FACE Specialist

Chicago Public Schools (CPS) is a district on the rise, serving over 300,000 students in 500+ schools and employing over 45,000 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.

Chicago Public Schools (CPS) recently launched Together We Rise, CPS’ five year strategic plan setting ambitious goals to ensure that every school community has inclusive and collaborative partnerships that will ensure every child - in every school and every neighborhood - has access to a world-class learning experience from birth, resulting in graduation from high school college- and career-ready. When schools and families support each other, students of all backgrounds and various abilities achieve at higher levels. The Office of Family and Community Engagement (FACE) works with internal and external stakeholders to empower families and communities to have an active voice in their child’s educational experience. FACE strives to co-create spaces where parent and partner voices and experiences inform successful and supported plans and initiatives by engaging impacted stakeholders along the Spectrum of Inclusive Partnerships.

Job Summary:

Reporting to the Director of Network and School Community Supports, the Family and Community Engagement (FACE) Specialist will work directly with schools, families, and communities to cultivate trusting relationships, expand local opportunities for family engagement through our Parent Universities, and connect school leaders and staff to best practices for engaging with their school community. The FACE Specialist role is an integral part of each Network’s family and community engagement infrastructure, particularly the Title I schools and their Parent Advisory Councils (PACs). Most importantly, each FACE Specialist helps advance district-wide initiatives and policies that impact our family and community stakeholders. This is a full-time, exempt position that will be paid for time worked on a salary basis.

The FACE Specialist will be held accountable for the following responsibilities:

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• Ensure Regulatory Compliance and Spending: Understand and implement federal and state law in relation to Title I, Part A Parent Involvement, and the District's Parent and Family Engagement Policy.
• Collaborate with the FACE Title I team to guide Title I school principals and Parent Advisory Councils within the assigned Network to achieve 100% Title I compliance and expenditure of Title I funds.
• Participate in mandatory Title I training and orientations facilitated by the Title I team.

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• Support and Engage Parent Advisory Councils: Attend Annual and Organizational PAC meetings at the school level, providing continuous guidance on Title I policy, governance, and parent engagement best practices.
• Facilitate Monthly Network-Wide PAC Meeting: Plan and lead monthly Title I PAC meeting to provide parents with leadership skills to help improve student academics. Proactively outreach and engage parents to attend Title 1 PAC monthly meetings at their school and Network. Partner with CPS departments and external partners to provide content-based and research-based parent workshops for parents at such meetings.

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• Aligning and Strengthening a Network-wide Parent Leader Base: Collaborate with the Office of Local School Council Relations (OLSCR) to actively recruit and retain parents to local school governing bodies, building network-wide strategies across Parent Advisory Councils, Local School Councils, Bilingual Advisory Councils, Community Action Councils, and other relevant governance and advisory groups.

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• Execute Strategic Engagement Plans: Develop and manage a network-level engagement plan that includes asset mapping, needs assessments,stakeholder database and targeted parent outreach to support school community goals.

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• Partner with School and Network Leaders: Build and maintain relationships and regular communication with Network Chiefs and principals to enhance school-level parent engagement efforts and boost student achievement.

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• Represent CPS in the Community: Co-design and actively participate in community events/festivals/meetings/workshops alongside schools, community organizations, and elected officials, that help drive student achievement forward.

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• Oversee Site Operations: Manage the day-to-day operations at assigned Parent University site and maintain ongoing communication with the PU stakeholders (Director of Programs, Network Chiefs, Principals, and community partners).

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• Deliver Need-Based Programming: Co-Develop and implement targeted programming in partnership with the FACE Programming Team. Actively engage and recruit new parents for PU Programming in addition to retaining current parent and community participants. Develop and administer stakeholder surveys to develop, promote, and implement responsive workshops and resources that drive sustained parent recruitment and retention efforts.

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Other duties as assigned (Do not edit this row) N/A

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

Education Required:

• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university.
• Master’s degree is highly preferred.

Experience Required:

• Minimum of four (4) years of experience building partnerships, stakeholder engagement, public affairs and/or crisis management required
• Minimum of one (1) year of professional work experience in a leadership role required
• Experience in building community partnerships, facilitating training, developing both high-level and parent-friendly presentations, and crisis management.
• Knowledge of or the ability to quickly learn CPS systems
• Bilingual (Spanish, Polish, Arabic, Mandarin, or Urdu) preferred

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• Ability to adhere to performance guidelines as established by senior leadership
• Ability to think broadly and translate ideas into realistic, actionable plans
• Exceptional communication skills (writing, verbal, interpersonal skills, public speaking)
• Keen analytical skills and attention to detail
• Demonstrated excellent time management skills
• Ability to manage competing priorities
• Ability to synthesize and apply information for different audiences
• Proficient in meeting facilitation
• Demonstrated skills in trend analysis to identify issues and make sound recommendations proactively
• Knowledge of Chicago’s communities
• Ability to navigate work with integrity, sensitivity and respect for various personalities, roles and authority, community dynamics, and political implications
• Ability to work collaboratively with a diverse group of stakeholders
• Proficient computers and software skills, including but not limited to Google Suite and Zoom

Other Requirements:

• Occasional evening and weekend hours work required
• Access to reliable transportation to travel within the City of Chicago

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.