Job Announcement: Director of Business Development & Operations

Description:

The ICA Group seeks a dynamic and experienced Director of Business Development and Operations to lead the development and growth of a new, fledgling network of worker-owned, immigrant-led, micro home care agencies in California operating under a shared brand identity and with a shared back-office. This position is part of a multi-organization collaboration called the California Home Care Initiative (CA HCI). For more information on CA HCI, see the end of this document.

The Director of Business Development and Operations will play a lead role in:

• Establishing, standardizing and streamlining standard operating systems, processes, and procedures to increase efficiencies for the central back-office and individual local member cooperatives.
• Setting shared standards for high-quality service and ensuring consistent implementation of standards across the shared brand.
• Providing high-quality, high-touch coaching and support on business operations to administrative leaders at member cooperatives.
• Leading marketing and business development to foster brand awareness, and drive growth and profitability of individual member home care cooperatives operating under the shared brand.
• Monitoring key performance metrics, including financial performance of member cooperatives and the central entity and recommending pivots to achieve goals.
• Harnessing the collective power of membership in purchasing and implementing technology solutions and tools that ensure operational efficiency and service quality.

The ideal candidate will be a proactive and collaborative leader with a strong business operations or entrepreneurial background that can drive strategic business growth aligned with the mission of the initiative and the shared goals of cooperative members and project design team members.

This position reports to the Vice President of Home Care Innovations at the ICA Group. Given the collaborative nature of this project however, and its cooperative structure, this position will engage directly with a variety of project design partners and home care cooperative member owners, and success will depend on collaboration.

Location: This is a fully remote position; however applicants must reside in California. There may be an option for in-office work over time. This position requires frequent in-state travel. Occasional travel to ICA’s Northampton, MA headquarters may also be required.

Qualifications:

• Proven experience in business development in the home care industry or a directly related sector (ideally in business start-up and scale)
• Excellent communication, negotiation and interpersonal skills, with the ability to network effectively and build lasting relationships
• Deep understanding of marketing strategies (including specifically referral partnership development and private pay client acquisition) and how they integrate with business development initiatives
• Strong leadership skills and experience in managing dynamic projects with intersecting teams
• Ability to work independently and make well-informed decisions, but also engage in a highly collaborative environment with diverse partners
• Results-oriented with a focus on achieving and exceeding goals and targets
• Ability to travel (travel is required for this position)
• Understanding of cooperative and employee-owned business models is a plus but not a requirement

Desired Technical Skills:

• Strong understanding of homecare services, market trends, and regulatory requirements in California
• Familiarity using and leveraging home care management software for business operations, performance and growth
• Familiarity using marketing tools including Google Business Profile, HubSpot (or other web/marketing tools)
• Experience monitoring, reviewing and analyzing operating and financial metrics
• Comfortable using common office systems such as Microsoft Suite, Google Workplace, Zoom and similar systems
• Familiarity of or experience with employee ownership/democratic workplaces
• Spanish Proficiency

Minimum Requirements:

• Located in California and ability to regularly travel across the state
• Entrepreneurial and business minded as evidenced by a proven track record of successful business development and management
• Respect for the rights of home care workers and a belief in the ability of home care workers to be business owners and leaders

Key Responsibilities:

Central Cooperative (Shared Back-Office) Operations (40%)

Develop and maintain standard operating systems, processes and procedures and support local member cooperatives with implementation and success. Work in partnership with project stakeholders to achieve desired outcomes and to shift/adjust as needed.

• Maintain organized digital and paper files of cooperative standards and procedures including caregiver onboarding, client intake, billing and payroll processing, data tracking and more; update standards regularly per local regulation/law and cooperative member feedback; and ensure all member-owners have access to and are informed of up-to-date information and documentation.
• Support cooperatives with set-up and implementation of standard operating systems and procedures. Act as Liaison between software/service providers (ex. AxisCare) and cooperative member administrators. Coordinate training and provide ongoing technical support on systems use.
• Collaborate closely with member administrators to optimize the process of client acquisition and retention.
• Support member cooperatives with: monitoring required licensing and other regulatory application and renewal processes and documents for operation; strategic planning, annual budgeting, and the establishment of key performance metrics, with support from other ICA staff and design team partners; budgeting to optimize the allocation and use of resources in business development; and ensuring business goals are set and understood by cooperative member-owners.
• Monitor individual and network-wide cooperative business performance metrics via systems/KPI dashboards to gauge success and areas for improvement. Regularly work with member-owners to ensure comprehension, celebrate goals and apply strategies for continued growth.
• Act as back-up phone for member cooperatives during normal business hours; field new client inquiries and steward a warm hand-off back to member-admins.
• Perform other related duties as needed to support the overall effectiveness of business development efforts.

Marketing & Business Development (40%)

Carry out digital and traditional marketing activities per the initiative’s marketing strategy. Continue to iterate and innovate to keep up with marketing trends.

