Chief of Staff to the Board of Education
Job Number: 2500009I
Posting Date: Feb 26, 2025, 4:41:16 PM
Primary Location: Central-42 West Madison Street (Board of Trustees)
CPS Non-Union Job Grade: S13
Position Type: Non-Union Position
Overtime Status: Exempt
JOB DESCRIPTION
Chicago Public Schools (CPS) is one of the largest school districts in the United States, serving 320,000 students in 500+ schools and employing more than 44,000 people, more than half of them teachers. While we have made progress toward providing a high-quality public education for every child in every neighborhood, we continue to face long-standing challenges and opportunity gaps. If we want our system to make bold and transformational changes in our students’ lives, then we have to make bold and transformational changes to our system. We believe every student deserves a rigorous, joyful, and equitable learning experience. Our targeted priorities are designed to ensure that all students receive the opportunities and resources that meet their unique needs and aspirations, prioritizing those most harmed by the past.
The Chicago Board of Education (BOE), founded in 1840, is responsible for the governance, organizational and financial oversight of CPS. It establishes policies, standards, goals and initiatives to ensure accountability and provide a high-quality, world-class education. The board has transitioned to a new hybrid governing model that includes 11 appointed and 10 elected Board members. The Board’s goal is to break the cycles of inequity while keeping CPS students, families, staff, and our many stakeholders at the core of every Board action and discussion. The Board works with CPS administration, staff, stakeholders, and constituents to ensure achievement of the shared vision outlined in the CPS Five-Year Strategic Plan. This is and will continue to be the North Star to help guide the District and the Board.
Job Summary: Reporting to the President of the Board of Education, the Chief of Staff to the Board of Education will serve as a strategic adviser, management leader, and thought partner to all Board Members and will represent the Board in absentia, serving as a liaison and trusted advisor to CPS, city leaders, and external agencies and partners. This is a full-time, exempt position that will be paid for time worked on a salary basis.
The Chief of Staff to the Board of Education will be held accountable for the following responsibilities:
1. Serve as a strategic partner to support Board Members in their oversight and management of CPS, including, but not limited to:
- Increasing Board member capacity by deepening their understanding of the educational space and key CPS issues
- Acting as the primary liaison between Board Members, CPS management, and the Mayor’s Office, ensuring a closed feedback loop and creating a no-surprise environment for Board Members, CPS, and City Hall
- Developing a transition plan and appropriate tools to prepare for and support a fully elected school board, formalizing existing procedures and creating new processes and procedures to facilitate the transition to a 21-member board and maintain effective operations, and
- Managing the onboarding and offboarding of new Board members
2. Oversee the ongoing operations of the Board Office, including but not limited to:
- Developing and managing the Board Office budget, including contracting
- Managing Board Office communications
- Directly managing the day-to-day operations of the board office, including the monthly production cycle of board meeting materials, ensuring compliance with all applicable regulations, setting board meeting agendas, and facilitating board meetings as needed
3. Lead, develop, and manage the performance of the Board Office staff, including but not limited to:
- Leading a creative, innovative, and high-functioning team; delegating and leveraging the team effectively to drive impactful results and achieve ambitious goals.
- Supporting the professional development of team members and maximizing opportunities for every team member to take thoughtful risks and find innovative solutions in service of CPS students and families.
4. Represent the BOE in front of varied internal and external partners regarding district programs, projects, and policies and build effective, productive relationships with stakeholders
5. Initiates, builds, and manages coalitions and cohesive partnerships with internal and external stakeholders including governmental agencies and community partners.
6. Assist management in the preparation of briefing materials to address board member questions and concerns, and manage information flow to ensure Board members have equal information and everything needed to vote on agenda items
7. Other duties and workstreams as assigned
In order to be successful and achieve the above responsibilities, the Chief of Staff to the Board of Education must possess the following qualifications:
Education Required:
- Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university
- Master’s degree preferred
Experience Required:
- Minimum of ten (10) years of strategic senior leadership experience in a large, fast-paced and high-functioning organization required; Urban school district or public sector experience preferred
- Minimum of five (5) years of experience advising senior leadership in organizational operations
- Minimum of five (5) years of supervisory experience managing a cross-functional team
- Minimum of five (5) years of experience successfully leading and managing complex cross-functional projects with effective team management
Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:
- Ability to build consensus among diverse stakeholders to lead and drive change, including influencing and motivating others toward a common goal.
- Ability to navigate political structures, relationships, and dynamics to improve results and amplify access for all students.
- Ability to prepare the President, CEO, and other District leaders for effective decision-making conversations, anticipating and organizing key questions and data that support productive discussions to direct key implementation priorities.
- Is fearless in the face of conflict; keeps composure when conversations are challenging and decisions are unpopular.
- Maintains a keen awareness of the interests and motivations of others, and acts with integrity in a politically-charged environment.
- Demonstrates excellent execution and leadership skills and the ability to successfully lead team members in balancing multiple high-priority, high-profile projects.
- Models integrity through actions and communications; upholds principles and values despite risks.
- Exhibits exceptional critical-thinking skills and experience in leading data-driven practices at a systems level, including the ability to analyze data, identify trends, pinpoint problems and root causes, ask probing questions, set goals, track resources, and develop innovative solutions.
- Possesses a deep understanding of systems level operations, management, and organizational design and uses this knowledge to deliver upon desired outcomes districtwide.
- Pursues and implements innovative ideas and methods. Committed to seeking out and sharing current research and evidence-based best practices.
Conditions of Employment:
As a condition of employment with the Chicago Public Schools (CPS), employees are required to:
Establish/Maintain Chicago Residency - Employees are required to live within the geographic boundaries of the City of Chicago within six months of their CPS hire date and maintain residency throughout their employment with the district. The Chicago residency requirement does not apply to temporary/part-time positions, however, all CPS employees must be residents of Illinois.
This position was originally posted by Chicago Public Schools and has been curated by PurposePhil Career. To apply, please visit the original listing on the "apply" link below. We are not affiliated with the employer organization of this job ad or consultancy, and provide this curated listing as a service to our users.
