Fundamental Needs Partnership Specialist

The Fundamental NeedsPartnership Specialistwill be responsible for cultivating partnerships with community organizations to support school communities' basic needs and for managing opportunities to provide direct support in this focus area.

The types of needs and services in this focus area include, but are not limited to:

• Personal hygiene items
• Books and school supplies
• Food
• Crisis intervention
• Emergency response funds
• Legal support
• Other related basic needs

A relationship builder with keen communication skills, this position works in close collaboration within programs and across departments to understand school community needs and to leverage opportunities and logistics of direct service opportunities.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Community Partnership Management:

• Manage an existing and growing portfolio of community partners; cultivate relationships with established CIS of Chicago partners; and, using school needs as a driver, proactively develop new partnerships to address key needs of the CIS of Chicago school network

Supplies Management:

• Work closely with key Program staff to discern what, if any, donated items will be accepted, in what capacity, and how they will be utilized
• Ensure all donated items are accompanied by a vetted resource or program opportunity
• Manage and organize basic needs items; including sorting and categorizing various items
• Coordinate logistics of scheduling and receiving deliveries, inclusive of pickups and dropoffs and work closely with the School Partnership Team to ensure school communication is clear and actionable

Impact Management:

• Track data related to service and program connections, including the number of items distributed to school communities and number of families served
• Connect 10,000-15,000+ families to resources in this focus area
• Report trends, track impact stories, and regularly analyze data related to this focus area
• Lead the growth of this stream of work informing best practices and direction of ways to best serve a growing number of CIS of Chicago partner school communities

Team Participation:

• Work with the team to plan and facilitate training and networking events for community partners to build and deepen capacity; identify and vet presenters, assign roles and responsibilities, and create evaluation and feedback pathways
• Attend regular program team planning sessions, individual supervision, and all-staff meetings; adhere to program operational procedures
• Perform other related duties that may be assigned from time to time

DESIRED SKILLS AND ATTRIBUTES

• Understanding of and commitment to the mission of Communities In Schools
• Knowledge and understanding of common challenges related to supporting school communities and families to meet their most Fundamental Needs
• Knowledge of, or willing to and capable of quickly learning CPS policies for serving students
• Ability to manage workload and be part of a supportive, collaborative team
• Ability to utilize appropriate leadership skills to drive this focus area forward
• Ability to communicate professionally with diverse audiences
• Strong verbal and written communication skills
• Flexible and capable of working in a fast-paced environment, sometimes needing to turn work around quickly
• Attention to detail; excellent follow through
• Ability to prioritize and multitask; performs well to deadlines

QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor's degree with at least three years of relevant work experience
• Strong writing, organization and communication skills
• Experience working with urban public schools and community organizations
• Required to clear the CPS Background Check process including criminal background check and eligibility to work in CPS buildings with students
• Must have reliable daily access to a vehicle plus a valid driver's license and proof of insurance
• Must have reliable access to remote workspace with internet connection
• Must be able and willing to lift and move supplies up to 40 pounds, as needed

See full job description for details and organizational information.