Director of Employer Strategy & Practice Innovation

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Director of Employer Strategy & Practice Innovation

Chicago, IL

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Director of Employer Strategy & Practice Innovation

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 1,000 jobs each year; however, our results don't just end with employment. Today, we take the insights gained over the past 35 years to equip other organizations and employers with practices to help build a more inclusive economy. Learn more at www.caracollective.org.

About the External Affairs Team

The External Affairs Department aims to advance Cara Collective's mission by amplifying our brand, building strategic partnerships, attracting resources and investments, and driving public awareness and practice change. Through coordinated efforts across communications, development, and external engagement, the team ensures our message resonates with stakeholders and strengthens our impact. With a commitment to storytelling, relationship-building, and thought leadership, External Affairs connects Cara Collective to the broader community, fueling growth and deepening our influence in the workforce development field.

About the Role

This role sits within External Affairs on the Cara Plus team. Cara Plus is the expansion arm of Cara Collective, which works with organizations both in Chicago and around the country. Our work creates inclusive employment pathways by distilling Cara Collectives best practices and tailoring them to each organizations needs. Cara Plus does this through two distinct portfolios:

• Workforce Development. Where we work with non-profits and workforce development programs to help them deploy sustainable pathways to self-sufficiency in their communities.
• Inclusive Employment. Where we help employers shift their practices to improve how they recruit, hire, cultivate, and advance untapped talent.

The Director of Employer Strategy & Practice Innovation will be at the forefront of the inclusive employment portfolio, partnering with the Managing Director of Cara Plus to set the strategic vision of Cara Collective's employer practice change work. They will be charged with managing all Inclusive Employment operations and work with their report(s) to continue to build a portfolio of offerings with an eye toward "unlocking" more opportunity for untapped talent in Chicago and beyond. This will include both deeper integration with Cara's corporate engagement strategies and innovation and expansion of our work in the Chicago ecosystem and other workforce ecosystems in which Cara Plus is operating.

Qualifications

We're excited to connect with candidates who bring a mix of operational excellence, relationship management, and strategic consulting.

Requirements

• You have strong and demonstrated strategic thinking and implementation skills and can move between executing important details and zooming out to ensure alignment with the "big picture"
• You have experience consulting for or within an organization to lead new initiatives from design to execution
• You have experience building out strategies and solutions in a "business context"
• You have knowledge of the recruitment and hiring processes of businesses and the barriers the prevent untapped talent from achieving employment
• You have successfully led and conducted trainings, with both a commanding and accessible presence as a facilitator, as well as experience with curriculum development
• You have excellent diagnostic and communication skills and you can anticipate, interpret, convey and overcome potential points of friction
• You are an adept project (and product) manager, with the ability to keep track and switch between multiple projects and maintain a high level of quality across each of them
• You are skilled at building and deepening relationships (one-on-one and in groups) and are comfortable working directly with a variety of stakeholders
• You are an enthusiastic team builder who has experience in diverse working groups.
• You are excited by technology and have a solid working knowledge of the Microsoft Suite and Salesforce, and as developing skills to incorporate AI into your work portfolio

Key Responsibilities

Portfolio Strategy (25%)

• Work closely with the Managing Director of Cara Plus to set the inclusive employment strategy and direction
• Contribute to developing and leading operational processes related to strategy, intra-team communication, data collection, cross-learning, and others to ensure smooth team functioning
• Support the cultivation and stewardship of strategic partnerships with peers and other key inclusive employment players, locally and nationally
• Serve as a thought partner on the pricing and marketing strategy for Cara Plus' offerings to provide sustainable funding
• Serve as an inclusive employment ambassador at external events

Offering Development & Deployment (40%)

• Deepen existing or develop new products or services to drive our inclusive employment strategy forward - including discovery, content development, delivery, measurement, and adaptation
• Lead execution of new offerings, with an eye toward market fit, sustainability, and opportunities for expansion in Chicago or Cara Plus's other ecosystems
• Work with key partners and stakeholders to execute new strategies and offerings, as needed

Team Management & Quality Assurance (20%)

• Manage Senior Employer Strategy Specialist, providing needed training, guidance, feedback and support as they implement portfolio offerings
• Support and oversee execution of all portfolio strategies, ensuring consistent quality and integrity of our offerings and customer and stakeholder engagement
• Serve as lead individual company consulting and technical assistance expert within the Inclusive Employment team
• Provide strategic leadership within and across teams at Cara Collective - including Cara Plus, External Affairs, and the enterprise more broadly
• Develop processes and infrastructure to optimize team efficiencies and replicability while building the technology structure to support it
• Serve on Cara's Leadership Team

Cross-Team Strategy & Integration (15%)

• Play a key role in expanding Cara Collective's corporate partner journey, integrating technical assistance into the roadmap and helping to design any related processes in collaboration with the Employment Services and Business Development teams
• Support Cara Collectives employer engagement strategy, with a goal of "unlocking" as many jobs as possible
• Keep an eye on the efficiency and effectiveness of the corporate partner journey to ensure that adaptations are made once opportunities are identified
• Collaborate with other teams across Cara to promote cross-learning and to deepen engagement across corporate partners by supporting referrals to and from our inclusive employment team to other External Affairs and Impact teams

Reports To

Managing Director of Cara Plus

Direct Report(s)

Senior Employer Strategy Specialist

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 after 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 position's expected starting pay range is $85,000-92,000 annually.

Any offered salary is determined based on relevant factors such as applicant's skills, job responsibilities, prior relevant experience, certain degrees and certifications and market considerations.

Benefits

• 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 kboelkens@carachicago.org.

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