Grants & Innovation Coordinator - Early College and Career Education

Chicago Public Schools (CPS) is the third largest school district in the United States, serving over 360,000 students at 600+ schools. CPS employs over 34,000 people, more than half of whom are teachers, and has set ambitious goals to ensure that every childin every school and every neighborhoodhas access to a world-class learning experience, resulting in graduation from high school college- and career-ready. And CPS students are making incredible progress. Recently, CPS announced a record-high graduation rate of 77.5% and boasts some of the fastest learning growth in the nation among large cities.

Purpose or Summary Statement of Primary Duties and Responsibilities of Position

Reporting to the Career and Technical Education (CTE) EFE Systems Manager, the Grants & Innovation Coordinator will be responsible for a range of grant roles to support the successful development and operation of all Career and Technical Education programs. Through partnership with a broad range of CTE team members, Principals, Teachers, School based personnel, and CPS departments including but not limited to Procurement, Facilities, Office of Budget and Grants Management, as well as a number of CPS vendors, this individual will support CTE students by ensuring that all CTE grants are applied for and monies spent within the grant timeframe and infrastructure. The Grants & Innovation Coordinator will collaborate with CTE team members to ensure that all viable grants are applied for and implemented in a timely manner as well as preparing a necessary documentation for reporting purposes per grant. The CTE Grants & Innovation Coordinator will follow a systematic approach to ensuring that all grant requirements are met and conducted within the grant timeline.

This Coordinator will also oversee all operational aspects of applying for grants per CPS standards by partnering with CTE team members, school staff, CPS Business and Grant Management, CTE Business Operations Manager, and CTE EFE Systems Manager. In addition, the CTE Grants & Innovation Coordinator will train all stakeholders to provide documentation as required per grant quarterly reporting, technical assistance visits, and all audits (ie: fiscal and operational) to ensure an expedient resolution to issues as they occur, such that classroom instruction does not get disrupted. Finally, this individual will oversee the process for CTE teacher candidate workshops, participate in developing and leading professional development as it relates to this job description, create and maintain a grant FAQ document to provide schools and provide additional technical, grant, and strategic support to senior ECCE/CTE department personnel and various stakeholders as needed.

Major Duties and Responsibilities:

1. Research and identify grant opportunities based on funding amount needed, location, and organization project
   
   
2. Track and create a calendar of grant opportunities - including deadline dates, required materials, etc
   
   
3. Assist EFE Manager and Business Operations Manager with completing and submitting grant applications to secure funding
   
   
4. Successfully understand and communicate mission and vision of district applying for the grant
   
   
5. Maintain chart of grant applications: including grants applied to, status of application, grant deadline
   
   
6. Communicate with schools, CPS Business and Grant Management department, if needed, to confirm a school is applicable to apply for funding
   
   
7. Identify all requirements of grant to ensure all necessary attachments are submitted on time, including but not limited to quarterly reporting, audits, technical assistance visits, etc.
   
   
8. Coordinate cross-functional stakeholders including Principals, Teachers, CTE team members, and various CPS departments (e.g., ODLSS, CFF, and I&I) to consult on grant applications for Perkins and CTEI funding.
   
   
9. Prioritize grants to apply for (based on size of grant and time funding is released)
   
   
10. Create and update grant FAQ document to provide schools applying for their own competitive grants.
    
    
11. Build capacity at school level around executing grant metrics.
    
    
12. Conducts and/or coordinates district professional development activities throughout the school year for school-based staff.
    
    
13. Oversees the training of CTE teacher candidates and the implementation of the district CTE hiring workshops
    
    
14. Assists in the preparation of State and district documents relating to professional development activities
    
    
15. Partner with EFE Manager, CTE Business Opps Manager, CTE Cluster Managers, CTE teachers and Procurement Department to establish strategic source vendors for CTE programs.
    
    
16. Performing any other activity as designated by the EFE Manager, and fill in for the Manager as required.
    
    

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

1. Project planning and implementation capabilities, including experience aligning and managing activities toward execution of identified goals.
   
   
2. Self-starter with ability to conduct multiple projects concurrently, both independently and as a member of a collaborative team.
   
   
3. Outstanding problem-solving and analytical skills, with student centered and a 'can-do,' solutions-oriented approach to problem solving.
   
   
4. Ability to build trusting relationships and collaborate effectively both at the school level and with senior level central office personnel (e.g., Talent, Grants, HR, etc.); able to unite teams around a clear vision for serving schools and achieving student success.
   
   
5. Experience with grant writing; familiarity with CPS grant writing procedures a plus.
   
   
6. Exceptional written and verbal communication skills.
   
   
7. Strong organization and technology skills (e.g., familiarity with Microsoft Office programs, especially Excel).
   
   
8. Strong customer service orientation (e.g., CTE staff, students and school based staff)
   
   
9. Ability to work in a faced paced and high energy environment.
   
   
10. A track record of success as demonstrated by superior academic and professional achievement.
    
    
11. Ability to manage rejection and overcome common proposal objections Strong interpersonal and presentation skills required
    
    
12. Experience with sourcing opportunities, cold-calling, contact development, and business relationship management
    
    

Type of Education Required: BA/BS in education, communication, marketing or related field from an accredited college or university is required. Master's degree preferred.

Type of Experience and Number of Years: Five or more years of professional experience. Significant project management experience, i.e., experience successfully managing large scale, inter-departmental projects without direct authority. Must have experience with grant writing. Knowledge of career and technical education and/or Perkins grant guidelines a plus but not required. Administrator's license a plus but not required.

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.