Talent Development Specialist

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.
Located within the Talent Office, the Talent Development Team acts as an employee's compass to career success with CPS. By offering a robust set of professional and leadership development opportunities through Lead with CPS, this team carries out the district's commitment to developing high-quality, prepared, diverse leaders who are set up for long-term career success.
Position Summary:
Reporting to the Talent Development Manager, the Talent Development Specialist will be responsible for providing creative logistical and analytical support for CPS' talent management and leadership development programs (LDPs). The Talent Development Specialist will work closely with the Talent Development Manager to develop, design, and deliver innovative and sustainable talent management and leadership development initiatives for school-based and central office staff. This role will focus on everything from organizing content and curriculum, managing training schedules and booking trainers to assessing team-specific training needs and evaluating training solutions. This position will also support company-wide DEI efforts and initiatives.
The Talent Development Specialist will be held accountable for the followingresponsibilities:

• Use the ADDIE methodology and adult learning theories of practices to design, develop, and implement innovative and meaningful development programs and learning solutions for the district.
• Identify and measure key metrics to evaluate the effectiveness of talent management learning solutions and programming.
• Analyze evaluation data to recommend future course offerings and scope.
• Collect and summarize feedback from trainers and trainees after each educational session, and use this feedback to recommend and implement improvements.
• Analyze participant data to understand learner competency strengths and gaps.
• Manage the rollout of cohort experiences, maintain participation logs and program evaluation feedback
• Identify tools and resources (case studies, assessments, simulations, etc.) to create engaging learning experiences. Make best practice recommendations on which tool to use based on thorough research and analysis.
• Support and participate in the design, logistics, administration, and execution of leadership training experiences designed to prepare staff for future leadership roles and/or maximize their current leadership capacities.
• Review, edit and/or create draft content for use in promoting talent office events and initiatives; collaborate with CPS Marketing team to finalize communications for distribution to staff. .
• Collaborate with subject matter experts to develop facilitator materials, rubrics, and other teaching tools.
• Create, implement, and facilitate learning programs that support the professional development of Central Office and City-Wide staff members.
• Maintain the Lead with CPS website and support all training, learning, and development efforts sponsored by the Talent Development department.
• Organize and execute talent management and LDP events and training, material production and distribution, and other resources to ensure that operations are managed at a high level and within authorized budgets.
• Work collaboratively to onboard and support vendors and internal or externa instructors for both in-house and outsourced training.
• Collaborate with talent office leadership to support talent management initiatives
• Identify, recommend, and implement operational improvements to streamline internal HR processes and increase efficiency
• Perform additional duties as assigned

In order to be successful and achieve the above responsibilities, the Talent Development Specialist must possess the following qualifications:
Education Required:

• Bachelor's Degree from an accredited college or university in Business, Human Resources, Organizational Development, Organizational Psychology or a related field is required
• HR Certification: PHR/SPHR or SHRM-CP/SHRM-SCP preferred

Experience Required:

• Minimum of five (5) years of experience in human resources and/or training development in a fast-paced environment, including the following, is required:
• Experience designing and implementing professional development learning experiences
• Defining and tracking quantified success metrics
• Experience planning and executing high-level events for senior leadership
• Experience in program and/or project management; proven ability to own tasks from ideation to execution and evaluation

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• Strong organizational skills and attention to detail
• Exceptional interpersonal, verbal and written communication skills, including proficiency in business writing
• Project management skills and expertise across medium- to large-scale projects
• Strong organizational, problem-solving, critical thinking, and interpersonal skills
• Independent, results-driven self-starter capable of demonstrating initiative and producing high-quality work
• Strong problem solving, critical and analytical thinking skills; ability to define problems, analyze data, and outline valid conclusions and action steps rooted in continuous improvement
• Commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusivity, and ability to work with diverse populations
• Ability to build effective, collaborative relationships with a variety of constituent groups, including external partners
• Capable of success in a fast-paced work environment, including the ability to remain flexible and adapt to changing priorities
• Software Proficiency: Microsoft (Word, Excel, PowerPoint), Articulate Storyline

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.