Organizational Structure, Resourcing, Staffing
Descriptions of the roles, responsibilities, and organizational structure of employer-facing teams at service provider organizations.
Business Career Services Illinois
- The business services team includes:
- Director of Business Services and Community Outreach.
- Manager of the Manufacturing Careers Internship Program.
- Two Business Account Executives.
- The team operates from multiple offices in Cook County and neighboring counties.
This content is based on interviews or email correspondence with Deb Lawrence in 2024. This draft content has NOT yet been signed off by the organization.
Cara Collective
- Cara’s employer-facing staff includes talent acquisition specialists, recruiters, and hiring managers who engage directly with employer partners. Teams include:
- Business Development Team: Handles initial outreach, corporate engagement, and stewardship of employer relationships.
- Employment Services Team: Focuses on matching participants to opportunities and managing day-to-day employer interactions.
- Cara Plus Team: Advocates for inclusive hiring practices and advises employers on fair chance initiatives.
- Staff responsibilities include sourcing and vetting job candidates, managing employer relationships, and delivering concierge-level services for job placements.
This content is based on interviews or email correspondence with Tim Loeffler in 2025. This content was approved by the organization in March 2025.
Chicago Cook Workforce Partnership
- The Business Relations and Economic Development (BRED) unit at The Partnership consists of 5 – 7 Specialists who each focus on a different sector. The sectors are Construction, Transportation, Distribution, Logistics, Finance, Retail, Healthcare, Hospitality, Tourism, Information Technology, and Manufacturing.
- BRED Specialists are responsible for maintaining relationships with delegate agencies, nonprofit partners, and employers. Because The Partnership is both a funder and a provider, BRED Specialists are uniquely positioned to connect employers with organizations that can meet their needs in a holistic fashion. The BRED team specializes in providing technical assistance to business services teams at delegate agencies and nonprofit partners.
This content is based on interviews and/or email correspondence with Claudia Cattouse and Tonya Cody-Robinson in 2024. This content has NOT yet been signed off by the organization.
City Colleges of Chicago
- Several officials throughout the City Colleges of Chicago organization are focused on initiating and managing employer relationships, including the Directors of Grant Administration, Career Placement, Career Readiness, and Workforce Partnerships. The Dean of Career Programs and Continuing Education is actively engaged in cultivating employer relationships and serves as a final decision-maker and approving authority for programming and policy.
This content is based on interviews and/or email correspondence with Joachim Borha in 2024 and 2025. This content has NOT yet been signed off by the organization.
City of Chicago Department of Family and Support Services
- DFSS has limited centralized employer-facing roles, primarily represented by:
- The Corporate Partnership Team (four people)
- Deputy Commissioner: Workforce Services Division contact for employer engagement.
- Manager for the Workforce Services Division.
- Youth Division staff, who focus on employer engagement for internships and youth employment programs, works through delegate agencies for placements.
- Employer-facing staff roles are distributed across divisions and delegate agencies, each independently responsible for employer engagement within their focus area.
This content is based on interviews or email correspondence with Lisa Hampton, Chadra Lang, and Mark Sanders in 2024. This draft content has NOT yet been signed off by the organization.
City of Chicago Department of Planning and Development
- Employer-facing roles include project managers who handle the entire engagement lifecycle, from the first contact to project completion. This role will soon be contracted to a Program Administrator who will provide all of the project management and technical support, as well as marketing and outreach to employers.
- Delegate agencies and aldermanic offices (local government representatives) help market to employers through their established business relationships, efficiently sharing available resources.
This content is based on interviews or email correspondence with Lijia Evariz in 2024. This content was approved by the organization in March 2025.
Corporate Coalition
- The Program Director for Fair Chance Hiring at the Corporate Coalition of Chicago leads the Fair Chance Hiring Cohort, a program managed by the Corporate Coalition.
- The Director of Expansion at Cara Plus (the national arm of Cara Collective) leads employer engagement efforts for Cara.
- Cara Plus and the Corporate Coalition are responsible for employer recruitment and engagement, with Cara Plus identifying potential cohort participants.
This content is based on interviews or email correspondence with Steph Dolan in 2025. This draft content has NOT yet been signed off by the organization.
Harper College
- Employer relationships for apprenticeships at Harper College are primarily managed by the Manager of Workforce Initiatives, who is responsible for outreach, engagement, and ongoing employer relationships.
- The Senior Director of Workforce Solutions and Job Placement, as well as the Vice President of Workforce Solutions, may assist in early employer engagement, particularly for initial meetings.
- Harper College has multiple employer-facing departments, including Customized Training, Continuing Education (CE), and Continuing Professional Education (CPE), each managing relationships with different employers.
