Job Number:

Posting Date

Primary Location

Estimated Annual Salary Range

Overtime Status

Final salary offers are dependent upon candidate qualifications.

Chicago Public Schools (CPS) is one of the largest school districts in the United States, serving over 320,000 students in 600+ schools and employing approximately 40,000 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.

Under the Office of Career and College Success (OCCS), the Department of Early College and Career Education (ECCE) maintains the goal of enhancing student preparation for college and career success, as evidenced by increasing graduation rates, college enrollment rates, employment rates, and earning levels of CPS students. An excellent candidate to join the ECCE team will work with internal and external agencies for the purpose of providing CPS students with a range of work-based learning (WBL) opportunities that will guide them in making meaningful decisions about their futures.

Job Summary: 

Reporting to the Director of Work-Based Learning, theLead Work-Based Learning Partnership Specialistwill be responsible for recruiting, maintaining, and celebrating the business and industry partners that work with students in the Department of Work-Based Learning.  The person in this position will design the recruitment campaigns for new partners that align to student interests and labor market needs, ensure that partners adhere to best practices when supporting students, and recognize partners for their work with CPS students.  

The Lead Work-Based Learning Partnership Specialist will be held accountable for the following responsibilities:

• Maintain strong relationships with existing partners, respond to intake requests from potential partners to shape work-based learning opportunities for students, and develop sources for new partnerships.
• Manage the effort to expand work-based learning opportunities to students in Chicago Public Schools’ elementary, middle, and high schools, with a focus of equity and serving underrepresented, underserved student populations. 
• Research, find, and recruit new industry and non-profit partners to provide work-based learning opportunities to all students.
• Vet and monitor partners’ volunteer status per CPS policy.
• Train partners on best practices on how to support students through a work-based learning experience.
• Manage the recruitment of industry advisory board members.
• Support data collection on outputs related to partnership activity.
• Adhere to guidelines and policies established for child labor practices and CPS risk management procedures.

In order to be successful and achieve the above responsibilities, the Lead Work-Based Learning Partnership Specialist  must possess the following qualifications:

Education Required:

• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university
  • Concentration in education, human resources, business, or related fields preferred

Experience Required:

• Minimum of  (5) five years of professional experience in workforce development, sales, marketing, fundraising, and community outreach.
  • Minimum of  (3) three years of supervisory experience

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities: 

• Ability to assess needs and create opportunities that benefit students and meet partner needs
• Project planning capabilities, including the ability to establish long-term vision and goals, and experience aligning and managing activities toward the execution of identified goals
• Ability to build trusting relationships and function effectively in various environments
• Self-starter with the ability to conduct multiple projects concurrently, both independently and as a member of a collaborative team
• Effective strategic solutions-oriented approach to problem-solving
• Exceptional written, verbal, organizational, and technology skills
• A track record of success as demonstrated by superior academic and professional achievement
• Experience using Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software such as Salesforce, SAP AG, Oracle, or Microsoft Dynamics CRM.
• Comfort navigating a cloud-based Customer Relationship Management tool to keep track of professional connections and opportunities
• Comfort in exporting and manipulating .CSV files containing directory information
• Experience leveraging Project Management software to progress monitor and communicate changes in scope, timeline, or strategy
• Some knowledge of career and technical education including employment trends and/or educational best practices
• Excellent planning and organizational skills

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.
• Be Fully Vaccinated Against COVID-19 -Unless approved for a medical or religious exemption, all employees are required to be up-to-date on COVID-19 vaccinations, including boosters, and to submit proof of vaccination to the district within 30 days of hire. “Up-to-date” on vaccination is defined as being at least two weeks past all primary vaccine doses and any applicable boosters.