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Project Manager, Early Childhood

Employer
Chicago Public Schools - CPS
Location
Chicago, IL, US
Salary
Competitive

Job Details

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.

CPS is currently in the final phase of our plan to implement Universal Pre-K (UPK), a vision to ensure every four-year-old in the City of Chicago has access to a high-quality, publicly funded, full-day preschool program that prepares them for kindergarten and is the entry point to an aligned Pre-K-12 public school system. As UPK becomes a reality, the Office of Early Childhood Education is committed to achieving full enrollment in Pre-K and K districtwide, strengthening integration across the P-2 continuum, and ensuring that all schools have the resources and support necessary to provide the highest quality early childhood education to every student.

The Project Manager for Early Childhood will be a key member of the Office of Early Childhood Education's management team and will be responsible for managing critical projects and cross-functional efforts within CPS and in close partnership with DFSS and the Mayor's Office. This position resides in the Office of Early Childhood Education and reports directly to the Deputy Chief of Early Childhood Education.

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

Project coordination and reporting:

  • Develop and manage centralized, comprehensive implementation plan for assigned projects, including completion of UPK expansion projects, annual marketing and outreach campaign, and projects related to P-2 alignment.
  • Identify and monitor project milestones across departments and working teams
  • Prepare for and lead cross-functional meetings, including weekly manager's meetings, workgroup meetings, and other meetings as assigned.
  • Track outcomes and progress for all assigned projects on common dashboards and escalate risks and issues in a timely manner to department leadership.
  • Provide written updates on all projects biweekly or as assigned. Compile data and generate status reports to project team members and leadership
  • Monitor budget expenditures related to assigned projects in partnership with the fiscal team.


Thought leadership, analytics, and communications:

  • Provide input on project workstreams and design of key deliverables, (e.g., facilities expansion, application system improvement, pre-K enrollment policies, marketing/outreach)
  • Analyze data and reports to shape implementation plans and solutions for assigned projects
  • Draft presentations, briefings, and updates to key internal and external stakeholder groups (e.g., principals, CPS leadership, City partners, funders, community leaders, etc.)
  • Coordinate with workstream leaders to get policy modifications drafted and through Board approvals as related to project work
  • Identify and implement opportunities for process improvement within OECE and in cross-department work towards OECE priorities.


External stakeholder engagement and collaboration:

  • Be a point of contact for the Mayor's Office, DFSS, and other external partners for centralized information and status on CPS's early childhood initiatives and implementation effort
  • Develop and manage external stakeholder engagement plan and communications plan
  • Facilitate the creation of early childhood external communications materials in collaboration with CPS Communications department
  • Identify and support collaboration between OECE working teams and those of external partners by participating in joint meetings


In order to be successful and achieve the above responsibilities, the Universal Pre-K Manager must possess the following:

Education and Experience:

  • Graduation from an accredited college or university with a Bachelor's degree is required; a Master's degree is preferred.
  • Minimum of two years of experience in Project Management and related fields.
  • Experience in a large organization, driving complex projects requiring significant cross-functional collaboration required.
  • Experience in public sector organizations or education is a plus, but not required.


Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

  • Exceptional large project development, implementation, and management capabilities
  • Outstanding organizational skills, time management, and ability to multi-task
  • Excellent leadership skills, including the ability to build high-performing teams, trusting relationships, and influence without direct authority
  • Experience aligning activities and people to drive cross-functional success on time and to desired outcomes
  • Excellent written and verbal communication skills; able to present information to senior audiences
  • Strong analytical and critical thinking skills; ability to analyze data, define problems and outline valid conclusions and action steps
  • High standards for performance and willingness to learn and adapt to shifting priorities
  • Experience supervising teams preferred
  • Proficiency with MS Office suite, particularly PowerPoint, Excel and Word


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 his or her CPS hire date and maintain residency throughout their employment with the district.

Company

Chicago Public Schools is truly a district on the rise. The last five years have been an unprecedented success for CPS, and during that time, our district has emerged as a beacon of what is achievable for large urban school districts across the country. Our mission is to provide a high-quality public education for every child, in every neighborhood, that prepares each for success in college, career, and civic life.

Company info
Telephone
773-553-1000
Location
42 W Madison St
Chicago
IL
60602
US

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