Special Education Teacher Recruiting Specialist

Chicago Public Schools (CPS) has established ambitious goals to ensure that every child in every school and every neighborhood has access to a world-class learning experience, resulting in graduation from high school college- and career-ready. The Talent Acquisition Team supports this vision through a wide variety of recruitment projects, initiatives and activities that focus on the identification of top talent for CPS' central office and more than 500 Pre-K-12 district-managed schools.

In the long term, our team is focused on...

Achieving a 98% staffing rate on the first day of school by cultivating, maintaining, and growing a network of contacts to help identify qualified candidates including optimizing field experience and student teaching for more than 1,000 students majoring in education annually. Growing a districtwide teacher diversity strategy that incorporates both short- and long-term steps to help our workforce more closely reflect our student population. Minimizing the number of school-based Special Education teacher vacancies to ensure all Diverse Learners have the necessary supports and instructional minutes outlined in their IEPs.

Specifically, our Special Education Recruiting Specialist will...

• Design, develop and implement strategic programs focused on recruiting Special Education teachers, including those credentialed as Low Vision/Blindness, Deaf/Hard of Hearing and Learning Behavior Specialists.

• Collaborate with school leaders and university partners to identify current staff interested in earning Special Education licensure, support staff in earning the credentials, and facilitate transfers for existing teachers into high-needs roles.
• Partner with universities nationwide to source and screen licensure candidates, maximizing the number of special education student teachers to 150+ and convert 80% of those candidates to new CPS teachers annually.

As part of the larger Talent Acquisition team, all Recruiting Specialists...

Proactively utilize sourcing techniques (including direct sourcing, internet data mining, search engines, networking, university and organization partnerships, employee referrals and other recruiting tactics) that attract candidates in order ensure teacher staffing levels of 98% or better. Lead the full life cycle recruitment processes such as job posting, screening, in-person interviewing, connecting hiring managers with candidates, and supporting hiring and staffing year round, with a special emphasis on early hiring (spring/summer). Personally introduce candidates to CPS through classroom visits, school tours, and recruitment events (including career fairs) to engage more candidates in our hiring pipelines; flexibility for evening, weekend, and overnight recruiting trips required. Support team initiatives to maximize effectiveness of multiple new programs in the Talent Office.

Key Competencies...

Adaptability - you are comfortable working in a fast-paced environment that includes multi-tasking, managing a diversity of business initiatives, and quickly changing gears to focus on evolving business priorities. High Work Standards - you pay close attention to the details, accuracy and completeness of your work, show concern for all aspects of the job, and follow up on work outputs. Strong Relationship Building - you are adept at building relationships with diverse candidates and stakeholders, honestly dismantling biases and addressing areas of inequity in a way that continues to drive investment.

Qualifications...

Bachelor's degree from an accredited college Previous teaching experience with current Illinois license (LBS1 endorsement preferred) Working knowledge of current Illinois licensure and subsequent endorsements process Experience in teacher hiring/selection as part of a school-based hiring team

Residency Expectation...

As a condition of employment with the Chicago Public Schools (CPS), an employee must be an actual resident of the City of Chicago or become a resident within six months of the date of his/her employment with Chicago Public Schools.