Communities In Schools (CIS) of Chicago is a nonprofit organization dedicated to working in partnership with Chicago Public Schools (CPS) and community organizations to help students stay in school and be successful. During the 2024-2025 school year, CIS of Chicago will partner with 240 Chicago public schools and will connect services and programs to more than 75,000 CPS students and their families by leveraging community partner programs and services. In addition, CIS of Chicago is implementing our Intensive Program— at 30+ Chicago public schools we have placed a full time Student Supports Manager. Staff in these schools provide intervention services to a caseload of students who are at risk of dropping out, as well as connect support services to the whole school.
CIS of Chicago was founded in
1988, and is an affiliate of Communities In Schools, Inc., a national nonprofit
organization with offices across the country, reaching more than 1.6M students
annually.
The mission of Communities In Schools of Chicago is to surround students with a community of support, empowering them to stay in school and achieve in life. The vision of CIS of Chicago is to ensure that every public-school student in Chicago graduates from high school prepared to succeed. The organization’s core values are Impact, Integrity, Relationships, and Social Justice.
The School Partnership Specialist is a “relationship builder” and an
integral part of the organization’s Partnership Team, a group of professionals
who manage our school partnerships and relationships, and others that manage
the partnerships of more than 200 agencies, institutions, and individuals that
provide services mainly in the areas of the arts, college and career readiness,
physical health, and behavioral and mental health. Together, members of the
School Partnership Team work closely with school personnel to meet the unique
needs of each school community, execute a partner training series, monitor the
quality of community partner programming, and play supporting roles in a
variety of other organizational projects as needed in addition to working to
make meaningful school and community partner connections.
By focusing on building
relationships with school personnel and connecting schools to programs,
services, and basic needs items, the School Partnership Specialist ensures that
all CIS of Chicago partner schools have the resources they need to provide their
students with meaningful, relevant, and high-quality opportunities. They are
responsible for maintaining a portfolio of school partners, which includes
regular communication, data collection, school visits, and most importantly,
relationship management.
CIS of Chicago seeks a highly
motivated and skilled professional for this role. The preferred candidate will
have strong written and oral communication skills, experience working with or
in urban school districts, and an understanding of quality teaching and program
delivery practices.
RESPONSIBILITIES:
Manage School Partners:
•
Build positive and productive relationships with
school personnel including each school’s leadership and administration
•
Develop and implement strategies for creating
partnerships between schools and our network of community partners
•
Actively refer available student-focused
programs and services to key liaisons at 30-35 of Chicago’s public schools
•
Follow-up on these referrals regularly to ensure
that connections are being made or that alternative services are being referred
to meet need; and solicit feedback as to the efficacy of the connected
programs
•
Train and provide ongoing assistance to key
liaisons at 30-35 Chicago public schools related to needs assessments, program
evaluation, partner appreciation, and building awareness about CIS of Chicago
•
Research and identify potential service
providers to meet key needs of all schools in the CIS of Chicago network, plus
guide the initial stages of those partnerships
Data Management:
•
Collect and analyze data related to school
partner program connections and monitor school/ agency partnerships to improve
our support of schools and increase program connections
•
Maintain detailed reports of school and agency
partnerships for the portfolio of schools
•
Complete required monthly, quarterly, and annual
reporting Trainings:
•
Help plan and facilitate trainings and
networking events (ACTIVATE series) for school and agency partners to build and
deepen partner capacity and collaboration
•
Identify credentialed speakers, work with team
members to assign roles and responsibilities, and create evaluation and
feedback pathways Other Duties:
•
Represent CIS of Chicago in relevant community
or coalition groups
•
Support the work of the Partnership Team with
positive and innovative solutions to challenges
•
Assist with other organizational projects, as
needed
DESIRED
SKILLS AND ATTRIBUTES:
•
Adept at cultivating meaningful partnerships
while setting clear expectations and achieving organizational outcomes
•
Enthusiasm for and understanding of
mission-driven work
•
Ability to work both collaboratively and
independently
•
Flexible and capable of working in a fast-paced
environment
•
Strong computer skills, including familiarity
with Microsoft Office suite, video conferencing technology, as well as database
experience
•
Skilled at multi-tasking and meeting multiple
deadlines concurrently
•
Persuasive, appropriately assertive, and
empathic in professional communication
•
Solution-orientation and ability to
problem-solve
•
Strong written and oral communication
•
Excellence in communicating with diverse
audiences
•
Detail-orientation and commitment to follow-up
and follow-through
•
Awareness of and sensitivity to the needs of
urban public school environments
QUALIFICATIONS:
•
Bachelor’s degree
•
Minimum of two years of relevant work experience
•
Experience working with urban public schools
strongly preferred
•
Customer support experience a plus
•
A criminal background check through Chicago
Public Schools and verification of employment and degrees is required; name
must not appear on the CPS’ Do Not hire list
•
Daily driving is a significant portion of this
position; applicants must have a valid driver’s license, applicable insurance,
and daily access to a reliable vehicle
REPORTS
TO:
Associate Director of School
Partnerships SCHEDULE:
This is a full-time, year-round
position and follows CIS of Chicago’s holiday and vacation time calendar and
corresponding policies (versus that of CPS).
WORK
ENVIRONMENT:
Currently our work environment
is hybrid, which may be adjusted at the discretion of the CIS of Chicago
leadership. Candidates must be available to work in person at our West Loop
location 1-2 days per week, with remote work and meetings throughout the city
on the remaining days.
SALARY
AND BENEFITS INFORMATION:
The salary range for this role
is $48,000-$50,000 per year. See https://www.cisofchicago.org/join-our-team/ for additional benefits
information.