Participant Engagement Specialist

About Cara Collective
Cara Collective seeks to fuel a courageous national movement to eradicate relational and financial poverty. Our Mission is
to build an inclusive economy by developing employment pathways to advance transformative individual and community
success. Through our four entities – Cara, Cleanslate, Cara Connects, 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.
We believe that there is an incredible and untapped talent pool in our country, one comprised of people often experiencing
homelessness and poverty. Our job is to unlock the strengths they already have and showcase them anew to the world.
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.
To ensure that we are centering our work around the individuals and communities we serve, Cara Collective commits to
taking an inclusive and equitably approach in all we do: in our program design, diverse representation in our staff,
partnerships we choose to enter, and our external and internal communications and policies. We leverage our individuality
and differences as a way of deepening community and expanding opportunity in and around our organization.
Discover the impact we are making and explore the impressive numbers behind our success by clicking here:
www.caracollective.org.

About the Cara Collective Engagement Team
The Engagement Team designs and implements strategies to enhance participant commitment throughout the job search
process. We provide support and guidance at every stage of their journey to becoming Send Out Eligible (SOE), offering
connections within Cara and external resources as needed.
Our services include assisting participants with creating Cara-branded résumés, thank-you letters, and cover letters, as well
as scheduling Career Coaching and Mock Interview sessions with volunteers. We also collaborate with participants in the
computer lab to build digital literacy skills, conduct self-directed job searches, complete and request essential employment
documents, and address other general employment-related needs.

About the Role
The Participant Engagement Specialist is a hands-on role responsible for driving participants’ growth and development in
their self-directed job searches and meeting send out eligibility (SOE) competencies. This position has a focus on providing
technical support in digital literacy as well as overall team support. The Participant Engagement Specialist also assists in
scheduling and coordinating participant-facing volunteers in activities such as Career Coaching, Mock Interviews, and
Corporate Service Days to drive growth in socio-emotional skills and job search outcomes for our participants.
Qualifications
We are excited to offer this opportunity for a passionate individual to join our team and make a meaningful impact within
our community. This role is ideal for a proactive, technically skilled professional who is eager to contribute to participants'
growth and development, supporting their self-directed job searches.
The ideal candidate will be energized by Cara Collective’s mission, inspired by our commitment to racial equity and
breaking the cycle of poverty, and motivated to work in an environment that values collaboration, innovation, and
continuous learning. They should possess strong interpersonal and organizational skills, excel at problem-solving, and
bring a solutions-oriented mindset to every interaction. This role requires an individual with exceptional technical
capabilities, a resourceful approach, and the ability to engage participants, volunteers, and stakeholders toward common
goals.

Requirements:
• An associate degree with 2-3 years of professional experience.
• Exceptional technical skills and proficiency in software applications.
• Flexibility and adaptability, with a collaborative and intentional approach to teamwork.
• A demonstrated history of resourcefulness, problem-solving, and creativity.
• Strong organizational skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities and stakeholders.
• High energy and enthusiasm for engaging and motivating others.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Empathy, patience, and a willingness to both learn from and teach others.
This is a unique opportunity to contribute to Cara Collective’s transformative work while growing your career in workforce
development. If you are ready to make an impact, we encourage you to apply!

The Responsibilities of the Position
Participant Engagement (65%)
• Responsible for Send Out Eligibility preparedness with participants.
• Train participants on Self-Directed Job Search.
• Guide participants through internal processes to leverage the full benefits of our program resources.
• Assists participants with one-on-one technical challenges (i.e., online job applications, creating email accounts,
finding emails or documents on their phones, voicemail setup/admin, Cara Central, creating and editing resumes,
and assessments).
• Hands-on participant engagement on in-person participant training days.
• Facilitate the presentation of technical content to participants during training days.
• Assists with clothing assessments for participants.
• Other duties as assigned.
Referrals, Scheduling/Documentation and Processes (35%)
• Assist in creating participant-facing volunteer sessions (Career Coach, Mock Interview, Corporate Service Day) and
with follow-up and related outcomes and documentation.
• Develop and enroll participants’ established schedules for daily class and temporary work within the Social
Enterprises.
• Consistently document participant encounters in a timely manner using CRM software.
• Assists in the coordination of offsite volunteers to let them know which participants are coming and quickly
troubleshoot changes.

Reports To
Manager of Engagement

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 use a salary analysis tool called Payscale and
offer competitive, market-based compensation to all employees.

This position’s expected starting pay range is $48,000 - $51,000.

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 are at the discretion of the employer.

Equal Opportunity Employer
Cara Collective is committed to creating a diverse work environment and is proud to be an equal opportunity
employer. Cara Collective does 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. We encourage individuals of all backgrounds to apply. If you are a qualified candidate with a
disability, please email us at kboelkens@carachicago.org if you require reasonable accommodation to complete this
application.