Who Are We:

Emerge Career is a gov-tech company designing hybrid job training programs for justice-involved individuals. In addition to the training, our program includes several wrap-around services, such as individualized customer support, data analytics, and a job placement platform.

In less than a year since rolling out its first contract, Emerge Career has become a training provider in five states and signed direct contracts with two counties to provide training services to their justice-involved populations.

Before Emerge Career, Gabe and Zo co-founded Ameelio in 2020, an award-winning tech nonprofit dedicated to developing educational and communication tools for the incarcerated. While scaling Ameelio, they stumbled upon the issue of post-incarceration unemployment which Emerge Career seeks to address.

Follow us on Linkedin and find out more about who we are and what we do.

Our students are also a part of who we are. Read up on our student stories and hear from them firsthand on Youtube .

Why We Do This:

Emerge Career was designed to tackle two systemic issues: recidivism, fueled by post-incarceration unemployment and poverty, and labor shortages in vital industries. Over 60% of formerly incarcerated people remain unemployed a year after incarceration, seeking work but not finding it. The reality is shocking, workforce development programs are severely limited inside prison, with only one-third of incarcerated people ever participating. To worsen, the available prison jobs offer meager wages, often less than $1 per hour, and often do not equip individuals with the skills for long-term stable employment.

Emerge Career breaks this cycle with scalable vocational training and job support during incarceration, equipping individuals for roles in high-demand industries. This comprehensive pre-release approach continued throughout post-incarceration, can combat the cycle of poverty, promoting real second chances.

Who You Are:

1. You believe everyone deserves dignity. Respect, recognition, and the opportunity to achieve one's full potential are the bedrock of your spirit. You know how to meet people exactly where they are and approach them with empathy and compassion, helping to create a space where everyone feels seen and valued regardless of their background.
2. You love having ownership. You approach tasks with an unwavering sense of integrity, eschewing fluff and ego in favor of direct, accountable action. You are a self-starter capable of steering through ambiguous challenges and tread new grounds every day.
3. You have a strong work ethic. You don’t hesitate to roll up your sleeves and tackle hands-on tasks, persevering where others might give up. No job is too big or too small for you. You understand that startups require hard work and long hours, far beyond the typical 9-to-5 job. To be fair, most people on our team are working at least 10 hours a day. However, with the right mindset, this demanding environment can be incredibly rewarding and fun.
4. You are entrepreneurial. You are scrappy, resourceful, autonomous, and low-maintenance. We have little to no processes in place. While you understand that processes are important, at this stage, we need to build quickly and iterate on procedures multiple times to reach the right solution. You have a proven track record of succeeding and enacting change in rapidly changing environments.
5. You are a strong builder. In your past experiences, you quickly identified opportunities for improvement, rolled up your sleeves, and took the necessary steps to enact change. You were probably the person who, when you noticed engineers on other teams were overloaded, took the initiative to research and implement no-code or prototypical solutions. While you don't necessarily need to code, you have no issues being self-guided with builds, even when things get technical. You dive into documentation, research online, learn for yourself, and then teach others. You love automating your work.
6. You are tech-savvy. You understand that recent advancements in AI have fundamentally shifted the way we work. You've likely been working extensively with chatbots and other LLM-powered tools since their launch, exploring different ways to boost your productivity. You enjoy being an early adopter, knowing that sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. You also recognize the importance of continuously rethinking and optimizing your approach to stay at the top of your contribution game.
7. You want to scale your impact. You understand that certain program management elements, such as individual coaching at critical junctures in a student’s experience, will never be fully automated. However, you believe that with the right builder mindset, we can comfortably reach a point where one coach can serve hundreds of individuals.
8. You lead by example. You aim to set the standard for what the program manager role should look like. You want to come in and be the top performer, setting the bar high. You understand that while this role may evolve into a managerial position over time, right now, we need strong contributors who are passionate about the work and want to be hands-on in order to establish the best processes before we bring on additional team members

What we’re looking for: (minimally)

