Project Manager, Office of Teaching & Learning

Chicago Public Schools (CPS) is one of the largest school districts in the United States, serving over 330,000 students in 600+ schools and employing nearly 36,000 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.

The Office of Teaching and Learning (T&L) provides school administrators and teachers with the professional learning and resources needed to engage students in rich and rewarding learning experiences.

The Office of T&L comprises various academic and support departments, which work collaboratively to support students’ growth and progress in meeting or exceeding state standards for academic excellence.

Located within the Office of Teaching & Learning, the Department of Curriculum, Instruction and Digital Learning (CIDL) is implementing the Curriculum Equity Initiative (CEI) : a portfolio of projects coordinated to design and implement a comprehensive support system for teachers with Skyline the district’s first digital PK-12, standards-aligned, culturally responsive curriculum at its core.

Once implemented, this digital curriculum will provide CPS students and teachers with access to high-quality, engaging, and culturally-responsive learning materials, and CIDL’s charge is to continuously improve the curriculum and create sustainable connections to university, community, municipal, cultural and contractual partners.

Job Summary :

The Project Manager position is supported by a research grant from the Institute for Education Sciences (IES) in collaboration with the University of Chicago that is funded through fall 2025.

The grant project examines the ongoing implementation of Skyline and gathers information regarding improvements in the quality of instruction, student engagement and student literacy achievement outcomes, especially for students whose learning was most disrupted by the shift to remote learning during the pandemic, including Black and Latinx students in the communities with the highest economic hardship, English learners, and students who begin kindergarten with the fewest literacy skills.

The Project Manager will serve as the primary point of contact for day-to-day operations of the IES Grant project, as well as other assigned projects in T&L, ensuring stakeholder deliverables are met.

The Project Manager will report to the Director of Business Operations in T&L.

The Project Manager will be held accountable for the following responsibilities :

• 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 the plan 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;

contribute to quarterly reporting to IES

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 resources needed and assign individual responsibilities
• Collaborate internally with various departments to ensure project deliverables are achieved in a timely fashion
• Collaborate externally with UChicago and other entities as required to contribute to overall planning, project management, and strategic direction for the research project
• Interface with the CPS External Research Team to ensure that data shared externally are compliant with existing statement(s) of work, as well as applicable laws (FERPA, ISSRA, SOPPA)
• 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
• Lead regular project team meetings, and represent the project team at national meetings of teams in the IES project network as required
• Other duties as assigned

In order to be successful and achieve the above responsibilities, the Project Manager must possess the following qualifications :

Education Required :

• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university is required; focus in 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 relevant professional experience managing complex, large-scale implementation projects or programs requiring significant cross-functional collaboration from development through implementation and successful completion
• One or more years of experience with education research, student assessment and / or literacy, strongly preferred
• Experience in a management position leading a team of direct reports, preferred

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, verbal and written communication, and problem-solving skills
• Capable of to leading work independently under general guidance and as a collaborative member 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 from a variety of 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
• Capable of adhering to a high level of professionalism 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.