Senior Business Development Specialist — Career Pathways

Open Positions At Cara

Job Location:

Chicago, IL - USA

Monthly Salary: $ 55000 - 60000

Posted on: 2 days ago

Vacancies: 1 Vacancy

Job Summary

SENIOR BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT SPECIALIST CAREER PATHWAYS

About Cara Collective
Cara Collective seeks to fuel a courageous national movement to eradicate relational and financial poverty.
Through our three entities Cara Cleanslate and Cara Plus we engage 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. Today we take the
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 Senior Business Development Specialist Career Pathways is a missiondriven individual contributor role dedicated to
advancing key workforce pathways in growing and emerging industries. This position plays a critical role in expanding
access to highquality employment opportunities by strengthening existing employer relationships and cultivating new
partnerships that support apprenticeships onthejob training and careeraligned skill development. The Specialist serves
as a connector between employers program participants and internal teams ensuring that opportunities are aligned with
industry needs and participant goals.

This role is ideal for a proactive and strategic thinker who excels in a fastpaced crossfunctional environment. The
successful candidate will be skilled at analyzing labor market trends identifying opportunity gaps and designing
innovative solutions that enhance employment pipelines. Candidates with experience supporting justiceinvolved
barrierfacing or opportunity youth populations as well as those with backgrounds in program design or community
engagement will be especially wellsuited for this work.

Qualifications
The ideal candidate excels at building strong employer partnerships and creating opportunities that expand access to
meaningful employment for individuals seeking economic mobility. They bring a strategic collaborative mindset
balancing relationship management with data-informed decisions. They represent Cara Collective confidently cultivate
new partnerships and translate employer needs into participant opportunities while working across teams to align
employer demand with participant success.

Requirements
A minimum of 24 years of professional experience in in workforce development account management
employer partnerships or case management or a related field.
Strong relationship-building skills with diverse stakeholders including job seekers colleagues and
employers.
Ability to manage multiple priorities and work both independently and collaboratively.
Experience working in CRM systems; Salesforce proficiency preferred.
Experience working with justice-involved barrier-facing or opportunity for youth populations.
Background in program design innovation or community engagement.
Demonstrated ability to analyze data to inform decision-making.

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.

Opportunity Identification and Strategy (40%):
Support in the strategic identification of new corporate partners that could engage with Cara Collective
in a variety of ways including philanthropic employment plus and leadership.
Explore New Employment Opportunities: Identify and pursue new employment and training
opportunities for program participants by researching and engaging with potential employers and
industry leaders.
Implement strategic plans to expand the organizations network of employment partners with a focus
on companies that are background-friendly on-the-job-training and apprenticeship programs.
Market Analysis: Conduct market research to understand industry trends and employment needs
ensuring that the organizations programs and partnerships are aligned with current and future
demands.

Employer Partnership Management (20%)
Grow a portfolio of new employer accounts including apprenticeship and on-the-job training pathways.
Lead employer engagement activities including job order development partner check-ins and
virtual/in-person site visits.
Maintain and Strengthen New Partnerships: Cultivate and manage relationships with recently obtained
partnerships.
Provide timely professional communication to ensure strong and sustainable partnerships.

Reporting and Evaluation (20%):
Track Partnership Impact: Monitor and report on the success and impact of partnerships and
employment opportunities using data to drive decisions and improvements.
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.
Evaluate Opportunities: Assess the effectiveness of new employment opportunities and partnerships
ensuring they contribute to the organizations goals.

All other responsibilities as assigned

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
factors. This 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. 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

Required Experience:

Senior IC

SENIOR BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT SPECIALIST CAREER PATHWAYS About Cara CollectiveCara Collective seeks to fuel a courageous national movement to eradicate relational and financial poverty. Through our three entities Cara Cleanslate and Cara Plus we engage job seekers employers and other organizations ...