• Three or more years of professional work experience
• Demonstrated experience performing BDR responsibilities: identifying and researching potential clients, contacting leads through various channels, and assessing their needs, interest levels, and purchasing power
• Demonstrated experience drafting and writing compelling proposals tailored to client needs and objectives, highlighting the value and benefits of the product or service after client meetings or calls
• Demonstrated experience setting up and operating Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems to track interactions, manage client information, and analyze sales performance for strategic planning
• Building and nurturing partnerships with clients and other relevant stakeholders to foster long-term relationships and collaborative opportunities
• Eager to lead by example, treat partners with respect, and seek constructive feedback
• Comfortable switching between self-directed work and teamwork
• Highly collaborative
• Deeply curious and highly attuned to human behavior and emotion

What we’re looking for: (preferred)

• Experience working with government
• Involved with or impacted by the criminal justice system
• Passionate about working with underrepresented communities and tackling challenges related to poverty and inequity

Your Mission

As the Business Development Representative at Emerge Career, you'll play a critical role from day one, utilizing your resourcefulness and agility akin to a sales athlete. Your mission is to establish Emerge Career as the leading prison-to-employment program in the nation by year's end. Initially, your role will mirror that of a Sales Development Representative, focusing on lead generation and strategic relationship building.

As we adapt to the unique landscape of each state, your role will evolve, placing you at the intersection of politics, policymaking, and partnership building. Expect dynamic daily tasks that change as we identify new needs and opportunities in each market. This evolution goes beyond sales; it involves a deep understanding of the interaction between local government, legislative frameworks, and the partnerships essential for enacting real change.

You must be adept at navigating the challenges of a startup environment and understand that our approach, aimed at inspiring innovation in an overlooked space, may differ from traditional industry practices. We prioritize action and results, expecting the same commitment from you.

Ideal candidates will have a deep dedication to our mission and the flexibility to tailor our sales efforts to benefit the communities we aim to serve. You will lead our efforts to forge a new path in the workforce and government sectors, potentially lifting thousands of families from poverty to high-paying careers annually.

What You’ll Do:

Sales Development

• Update and maintain our workspace in Close CRM.
• Collect emails, draft outreach, book meetings, and follow up with correctional institutions.
• Ensuring key qualification questions are answered at each step of the sales flow.
• Following up with MOAs, presentations, and requested write-ups after sales calls.
• Ensuring the founder-led sales process is done end-to-end, engaging stakeholders at the right points.

Recruitment of Justice-Involved Participants

• Research and collect emails for outreach to CBOs and relevant organizations, spreading the word about the initiative to help find justice-involved individuals who might benefit from our programs.
• Join Facebook groups to spread the word about the opportunity.
• Iterate over marketing collateral and messaging to improve our recruitment outcomes.
• Host webinars about the program.
• Manage recruitment partners to ensure they are informed about training opportunities.

Activation of Justice-Involved Participants

• Call our justice-involved applicants who are inactive to help them complete the application process, ensuring our Program Managers have the information they need to consider their candidacy.

General

• Participate in general and functional team weekly meetings.
• Respond promptly to internal and external communications via email, slack, and text message.

Benefits You’ll Receive:

• Hours: Flexible
• Unlimited PTO (minimum of 10, recommended of 14)
• WFH Stipend ($500 / year)
• Healthcare Reimbursement ($500 / mo)
• Professional Development Stipend ($1,000 / year)

Start Date

ASAP

Processs

Thank you for taking the time to learn more about Emerge Career's interview process.

Here at YC, we’re looking for a sales development representative who exhibits a strong sense of ownership and autonomy and feels comfortable navigating ambiguity.

Below is what to expect in our interview process.

1. Take-Home Challenge (3 hours at your own pace)
2. Cultural Fit & Submission Review (60 min)
3. Deep-Dive Interview (60 min)
4. Reference Checks

Timing

The typical interview process takes two-three weeks from start to finish. That said, we have moved more quickly and look to accommodate candidates who might have a short timeline or competing offers. The more information you can share about your situation and where you are in the process, the more we can either attempt to expedite/match, or save you time if we cannot.