QCSS has announced a new partnership to create call center jobs in Chicago.

Chicago-based startup Vendorfind and Buffalo Grove smart center QCSS are pairing up to to implement a systematic solution for strategic growth in aligning responsiveness and quality assurance.

The partnership will allow Vendorfind to focus on expanding their database of qualified companies in the U.S. By combining capabilities with QCSS, the ongoing strategy is to decrease turnaround time in providing quality quotes quickly and accurately to clients, while helping local businesses all across the country grow.

Vendorfind automates the process of helping businesses and consumers find and trusted vendors to perform a wide array of specific services. The site narrows down the 3 most qualified companies to complete a job requested by the user. Results are based on a rating scale of specific project requirements.

“Providing an excellent multi-channel experience for all users on Vendorfind is not just a goal, it’s a requirement. As a smart center, QCSS will act as a CRM for Vendorfind. We aim to ensure a seamless path for both consumers and vendors: from sign-up all the way through the matching process. With QCSS managing and assuring accurate quote requests, Vendorfind will be able to focus on their core competencies, allowing for greater and faster growth.”

RCP Advisors has secured a big hire for finance jobs in Chicago.

The company announced it has brought on Michael Rice as an Investor Relations Associate.

Rice will be responsible for investor relations and works closely with the senior team members to develop marketing strategies and cultivate relationships with prospective investors.

“We are very excited about Mike joining our investor relations team. His experience in the capital markets while at Barclays Capital combined with an intellectual passion for the private markets in particular will allow him to serve our clients with a value added perspective,” says Tom Danis, Jr., Managing Principal and co-founder of RCP.

Prior to RCP, Michael worked as an analyst with Barclays Capital’s institutional equity sales group where he was responsible for developing sales strategies for a variety of hedge fund and mutual fund clients. Michael received a BS in Finance and Accounting from Marquette University.

eVariant, provider of CRM/PRM and healthcare analytics to integrated delivery networks (IDNs) and Academic Medical Centers across the United States, said this week it is expanding and hiring for healthcare jobs in Chicago.

The company has opened a new office and will need to hire people for various jobs.

“We came into 2012 with a plan for growth, particularly within HealthConnect, our healthcare-specific platform,” said A. Robert Grant, Co-Founder and EVP. “Opening new offices and adding experienced staff to our accounts team are integral to our continued focus on client needs.”

Kristi Harris, a 15-year veteran in the healthcare industry, will lead the new office. “Kristi’s management experience and her expertise in CRM, healthcare informatics and analytics make her ideally suited for this position,” noted Grant.

Prior to joining eVariant, Kristi spent 10 years at Thomson Reuters, where most recently she led the healthcare CRM team. She has also worked at Abbott Laboratories, the University of Illinois, Holy Cross Hospital, and North Shore University Health System (formerly ENH.) Kristi earned a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Illinois and a Masters in Health Systems Management from Rush University in Chicago.

Harris said: “eVariant’s business model and software platform provide a new level of opportunities in healthcare CRM. I’m looking forward to working with our clients as our presence in this market continues to grow.”

The new office is located in the Lakeview neighborhood of Chicago, about 5 miles north of the loop, at 3701 N. Ravenswood Avenue Suite 201.

Liaison Technologies has announced it is hiring for IT jobs in Chicago, or an area very close to it.

The provider of secure cloud-based integration and data management services and solutions said it is expanding its presence in Carbondale, Ill., with a larger facility and additional hires, proving the benefits of “on-shoring” and illustrating that “rural sourcing” pays off for technology companies and the community.

Liaison chose Carbondale to serve as headquarters for its global Managed Services group two years ago. The company outgrew its space in the Dunn-Richmond Economic Development Center at SIU and has recently relocated to a 5,000-square-foot facility at 1075 Reed Station Road. Atlanta-based Liaison helps companies in more than 35 countries connect electronically with their business communities and trading partners, and ensures that on-premise and cloud-based business processes and applications can easily and securely share information.

“We decided that instead of sending these jobs offshore, we would try a different approach — staying onshore and finding a partner in rural Illinois to keep these jobs in the United States,” said Larry Mieldezis, Liaison’s COO. “Establishing our Managed Services hub in Carbondale was exactly the right thing to do as evidenced by the success we’ve had there, which has led to our expansion.”

“The IT talent is so strong at SIU that we really wanted to come here,” he said. “If more companies embrace rural sourcing and take advantage of the local talent, the days of graduates having to leave areas like southern Illinois to get jobs in the technology space will become a thing of the past.”

Northwestern Mutual, a financial planning firm, announced its plans to hire thousands of people, including those for Chicago finance jobs.

The company said it plans to add more than 2,000 financial representatives and 3,000 financial representative interns.

A poll conducted by Harris Interactive last year found that Americans overwhelmingly prefer choices that deliver higher quality, long-term growth and guarantees, versus financial options that are cheaper and faster in the short term, but may be higher risk or deliver less return over the long term. This trend is underscored by the fact that in 2011, Northwestern Mutual added more than 350,000 new policies, the largest annual total in almost 20 years.

“People want off the rollercoaster ride of short term economic and market uncertainty. They’re stopping the ride and stepping off because they’re shifting their focus to variables they can control and seeking trusted advice in the process,” says Steven C. Mannebach, vice president – field growth and development.

In 2011, Northwestern Mutual recruited more than 2,200 financial representatives, which represents a 55 percent increase over its results five years prior. Mannebach says the growth of Northwestern Mutual’s network of financial representatives is also attributed to the firm’s financial strength and its industry-leading dividends, which will total nearly $5 billion in 2012, the second-highest amount of policyowner dividends in the company’s history.

“Working with an industry leader is beneficial on several fronts,” adds Mannebach. “It benefits the financial representative and the client—both of whom need and want a partnership that endures for decades to come.”