- Marketing supports employer engagement by promoting programs, distributing flyers, and managing website inquiries.
This content is based on interviews or email correspondence with Besa Sadiku in 2024. This draft content has NOT yet been signed off by the organization.
Illinois Division of Rehabilitative Services
- The Workforce Development Unit is composed of a manager and six Business Employment Consultants.
- Business Employment Consultants build relationships with employers, identify workforce needs, share DRS services, match job seekers to opportunities, assist with disability accommodations, and document interactions in WebCM, a CRM system.
This content is based on interviews or email correspondence with Biswa Phuyal in 2025. This content was approved by the organization in March 2025.
Mayor's Office for People with Disabilities
- Employer-facing roles include:
- Program Director for the Career Center: Oversees employer relationships and partnerships.
- Career Placement Counselors: Work directly with jobseekers to find and retain employment.
- American Sign Language Interpreter: Provides interpreting for those who use ASL.
- Benefits Counselor: Helps job seekers understand SSI/SSDI impacts.
This content is based on interviews or email correspondence with Lauren Hooberman in 2024. This draft content has NOT yet been signed off by the organization.
National Able Network
- The Director of Business Services in Chicago leads a team of 7 Business Service Representatives, who are responsible for administering several workforce programs, including SCSEP, WIOA, SNAP, JTED, and ARPA.
This content is based on interviews and/or email correspondence with Matt Weiss in 2024 and 2025. This content has NOT yet been signed off by the organization.
Northern Illinois University Workforce Policy Lab
- Apprenticeship Specialists work directly with employers, conducting outreach, connecting employers with training providers, and assisting in apprenticeship registration. They are present in 10 out of 22 local workforce areas.
- Business Services Representatives exist within the 22 local workforce areas, with at least one in each area, responsible for employer engagement and workforce services.
- The State-Level Coordinator supports apprenticeship specialists and holds office hours twice weekly for technical assistance.
- Workforce Specialists report to local workforce boards and collaborate with state-level workforce policy advisors.
This content is based on interviews or email correspondence with Jennifer Foil in 2025. This draft content has NOT yet been signed off by the organization.
Per Scholas
- The Talent Solutions team in Chicago consists of one individual responsible for initiating and maintaining employer relationships.
- National team members provide assistance with broader employer connections and resource sharing across regions.
- Alumni are leveraged informally to provide connections and feedback on employer needs.
This content is based on interviews or email correspondence with Kelsey Briggs-Dineen in 2025. This draft content has NOT yet been signed off by the organization.
Pyramid Partnership Inc
- Pyramid Partnerships employs Business Development Specialists as their primary employer-facing roles. They are responsible for engaging employers, identifying hiring needs, and facilitating partnerships.
- The organization currently has five Business Development Specialists, all of whom report to the Director of Employer Engagement.
This content is based on interviews or email correspondence with Kelly Brown in 2024. This draft content has NOT yet been signed off by the organization.
RiseKit
- RiseKit has 5 – 6 team members in several roles throughout the organization who focus on initiating employer relationships. Matt Strauss, CEO and Founder of RiseKit, orchestrates many strategic employer partnerships. Two marketing expansion executives are responsible for recruiting employers in new markets. Marketing leaders focus on the markets in Chicago and Denver, as well as an account executive.
This content is based on interviews and/or email correspondence with Josh Glantz in 2024 and 2025. This content was approved by the organization in March 2025.
scaleLIT
- Business Services Representatives are stationed at AJCs (American Job Centers).
- American Job Centers are run by multiple organizations, each maintaining their own processes and staffing structures.
This content is based on interviews or email correspondence with Becky Raymond in 2024. This draft content has NOT yet been signed off by the organization.
World Business Chicago
- Employer relationships at World Business Chicago (WBC) are managed by multiple teams, including:
- Business Development (6 staff)
- Innovation (4-5 staff focused on technology)
- Corporate Engagement (2 staff)
- Workforce development is also involved in business relationships but does not have a dedicated department for employer outreach
- New businesses typically engage with WBC through the Business Development team, while existing businesses looking to expand may connect through various departments depending on their needs
This content is based on interviews or email correspondence with Tana Francellno in 2024. This draft content has NOT yet been signed off by the organization.
Points of alignment
This section provides an overview of practices that are similar across organizations.
Point #1
Team sizes differ across organizations. Some have a dedicated team of employer-facing professionals, while others distribute workforce responsibilities among multiple individuals across various departments.
Point #2
Some organizations operate from a single location, while others manage multiple sites throughout Chicago, Cook County, and neighboring counties.
Point #3
Employer-facing professionals are typically responsible for cultivating and managing employer relationships, identifying hiring needs, and facilitating partnerships.
