Description

JOB TITLE: Special Projects Coordinator 

DEPARTMENT: Administration

REPORTS TO: Chief of Staff

DATE: August 2022

GRADE: 7

POSITION CLASS: Exempt

THE ORGANIZATION: Chicago Youth Centers (CYC) is the place where possibility lives for more than 1,500 Chicago children and their families each year. Through CYC’s early learning, afterschool, and summer programs, youth ages 15 months to 18 years in some of the city’s most divested communities find joy in learning, grow socially and emotionally, and build skills for the jobs of tomorrow.

CYC has a broad network of 17 centers and partner sites where we engage children early and provide services when they are most vulnerable: after school and during the summer. We offer family engagement programs to help families guide their children during critical transitions: entering kindergarten, starting high school, and preparing for college or a career. We build strong partnerships within communities to create a village of committed community leaders, schools, volunteers, and peer organizations dedicated to our children's success. We understand the challenges our families face. 

At CYC, we deliver programs that:

• Expand a child’s ability to think critically, create, communicate, and collaborate
• Provide academic supports
• Expose youth to STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, and math) fields
• Prepare children and teens for college and careers
• Focus on healthy living and violence prevention

CYC boldly envisions a Chicago where every child has the resources, experiences, and mentors they need to imagine and build bright futures.

THE OPPORTUNITY

Chicago Youth Centers seeks a highly organized project coordinator to manage several critical grant-funded initiatives at CYC. Reporting to the Chief of Staff (CoS), this person will serve as a bridge between the administrative/executive functions of fundraising and finance and the operational functions of programming. A significant aspect of this role will be the coordination of deliverables focused on mental health and wellness for staff, students, and families, via a state-funded community partnerships grant awarded in 2022. A successful candidate will have experience in complex project management and stakeholder relations – both of which are essential for moving multi-faced initiatives from concept to reality. This person must also have a deep dedication to working with underserved communities and possess a commitment to ensuring youth and families have access to high quality educational experiences. 

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

The Special Projects Coordinator will have job responsibilities in the following areas:

Community Partnerships Grant Activity Management(60%)

• Work with members of the Program, Finance, and Fundraising teams to design and execute a multi-year program plan focused on mental health and wellness initiatives
• Work with CoS and Senior Program Directors to devise a workflow that ensures deliverables are met according to the awarded grant and initial project plan; modify workflow and project plan accordingly across the term of the grant
• Liaise between Center Leaders and program staff to ensure project plans are implemented 
• Assist in finding and subsequently coordinating with community-based partners to deliver high quality programming according to the grant parameters
• Craft and submit grant updates in coordination with programs and finance teams including spend vs. budget, attendance, participation satisfaction, stories of success and areas of improvement
• Help lead the Wellness Committee at CYC
• Develop promotion and publicity plans for wellness programs throughout the organization 

Growth Campaign Coordination (10%)

• Work with CYC’s campaign consultants to coordinate activities, schedule meetings, and assist with material preparations.
• Help coordinate select tours and activities with campaign donors/prospects
• Work with CoS and Senior Program Directors on community outreach for our forthcoming new Center in Calumet Heights, opening fall/winter 2022 

Special Projects (30%)

• Liaise with program and finance teams on 2-5 additional grants as assigned
• In coordination with CYC’s Grants Manager, develop a schedule of milestones/metrics/deliverables and regularly assess progress made in preparation for grant reporting
• In collaboration with CoS and Senior Program Directors, help coordinate agency-wide events such as all-staff retreats, leadership trainings, and team outings
• Provide targeted executive assistance to Chief of Staff and Executive Leadership Team (ELT)

Requirements

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

Education & Experience Requirements:

• Associate degree required; Bachelor’s degree preferred
• Minimum 1-2 years of experience in professional setting, preferably in project/program coordination, executive/administrative support, and/or grant compliance

Skills & Abilities:

• Demonstrated interpersonal and relationship management skills, collaborative mindset, diplomatic, strong verbal and written communicator
• Excellent organizational skills, including ability to create and manage complex schedules, multi-task, maintain accurate records, and prepare reports/analyses
• Demonstrated proficiency in Microsoft Office (e.g., Outlook, Word, PowerPoint, Excel)
• Strong ability to collect and analyze data and make recommendations accordingly
• Delivers high-quality work in a timely, prioritized way
• Commitment to working with diverse populations

COMPETENCIES 

Our candidate of choice will demonstrate the following competencies that will be critical for success in this role:

• Achievement Orientation: demonstrates high expectations; takes initiative; focuses upon results and uses research to inform practices; makes timely decisions and takes follow-up action; regularly evaluates solutions to challenges
• Planning and Initiative: manages projects from end to end; identifies and monitors project milestones and holds team accountable for achieving results; identifies barriers or delays and surfaces to management team as appropriate; supports departments to create implementation plans to achieve strategic priorities; compares actual progress to planned milestones and adjusts approach
• Growth Mindset: reflects on results and consistently focuses on improvement; proactively identifies and acknowledges mistakes made; demonstrates self-awareness and use of feedback to improve self and systems/standards of practice
• Communications and Team-Centricity: conveys key messages to team and internal stakeholders across variety of mediums; listens actively to verbal and nonverbal cues and identifies underlying perspectives and needs; demonstrates ability to find common ground and build rapport; works well with others and uses internal projects to build relationships and engage team
• Commitment to CYC’s Mission and Mantras: Care For Real; Attitude Matters; Push Forward; Own It

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

American with Disability Specifications 

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this position. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. While performing the duties of this position, the employee is regularly required to stand, walk, sit, use hands, reach with hands and arms, climb stairs, stoop, kneel, talk, or hear. 

Work Environment 

The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this position. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is exposed to weather conditions prevalent at the time. The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate. 

The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work to be performed by the person assigned to this position. This description does not state or imply that the above are the only duties and responsibilities assigned to this position. All job requirements are subject to possible modification.