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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 nearly 36,000 people. 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.
The Office of Safety and Security serves as the critical department to partner with school principals and other CPS staff members to ensure that all schools strive towards the goal of establishing a safe environment for our students.
Job Summary:
Reporting to the Director of Safety Operations, the Lead Safety & Security Manager of Strategic Safety Initiatives will oversee a portfolio of initiatives coordinated to implement a review and development of school safety strategies and policies related to the relationships between CPS and other City Agencies, particularly, the Chicago Police Department. This role seeks to continuously improve the synergies between these organizations both with those outside of the district as well with other departments within CPS. Using data-driven analyses, this role will make recommendations to the Chief of Safety and Security and CPS leadership on the future direction of the district’s safety vision. This position reports to the Director of Safety Operations & Programs.
The Lead Safety & Security Manager will be held accountable for the following responsibilities:
Facilitate stakeholder meetings with school communities to foster relationship-building and collaboration in order to develop and promote safety strategies and policies that best serve our students.
Lead the district’s Whole School Safety Process implementation including policy development and continuous improvement efforts based on data and stakeholder feedback.
Identify improvements in how we authentically support young people including the design and implementation of equitable safety policies and best practices
Facilitate strategy and planning meetings with key stakeholders to execute major milestones and deliverables associated with the implementation of key Safety Initiatives and policies.
Participate in continuous improvement and data-driven decision-making processes to assess the efficacy of our strategies and policies.
Design and update policies related to the district’s safety vision.
Define the project scopes and overall goal(s) of assigned projects including the specific objectives, key stakeholders and their responsibilities, and any significant constraints.
Create and execute project work plans and revise as appropriate to meet changing needs and requirements.
Organize an infrastructure to efficiently and effectively execute plans to achieve project goals and objectives including methods of data collection and status reports.
Initiate and manage multiple projects in parallel and with multiple dependencies; Build strong project teams across multiple CPS departments.
Produce project reports, communications, presentations, and performance metrics for multiple audiences and levels within the organization.
Lead project timelines and ensure milestones are successfully met through oversight of projects and coordination of resources; Ensure that project objectives are met.
Identify the necessary project resources and assign individual responsibilities.
Interface with the CPS External Research Team to ensure that data shared externally is compliant with existing statement(s) of work, as well as applicable laws (Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), Illinois School Student Records Act (ISSRA), Student Online Personal Protection Act (SOPPA)).
Present updates to the Board of Education and CPS Senior Leadership Executives.
Manage stakeholders and stakeholder expectations; Provide regular communication to stakeholders regarding the status, risk, and issues associated with each project component.
Engage cross-departmental stakeholders in decision-making; Provide excellent, collaborative service and support to internal and external clients.
Effectively manage vendor relationships in accordance with CPS and department strategies and directives.
Perform related duties as required.
In order to be successful and achieve the above responsibilities, the Lead Safety & Security Manager must possess the following qualifications:
Education Required:
Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university is required; Education, measurement, psychology, social science, public policy, economics, or a related field, is preferred
Master’s degree preferred
Project Management Professional (PMP) Certification preferred
Experience Required:
Minimum of five (5) years of professional work experience involving school safety programming, juvenile justice programming, violence prevention work, or similar work experience, managing the implementation of projects or programs requiring cross-functional collaboration from development through implementation and successful completion
Minimum of two (2) years of supervisory experience leading a team of direct reports
Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:
Ability to track, plan/forecast and manage complex budgets
Exceptional project management, time management, and strategic planning capabilities, including the ability to establish long-term vision and goals, align and manage activities to drive cross-functional success, and meet/exceed desired outcomes on schedule
Self-starter with high levels of attention to detail; capable of conducting multiple projects concurrently, both independently and as a member of a collaborative team
Ability to build collaborative relationships with a variety of constituent groups, including internal and external partners, to ensure the entire system operates in the most effective manner possible to support department success
Superior analytic and critical thinking skills, including a strong ability to analyze data, define problems and outline valid conclusions and action steps
Exceptional organizational, communication (oral and written), and problem-solving skills
Able to lead independently under general guidance and as part of a team
Ability to establish priorities and manage multiple activities while meeting established deadlines
Ability to work in a cross-functional team with technical and non-technical personnel across multiple departments
Strong leadership and team-building skills, i.e., the ability to develop high-performing teams united around a clear vision for serving schools and achieving student success
Possess a high level of professionalism and responsiveness at all times across professional interactions
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.
