees.

This positions expected starting pay range is $.

Benefits

Cara Collective recently benchmarked benefits offerings and found that we exceed industry standards in terms of employee-friendliness and benefit offerings. Employee out-of-pocket contributions are substantially lower in some cases up to 63% less. Our comprehensive benefit package include:

• Medical Dental Vision Plans
• Basic Life Insurance
• Long Term Disability
• Personal Technology Reimbursement
• 4 Weeks Paid Parental Leave
• Starting with 17 Vacation Days 8 Sick Days
• 14 Paid Holidays

Employee Paid Benefits

• Pre-Tax Medical Flexible Spending Account
• Pre-Tax Dependent Care Account
• Pre-Tax Transit & Parking Options
• Supplemental Life and AD&D Insurance
• Short-Term Disability Insurance
• 401(k) Retirement Plan (employer match up to 4% upon hire & immediately vested)

As of this posting we annually review our benefit offerings to meet our employees needs and be competitive in the market. All listed benefits offerings a at the discretion of the employer.

Equal Opportunity Employer

Cara Collective is committed to creating a diverse and inclusive work environment and is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We do not discriminate on the basis of race color national origin sex gender identity religion sexual orientation age disability parental status veteran status or any other protected status under applicable laws. This commitment applies to all employment practices including those supported by technology or artificial intelligence tools used in the hiring process.

We encourage individuals of all backgrounds to apply. If you are a qualified candidate with a disability and require reasonable accommodation to complete this application or participate in the interview process please email us at