Nearly 1,000 new, full-time jobs are being generated as a previously shuttered Target store in Chicago’s Chatham neighborhood is set to be transformed into a customer care center.
On Thursday, the city of Chicago and Discover Financial Services formally announced the call center that will be located at 86th Street and Cottage Grove.
Most of the positions available will be for customer care representatives and will start at an hourly wage of $17.25. Benefits of these full-time jobs include health insurance, 401k plan eligibility, paid time off and an opportunity to receive a free college education, effective on the first day of employment.
Discover will start posting leadership roles first, followed by the customer service agent openings in April with the goal to hire its first round of agents to start in June. These employees will work in a temporary space until the call center is fully operational.
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“Discover recognizes that traditional corporate site selection has contributed to issues of unequal opportunity in our society, and we want to be part of the solution,” said Roger Hochschild, CEO and President of Discover.
“We hope our commitment to Chatham will serve as a springboard for further economic development in the area; and we’re excited to work with residents and community leaders and add to our award-winning customer service team.”
Chatham is one of the 10 communities seeing results of Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s INVEST South/West community improvement program. The $750 million initiative aims to revitalize underserved areas on the city’s South and West sides.
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“More than just creating new jobs, this center represents the latest step in our citywide mission to unlock the huge swaths of talent in neighborhoods like Chatham through bold initiatives such as INVEST South/West, which will strengthen both our communities and companies, and fuel Chicago’s economy for decades to come,” Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot said.
