SUPPORTIVE SERVICES ADMINISTRATIVE SPECIALIST

About Cara Collective

Cara Collective seeks to fuel a courageous national movement to eradicate relational and financial poverty. 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.

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 30 years to equip other organizations and employers with practices to help build a more inclusive economy. Learn more at

About the Role

The Supportive Services Administrative Specialist is responsible for both general and clerical tasks at the South Side Campus and for the coordination of the resources and services provided to Cara Collective participants and the community. The Supportive Services Administrative Specialist is responsible for the participant’s and community members’ first impression and delivers first-class customer service.

Reports To

Senior Manager of Supportive Services & Site Director

Direct Report(s)

N/A

Outcomes

The Supportive Services Administrative Specialist is responsible for ensuring that supportive services are effectively integrated across the enterprise.

The Responsibilities of the Supportive Services Administrative Specialist

Administrative (65%)

• Manage general reception tasks relating to the front desk and general office coverage to include opening and closing responsibilities
• Manage phone calls, scheduling client benefits and financial assessments, monitoring participant engagement and suggest areas of improvement to foster a positive participant experience. Provide diversified administrative support for the Supportive Services team to ensure efficient office operations
• Provide external communication and client support for supportive services inquiries
• Respond to incoming referrals in a timely manner and complete a basic assessment
• Implement effective client satisfaction procedures for all supportive services referrals
• Enter, update, and maintain data in the respective Salesforce systems
• Implement a cadence (every 6 months for 5 years) for the subsequent soft pull of TransUnion credit report for all clients receiving financial services
• Responsible for sending and retrieving financial packets and authorization forms
• Create referrals for SSRN for participants without government benefits
• Responsible for creating and pulling financial documents for the Lead Financial Coach such as, initial credit reports, identification documents, and rental/leasing agreements
• Generate monthly grant specific reports as directed by Senior Manager of Supportive Services & Site Director
• Work closely with the Training team to manage workshop calendars
• Assess the participants strengths and weaknesses and their ability to successfully manage personal challenges and obstacles

Team Support (35%)

• Attend orientations and onboarding to explain supportive services
• Assist Supportive Services Resource Navigator during community events
• Provide one-on-one coaching to enhance the participant’s experience and professional development
• Collaborate with staff across the enterprise to address the needs of participants and the community
• Communicate the participant’s performance with staff
• Maintain and update resource provider’s linkage agreements
• Manage and maintain office supplies

Qualifications

• Ability to support individuals’ professional goals by recommending specific wrap around services, preferred
• Two or more years of customer service, workforce development, and office experience, required
• Proven record of client services including relationship-building, crisis de-escalation, active listening, and professional development, preferred
• Demonstrated work history of problem solving, office management skills or administrative support roles, required
• Excellent organizational skills with the ability to prioritize tasks and meet deadlines, required
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills as well as data entry skills, preferred
• Experience with MS Office suite (particularly Outlook, MS Word, and MS Excel) and Salesforce system, required

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