Project Manager

Chicago Public Schools (CPS) is the third-largest school district in the United States, serving over 340,000 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.

Job Summary:

The Project Manager performs a lead role in a) managing the implementation of midsize to large projects in support of the CPS mission, and b) managing the Portfolio Management unit's operational activities in support of the Portfolio Management unit mission. This role is key in promoting and adhering to the organization's project management methodology, including communication and management of tasks for all phases of the project lifecycle. The Project Manager also promotes visibility into the CPS portfolio of projects by consolidating current, accurate, and quality information for multiple projects.

This position resides in the Portfolio Management unit of the Information and Technology Services (ITS) / Enterprise Transformation department of Chicago Public Schools. The Project Manager reports to the manager of portfolio management.

Typical Duties/Responsibilities:

The Project Manager will be responsible for the following:

• Managing portfolio management operational activities, ensuring current, accurate, and quality project information across the portfolio
• Defining project scopes, initiating and managing midsize to large projects
• Creating and executing project work plans and revising as appropriate to meet changing needs and requirements
• Initiating and managing multiple projects in parallel and with multiple dependencies
• Producing project reports and performance metrics
• Communicating with the portfolio management manager and ITS management regarding the status of specific projects
• Identifying and managing project risks
• Using influence to eliminate bottlenecks and potential resource alignment problems
• Managing projects within standard project management methodologies to time, quality, and budget
• Identifying resources needed and assigning individual responsibilities
• Managing through all stages of the project life cycle
• Managing stakeholders and stakeholder expectations
• Building strong project teams across multiple CPS divisions
• Providing excellent service to clients (internal and external to ITS)
• Effectively managing vendor relationships in accordance to CPS and ITS strategies and directives
• Providing project status and other deliverables at each stage of the Project Management Methodology
• Demonstrating a willingness to collaborate and support the portfolio management unit and ITS peers and leadership
• Planning, directing, and implementing projects on time, within budget, and with the desired functionality
• Performing related duties as required

The Project Manager is also responsible for supporting the advancement of the portfolio management mission by:

• Supporting the Portfolio Management unit by providing a forward-looking picture of project work
• Continuously improving the project methodology
• Providing input into project management best practices
• Educating ITS staff and CPS project management stakeholders on the Project Management unit's processes and tools

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

Type of Education Required:

• Bachelor's degree required
• CAPM or PMP Certification preferred

Type of Experience Required:

• Five (5) years of related experience required
• Five (5) years of demonstrated experience in Project Management, preferred
• Four (4) years of experience in Information Technology, preferred
• Prior experience in (K-12) Education project management or program work preferred

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• Proficient in project management practices, principles, and tools
• Knowledgeable of organization and process structures
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Ability to apply process standards
• Self-motivated and willing to take initiative
• Proven ability to build positive working relationships within own team and other areas of business
• Ability to effectively communicate with customers, project and functional management to identify needs and evaluate alternative solutions
• Ability to work as a project manager on multiple simultaneous projects
• Ability to work independently towards established goals

Residency Requirement:

As a condition of employment with the Chicago Public Schools (CPS), employees are required to live within the geographic boundaries of the City of Chicago within six months of their CPS hire date and must maintain residency throughout their employment with the district.