Senior Business Operations Specialist: Out-of-School Time

Chicago Public Schools (CPS) is a district on the rise, serving over 320,000 students in 500+ schools and employing over 44,000 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 Office of College and Career Success (OCCS), the Office of Student Support and Engagement (OSSE) works with schools and networks to establish systems of support to keep all students on track and engaged in school. This includes providing re-engagement services for out-of-school youth; resources to eliminate barriers for students in temporary living situations; attendance and truancy guidance for families, schools, and networks; and extended learning opportunities to enhance all students' core academic experience while engaging parents and community members in school-led activities

Job Summary:

Reporting to the Senior Program Manager, the Senior Business Operations Specialist will play a critical role in developing, implementing, and managing the overall OST budget and daily operations strategy and support for the Out of School Time (OST) central office team as well as budget and operations support for schools to develop and implement Out of School Time (OST) programs for their students.

The Senior Business Operations Specialist will engage with key stakeholders, including principals and school leaders, school-based staff, vendors, and community-based organizations to ensure all are and remain in compliance with OST funding requirements and adhere to all Board budgetary and procurement rules and policies, as well as vendor contractual obligations and expectations. The Senior Business Operations Specialist will help support and drive OST and OSSE key priorities and initiatives and develop operational efficiencies to enhance OST program delivery and programmatic outcomes. This is a full-time exempt position that will be paid for time worked on a salary basis.

The Senior Business Operations Specialist will be held accountable for the following responsibilities:

• Proactively and expertly manage simultaneous workstreams, tasks, and critical district priorities related to Out-of-School Time.
• Regularly engage with OST team members to ensure consistency across workstreams related to operational compliance.
• Oversee funding compliance, including overseeing school-level fund transfers; identify and address instances of noncompliance with various stakeholders.
• Provide guidance and operational support to OST schools related to OST funding and operational compliance.
• Collaborate with OST Partnership Specialist to unify OST operational and programmatic communications across Community partners to ensure all stakeholders clearly understand expectations and requirements related to OST.
• Report on operational outcomes, including instances of noncompliance, and escalate compliance concerns as appropriate.
• Analyze operational compliance, identify needs, and work with the OST team to continuously improve operational compliance through training resources and school support communications.
• Serve as point of escalation for operational communications in OST department inbox; ensure all escalated operational inquiries are addressed in a timely manner.
• Collaborate with other OSSE teams, the OSSE Business Operations Administrator, OCCS, and critical CPS departments regarding OST funding, implementation, and grant compliance.
• Manage OST spending and assist in the management of all financial transactions to ensure all funds are spent in accordance with grant guidelines, when applicable.
• Provide reports as requested to internal and external project stakeholders including, but not limited to, CPS Leadership, the Mayor's Office, and various Community-Based Organizations.
• Provide professional development and operational and technical guidance to schools and key stakeholders to ensure the successful delivery of student-facing OST programs.
• Other duties as assigned.

To be successful and achieve the above responsibilities, the Senior Business Operations Specialist must possess the following qualifications:

Education Required:

• Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university required

Experience Required:

• Minimum of five (5) years of professional experience in business operations, procurement, and budget management is required
• Experience using enterprise financial systems (E.g., Oracle,) preferred
• Project management experience preferred
• Experience working with community-based organizations serving youth in Chicago is preferred
• Experience working with cross-functional teams is preferred
• Experience leading training and workshops for small and large groups is preferred.
• Experience in the education sector is preferred

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, and the ability to manipulate complicated data sets via Excel and other tools
• Expertise in financial systems, e.g., Oracle
• Excellent interpersonal skills with all levels of CPS staff and leadership
• Strong customer service skills
• Ability to lead cross-functional teams to achieve project goals
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Outstanding problem-solving and mediator
• Self-starter with the ability to conduct multiple projects concurrently, both independently and as a member of a collaborative team
• Team player comfortable working with a variety of people and capable of leading a group towards a common goal
• Ability to be flexible and to adapt to a continually shifting environment
• Advanced proficiency with Microsoft Office, specifically Excel, PowerPoint, Word, Google Suite, specifically Google Docs, Google Slides, Google Sheets, and Google Meet
• Project planning capabilities, including the ability to balance competing priorities and deadlines, align and manage activities toward the execution of identified goals
• Ability to analyze reports and data to help guide practice and improve operational efficiencies.

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.