Workforce Development Manager Jobs in Chicago, IL

Job Title: Senior Coordinator, Workforce Development 

Team: Chicago Region

Location: In-Person in Chicago

Employment Type: Full-time

FLSA Classification: Non-Exempt

Start Date: September 2026

Braven is a national nonprofit that prepares promising college students to secure a strong first opportunity after college graduation through a career-accelerating program.

We work with higher education and employer partners to offer a life-changing experience that begins with a semester-long course for college students, followed by support that lasts through graduation.  

Together, our ambition is to help rebuild the middle class and revitalize the American Dream.

To learn more, take a look at Braven’s Jobs.

In order to achieve its ambition of serving 80,000-100,000 Fellows over the next decade, Braven is hiring a Senior Coordinator, Workforce Development – Chicago who will help drive strong post-college outcomes by connecting Fellows to career-accelerating internships and jobs. As a key contributor on the Chicago regional team, you’ll support workforce development efforts across three campuses—Northern Illinois University (NIU), National Louis University (NLU), and Illinois Institute of Technology (Illinois Tech)—ensuring equitable access to opportunities and tailored support for our Fellows.

The Senior Coordinator, Workforce Development will also work in close partnership with the Chicago Senior Directors — supporting multiple campuses — with strong dotted-line collaboration across all sites to meet internship and employment goals for the region.

This role is on the Chicago Regional team and reports to the Associate Director of Workforce Strategy. 

Opportunity & Outcome Curation (40%)

• Source, track, and promote high-quality internships and jobs across all campuses
• Manage campus-specific marketing and lead outreach campaigns via Salesforce.
• Manage and distribute curated opportunity listings to Fellows using Salesforce and Google Docs.

Jobs Campaign & Knowledge Rate Support (35%)

• Conduct outreach to increase our post-graduation knowledge rate and support Fellows in securing employment
• Input and maintain outcomes data in Salesforce with a focus on campus-level accuracy.
• Serve as a representative in the One Program Huddle meetings and in regional campaigns.

Fellow Engagement & Event Support (20%)

• Support workforce-related and collaborative events across all campuses, virtual and in-person
• Attend select Learning Labs to share workforce opportunities, connections, and resources with Fellows
• Track Fellow participation and engagement
• Coordinate social media efforts highlighting Fellows from all campuses

On-the-Ground Support (5%)

• Provide in-person support during Fellow events (i.e assisting with check-in, guiding small group discussions, and offering logistical support during workshops, etc)
• Other duties as assigned

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution
• Proficiency in Microsoft Suite applications (Word, Excel, PowerPoint), G-Suite (Google Drive, Google Docs, Google Forms, Google Sheets, and Gmail)  

Preferred Qualifications 

• At least 1 year of administrative experience
• Extraordinary organizational skills and ability to pay close attention to detail
• Strong customer service ethic, staying committed to finding solutions when challenges arise - keeping focus on outcomes
• Strong critical thinking, analytical, written, and interpersonal communication skills
• Ability to manage multiple projects concurrently and independently, prioritizing the most important work and navigating competing priorities
• Demonstrated commitment to building strong and welcoming cultures that help to develop others.
• Exemplification of Braven’s core values.
• Experience that has informed your belief in Braven’s mission and has prepared you to work with, or for, Braven’s student Fellow population.

Please know that no one ever meets 100% of the preferred qualifications. If much of this describes you, we encourage you to apply.

Work Demands

• Ability to work in-person in Chicago at least 3 days per week
• Ability to travel occasionally to other Braven regions for team meetings
• Ability to occasionally work non-traditional hours to attend Fellow events 
• Travel once/year to Braven’s All Team Retreat

Additional Requirements

• Authorized to work in the U.S.
• Braven doesn’t offer employment visa sponsorship

Application & Interview Process

While the interview process may vary slightly, the general process will be:

• Phone screen with Talent Team member
• Performance Task
• Interview with Hiring Manager
• Panel Interview with Key Partners
• Reference Checks

Benefits

Braven offers competitive base salaries based on the midpoint of the market among not-for-profit organizations of similar size, with opportunities for salary growth over time. We believe in compensating staff members fairly in relation to each other, their qualifications, and their impact on behalf of the organization, and take internal and external equity seriously. Given our commitment to equity, Braven does not negotiate salary offers; instead, each salary offer is determined carefully using external and internal benchmarking.

Starting salary within the range is determined by role scope and qualifications, with new hires starting at the lower end to allow for growth with performance. Braven does not base compensation on individual candidate salary expectations and is committed to maintaining internal equity. The salary ranges are set by geographic market. The starting range for this role in Chicago is $47,000-$58,700. This is based on a 50-hour work week at an hourly rate. This is a full-time, regular, non-exempt, and benefits eligible position where you will be working at 100% capacity.  

Braven also provides competitive, comprehensive benefits, recognition, and career development. While Braven reserves the right to change benefits at any time, current benefits include: 

• Unlimited vacation time in addition to org-wide holidays and three team-wide, week-long shutdowns in Spring, Summer, and Winter (this is a minimum of 24 days per year)
• Braven supports your path to parenthood and beyond with $25,000 in lifetime Carrot benefits for fertility, family-building, and hormonal health
• Match of your 401K contribution up to 5% of your base annual salary, starting your first full month
• Coverage of 85% of health insurance premium for employee and dependents
• 12 weeks of paid parental leave
• A one-month paid sabbatical after 4 years on staff

Location

We gather in the office 3 days a week (Tuesday through Thursday) and work remotely 2 days a week (Monday and Friday). Therefore, this role requires teammates to live within commuting distance of our Chicago hub. We believe in the magic, connection, and collaboration that happens when people work together face-to-face, and we believe in giving people flexibility to focus, balance personal priorities, and save themselves two commutes per week.

Braven is an equal opportunity employer and considers qualified applicants for employment without regard to race, color, creed, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, age, disability, veteran status, or any other protected factor.  We encourage talented individuals of all backgrounds to apply.