Job Description

INTEGRATION MANAGER

About Cara

Cara’s mission is to unlock the power and purpose within our communities and ourselves to create real and lasting success.

Since 1991, Cara has helped people affected by poverty (and often the challenges of recovery, domestic violence, episodic homelessness, and incarceration) to get and keep quality jobs and, more importantly, rebuild hope, self-esteem, and opportunity for themselves and their families in the process. We produce hundreds of jobs each year, at one-year, same-firm retention rates more than 20 points higher than national norms and with more than 70% of those retained residing in permanent housing in which their families can thrive.

Our results don’t just end with employment. We also maintain market-competitive businesses that create gateway jobs for those they serve and we produce a profound social return on investment, where for every dollar invested in this work, $5.97 is re-invested in society over a five-year time horizon. The work is important, not only because of its clear goal of bringing individuals in need back to the dignity and productivity of employment, but because of its clear mission to transform people’s lives. Families become stronger, relationships are healed, and communities become more vibrant because nothing gives you a positive outlook on life like a job.

For more information on Cara, visit www.carachicago.org.

About the Role

We are proud to be growing and accelerating our national expansion efforts. To do so, we are establishing: (a) “affiliates,” where we adapt Cara’s model to be owned and operated by partners in new markets who see workforce development as a key component to advance self-sufficiency, and (b) “Cara Institute,” where we share our collective learnings with diverse practitioners through immersive trainings and workshops. We have built a small but savvy Expansion Team to lead these efforts and help turn this vision into reality.

To round out the team, we are looking for a mission-focused, results-oriented Integration Manager with experience training organizations on diverse topics and coaching teams to success. The Integration Manager will be responsible for training our affiliate partners and their staff on Cara’s model – adapting our approach to meet their specific needs, and providing ongoing technical assistance to ensure their long-term success. S/he will also be responsible for developing content for and leading Cara Institute to help practitioners, employers, and others adopt new ways to improve inclusive employment in their communities, all while cultivating a network that exists beyond Cara’s walls.

Outcomes

The Expansion Team is responsible for cultivating long-term partnerships based on creative problem-solving, clear communication, and thought partnership. The goal is to increase affiliate outcomes in first jobs and placements year-over-year, while conducting the appropriate number of Cara Institutes to meet demand and needs of the business. In the first year, the Integration Manager will contribute to these outcomes by:
•Helping to design our first cohort-wide Institute, including participating in its design, developing materials, and leading participants through their learning journey
•Providing ongoing technical assistance to our two current affiliate sites in Fort Wayne, IN and Atlanta, GA – both directly and identifying when additional support may be needed
•Leading Integration for any new affiliate site
•Identifying cross-partner learning opportunities
•Helping to design and execute our first-ever convening of affiliates, Institute partners, and Cara Chicago staff
•Assisting in the development of an online learning platform for partners

The Responsibilities of the Integration Manager

Be a “Cara Translator”
•Develop an intimate understanding of affiliate partners’ service delivery models to ensure Cara’s integration is sound and seamless
•Facilitate the practical adoption (not just baseline comprehension) of Cara’s model by affiliate partners, helping them adapt Cara to their structures and desired vision
•Provide technical assistance (TA) to affiliate partners with an eye towards sustainability – recognizing what TA should be standardized for broader use
•Help lead Cara Institute: (a) identifying ways to connect Cara’s learnings to Institute participant curiosities and (b) facilitating Institute participants through activities that promote group learning and help them walk away with tangible learnings to bring back to their organizations
•Act as the long-term liaison for each affiliate and Institute partner to ensure long-term success

Facilitate Continuous Learning
•Create curricula and best practices based on affiliate and Institute partner needs (both stated and perceived)
•Codify and curate content to best serve partners based both on successful interventions and insights from our failures
•Integrate learnings from affiliate and Institute models into our approach
•Monitor affiliate data collection and model fidelity, helping them to identify ways to strengthen their processes to improve results
•

Build a National Community
•Identify opportunities for cross-team learning between different partners
•Help create and oversee an online platform to facilitate best practice sharing, group learning, and community building
•Launch Cara’s annual national convening to cultivate relationships between partners, provoke new ideas, and enhance the Cara Network’s collective impact

Qualifications

Critical Thinking + Collaboration + Initiative

•You are fired up by Cara’s mission and values
•You are equal parts student and teacher and have a growth mindset towards learning
•You connect with people of all walks of life and at all levels and easily build trust
•Your diagnostic and communication skills are off the charts – and you can anticipate, interpret, convey and overcome potential points of friction
•You have successfully led and conducted training efforts in your industry, with both a commanding and accessible presence as a facilitator
•You are an adept project manager, with a proven ability to keep track and code switch between multiple projects
•You are a hands-on doer, equally amped up to take the reins of your own work and enthusiastic to work collaboratively with the team
•You are jazzed at the prospect of working in a start-up within a well-established organization
•You have a solid educational foundation – undergraduate degree required; MBA or similar advanced degree preferred

Equal Opportunity Employer

Cara is committed to creating a diverse work environment and is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. Cara 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 kr********@ca*********.org if you require reasonable accommodation to complete this application.

Please send cover letter, resume and salary history to kr********@ca*********.org to apply. No phone calls please.

How to Apply

Job Categories: Equal Opportunities. Job Types: Full-Time. Salaries: Not Disclosed.

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