Digital Marketing Responsibilities:

• Website management for common brand (in partnership with existing marketing vendors)
• Social media set-up and management (for common brand)
• Google Business Profile set-up and management support for each business location
• CRM system development and management
• Email campaign development and management to engage contacts
• Content creation to drive SEO
• Online reputation management, including: development/implementation of review collections system/protocol; support collecting reviews from co-op clients and member-owners; respond to comments/complaints online and conduct offline follow-up with dissatisfied customers; and identify opportunities to be listed in various online directories for home care services

Traditional Marketing Responsibilities:

• Identify and pursue opportunities for referral partnerships to grow the brand and member businesses, including: conduct direct outreach on behalf of member cooperatives and/or support cooperatives with local outreach and referral partnership development activities; negotiate beneficial contracts (with member participation, input and approval).
• Act as support for member cooperatives in implementing local marketing activities/act as primary liaison between member cooperatives and the marketing vendor.
• Develop content for fliers, brochures, and other marketing collateral for use by member co-ops (may engage a designer to produce materials but will draft content for use. Content to be approved by member administrators).
• As appropriate, organize and lead print, radio, TV advertising efforts on behalf of member cooperatives.

Secondary Responsibilities (20%):

Policy Advocacy

• In partnership with policy advocacy partners, work to demand beneficial policy change for home care workers and clients. The Director of Business Development and Operations is not expected to lead these initiatives.

Cooperative Governance

• As a cooperatively governed entity, participate (with support) in governance meetings and presentations, in cooperative training, and member engagement activities.
• Over time, support local member-admins and committee chairs to effectively govern their cooperatives in line with their Operating Agreements and training.

Project Design & Refinement:

• Collaborate with key project design partners to inform continued development and refinement of the project strategy and its implementation to achieve stated project outcomes.
• Identify opportunities for further training needed and either provide or coordinate within the HCI network to facilitate training on those topics.

About the ICA Group:

The ICA Group is a leading expert on worker ownership and the oldest national organization dedicated to the development of worker cooperatives. We are a mission-driven nonprofit organized as a worker cooperative and are dedicated to bringing strategic analysis and industry focused support to the worker ownership sector. Our work spans industries and geographies while maintaining a high level of rigor. Our business expertise is bolstered by a deep understanding of worker ownership and other worker-centered structures, and a commitment to serving low-wage workers and communities of color.

About the California Home Care Initiative:

The California Home Care Initiative (HCI) is a collaborative project being spearheaded by the Pilipino Workers Center of Southern California (PWCSC) in partnership with the ICA Group, the California Domestic Workers Coalition (CDWC), the Democracy at Work Institute (DAWI), and the National Domestic Workers Alliance (NDWA). The purpose of the initiative is to build an employee-owned home care business model that is 1) financially successful, 2) replicable, 3) scalable, 4) provides high-quality caregiving jobs, 5) is inclusive of immigrant workers, and 6) meets the demand for quality care in California. CA HCI seeks to uplift home care workers and capture meaningful market share. The CA HCI is funded by a number of foundations including the Blue Cross Foundation of California, Irvine Foundation, and CalWellness.

The CA HCI is launching a unified brand for a scaled network of employee-owned home care agencies (cooperatives) in California that will be independent but via contractual agreement will operate under a shared brand and will be supported by a shared back-office infrastructure. New cooperative entities will be launched by local community-based organizations and will undergo training via a dedicated launch academy. A Cooperative Developer will provide dedicated support to the Director of Operations and Business Development and individual member cooperatives in ensuring cooperative principles and governance practices are centered and upheld.

Salary and Benefits:

The salary range for this position is $110,000 to $130,000 annually based upon experience. In addition, The ICA Group provides a generous benefits package including 4 weeks of vacation, 13 paid holidays, 8 days of sick leave, and ICA currently covers 100% of health insurance premiums for all full-time employees and their dependents. In addition to holidays, ICA's offices are closed the week between 12/25 and 1/1 each year as additional paid time off.

This is a 3-year contract position. During this time, it is assumed that the central office will become an independent entity, and that after the three-year contract term, any further employment would be directly with the new entity.

About Working at the ICA Group:

The ICA Group is a rapidly growing nonprofit. The ICA Group has offices in New York City and Massachusetts and a hybrid remote/office work culture. We utilize technology and virtual meetings on a daily basis and hold quarterly in-person meetings. Our staff enjoy highly satisfying work in a diverse and stimulating environment. We are committed to a workplace culture that supports work-life balance and flexibility for working parents and other caregivers.

At the ICA Group, we value equity, diversity, and inclusion. We believe that in order to build a new economy where working people lead and own democratic workplaces, leaders in cooperative development must reflect the communities they serve. We support equitable opportunities for all people, and we strongly encourage candidates from diverse backgrounds, people of color, women, individuals from the LGBTQIAA+ community, and others who identify as a part of historically marginalized communities to apply for open positions at the ICA Group. We also know the confidence gap and impostor syndrome are real barriers. This can get in the way of meeting incredible candidates. Please don’t hesitate to apply, we would love to hear from you!

To Apply:

The priority application deadline is Friday, November 1, 2024. Please fill out the application questions on this page and attach your resume.

This search is being led by NRG Consulting Group. Please reach out to kristen@nrgconsultinggroup.org and jobs@nrgconsultinggroup.org with any questions.