Chicago Public Schools (CPS) is one of the largest school districts in the United States, serving over 330,000 students in 600 schools and employing nearly 36,000 people, most of them teachers. CPS has set ambitious goals to ensure that every student, in every school and every neighborhood, has access to a world-class learning experience that prepares each for success in college, career, and civic life. In order to fulfill this mission, we make three commitments to our students, their families, and all Chicagoans: academic progress, financial stability, and integrity. Six core values are embedded within these commitments - student-centered, whole child, equity, academic excellence, community partnership, and continuous learning.

The Office of Portfolio Management (OPM) ensures every student in Chicago has a choice of well-resourced schools in their neighborhood that best meet their unique learning needs by building coherent and aligned systems for enrollment, regional school planning, incubation of quality schools options, and school accountability across the district.

Job Summary:

Reporting to the Director of Portfolio Office Initiatives, the Project Manager will lead all aspects of the project cycle for the United States Department of Education (USDE) Fostering Diverse Schools Grant at CPS. The Project Manager role is critical to achieving the mission and goals of the grant, which is to engage stakeholders around their vision for educational priorities in their communities. In addition to overseeing all components of the project life cycle, the Project Manager will develop systems to track key performance indicators and project milestones. This role will provide analytical support and guide the implementation of sound strategies for work that will be highly adaptive, cross-functional, and will require a strong collaboration internally and externally to achieve the goals outlined in the grant.

The grant term and the position will end on September 30, 2025.

The Project Manager will be held accountable for the following responsibilities:

* Develop project timelines, including defining scope, milestones, and deliverables for the USDE Fostering Diverse Schools Grant project; Ensure all program performance metrics are tracked throughout the lifecycle of the project as outlined in the grant proposal and that all program requirements are satisfied specifically, the production and publication of any educational plans co-created with communities.

* Lead regular project meetings to ensure milestones are successfully met through oversight of project and coordination of resources.

* Facilitate decision-making process for selecting, optimizing, and supporting the execution of strategic initiatives that produce benefits based on the Chicago Public Schools vision and mission.

* Assist with planning, communication, and support designed to increase equity of access to academic programming across the city, and align the same to the grant vision.

* Create and execute project work plans and revise as appropriate to meet changing needs and requirements.

* Cultivate relationships and coordinate planning with internal departments, including the Department of Equity and other departments as needed.

* Produce regular updates, including data reports, memos and presentations to communicate project status to leadership.

* Create dashboards to efficiently and clearly report on potential risks, project status, and roadblocks.

* Use of influence to eliminate bottlenecks and potential resource alignment issues.

* Work closely with regional coordinators to ensure community engagement follows the CPS' Equity Framework, Spectrum of Inclusive Partnerships, and considers principles of Targeted Universalism.

In order to be successful and achieve the above responsibilities, the Project Manager must possess the following qualifications:

Education Required:

* Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university

* Project Management Profession (PMP) certification preferred

Experience Required:

* Minimum of five (5) years of managing large-scale projects through all phases of the project lifecycle

* Experience developing, managing, and monitoring complex project plans and developing and implementing multiple effective communication plans across diverse internal and external stakeholder groups

* Successful experience in planning and implementation of projects that engage parents, community members, students, and other external stakeholders preferred

* Experience working for a school district or education-related agency preferred

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

* Strong communication skills (verbal, written and presentation skills)

* Possess an unyielding commitment to equity and an unwavering belief that all students can achieve at high levels

* Familiarity with the Chicago education landscape and the communities CPS serves

* Skilled at collaborating and collecting feedback related to educational priorities from a variety of community stakeholders

* Ability to build collaborative relationships with a variety of constituent groups, including external partners, to ensure the entire system operates in the most effective manner possible to support schools

* Strong planning, organization and time-management skills

* Strong quantitative and qualitative analysis, problem-solving and troubleshooting capabilities

* Ability to receive, internalize and respond to feedback from department leadership, manager, colleagues, and external partners

* Ability to work in a fast-paced environment and drive multiple projects concurrently, both independently and as a member of a team

* Ability to identify, quantify, interpret, and report statistical data for presentations to make recommendations and determine action steps that support the District's mission and vision

* Astute and keen awareness of the interests and motivations of others; Conducts work and interactions with integrity in a politically charged environment

Conditions of Employment

As a condition of employment with the Chicago Public Schools (CPS), employees are required to:

* Establish/Maintain Chicago Residency - Employees are required to live within the geographic boundaries of the City of Chicago within six months of their CPS hire date and maintain residency throughout their employment with the district. The Chicago residency requirement does not apply to temporary/part-time positions, however, all CPS employees must be residents of Illinois.

* Be Fully Vaccinated Against COVID-19 - Unless approved for a medical or religious exemption, all employees are required to be up-to-date on COVID-19 vaccinations, including boosters, and to submit proof of vaccination to the district within 30 days of hire. "Up-to-date" on vaccination is defined as being at least two weeks past all primary vaccine doses and any applicable boosters.

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