Civic Committee is hiring: Associate Director, Hiring Initiative in Chicago

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The Commercial Club of Chicago and Civic Committee Overview

The Commercial Club of Chicago is a membership organization of senior leaders in the region. Our members span the business, education, civic, cultural, and philanthropic sectors - unified by excitement for the future of Chicago. We have helped tackle the most pressing issues facing Chicago and have been instrumental in some of the City’s most visionary efforts.

The Civic Committee’s mission is to make the Chicago region a great place for everyone to live, work, and do business. Originally formed in 1983, the Civic Committee is tasked with identifying key issues facing the State of Illinois and the greater Chicago region and providing leadership, high-quality research, long-term policy recommendations and programmatic actions for the benefit of the city, region, and state and all who live here. The Civic Committee is composed of the leaders of the Chicago region’s leading private sector employers and works with public officials and other civic organizations on transformational initiatives to promote our region's social and economic well-being. The Civic Committee generally serves as the Club’s lead on policy and programmatic initiatives and our focus areas currently include efforts in public safety, business diversity, transportation and infrastructure, and state and local finance.

Terms of Employment

This is a full-time position with benefits, reporting to the Director for Public Safety. Initial employment will be on an introductory basis, with detailed evaluations and feedback at the 30-, 60-, and 90-day marks.

Civic Committee’s Hiring Initiative Overview

The Civic Committee seeks to hire two Associate Directors to support its Hiring Initiative, a strategic pillar of two Civic Committee Task Forces: Public Safety and Business Diversity.

The Civic Committee’s Hiring Initiative is dedicated to increasing employment on Chicago’s South and West Sides by working on both sides of the labor market: (1) supporting participating companies in identifying, developing, and retaining talent, and (2) supporting community-based workforce development organizations to develop greater capacity, closer coordination, and better responsiveness to market demand. The topline goal of the Civic Committee’s Hiring Initiative is to facilitate 20,000 new hires over 5 years on the South and West Sides of the City of Chicago.

Essential Functions

Reporting to the Director for Public Safety, the Associate Director(s) for the Hiring Initiative will work with key personnel at participating companies to set ambitious, achievable hiring goals; identify hiring pathways and workforce development partners; and continuously track progress towards defined goals. Each Associate Director will be responsible for a portfolio of company accounts and will need to build and sustain effective relationships with company personnel at multiple levels: C-suite executives, senior HR and business unit leaders, and hiring managers. The Associate Director(s) will need to develop knowledge of company-specific hiring needs and priorities and deploy that knowledge to guide companies towards hiring targets, as well as effectively communicate those specific hiring needs to community-based implementation partners supporting the effort.

The Associate Director(s) will support the team in executing the Civic Committee’s Hiring Initiative program and in advancing policy positions on strengthening the workforce development ecosystem in Chicago. The Civic Committee has convened a partnership of workforce development CBOs dedicated to this effort. The Associate Director(s) will work closely with the members of this group, the Director for Public Safety, and other senior staff at the Civic Committee to coordinate and communicate their service offerings to companies.

Primary Responsibilities

• Manage a portfolio of companies participating in the Hiring Initiative by providing:
• A single point of contact at the Civic Committee for staff of engaged companies.
• Expert consulting and streamlined communications to engaged companies working to define their Hiring Initiative commitments.
• A liaison from companies to the Civic Committee’s implementation partners in workforce development.
• Planning support for industry-based roundtables, workshops, and other peer-to-peer learning opportunities as appropriate.
• Develop industry-specific knowledge of hiring needs, and current and long-term opportunities, in one or more of the industry areas represented in the Civic Committee’s membership.
• Proactively identify gaps or inefficiencies in Chicago’s workforce development system, based on feedback from participating companies.
• Track company participation in the Hiring Initiative and progress towards company-defined goals.
• Support the Director for Public Safety in tracking and refining overall Hiring Initiative measurable goals related to placements, retention rates, company participation rates, and other KPIs.
• Support the Director for Public Safety in managing community-based implementation partners by preparing materials for meetings, delegating, and collaborating with external partners on implementation tasks, and other tasks as required.
• Develop robust, public-facing company profiles of participating companies to communicate their commitments and achievements.

Position Requirements

Education and Experience Requirements

• Seven or more years of progressive responsibility managing complex workflows and demonstrating impact in government and / or civic sector work.
• Subject matter expertise in workforce development with demonstrated experience in or commitment to equitable hiring practices. Industry-specific expertise in one or more industries represented in Civic Committee membership strongly preferred but not required.
• M.A., B.A. or comparable professional degree in public policy, public affairs, business, social service administration, or a related field preferred but not required.

Required Personal Attributes

• The successful candidate will be a creative, intelligent, and self-confident manager with a proven-track record of success in a collaborative and entrepreneurial environment.
• The ideal candidate will have experience working with business leaders, philanthropy, community organizations, the public sector at the city, county, state and / or federal levels, researchers, and nonprofit and community-based violence prevention service providers.
• The Associate Director’s personal characteristics will include proven leadership skills; the ability to understand, manage and direct diverse stakeholder interests; a focused and pragmatic, but open management style; and superior written and oral communication skills.

The successful candidate will demonstrate the following capabilities:

• Bias for Action: Demonstrated history of maintaining a sense of urgency and consistently driving progress to achievement of goals.
• Pragmatic Leadership: Proven competency in supporting an organization’s strategic goals and priorities, while identifying the financial and human resources required for effective execution. Ability to achieve results through influence and relationships as well as direct management of staff.
• Integrity, professionalism, sound judgment, and independent thinking.
• Leadership Presence and Communication: Proven ability to engender confidence and trust internally and externally through clear communication, credibility, and leadership.
• Collaboration: Experience collaborating with senior executives, staff, and diverse groups / individuals in complex environments to develop and implement shared strategies to achieve agreed-upon goals.
• Project Management: Demonstrated ability to manage a complex portfolio of multiple projects involving diverse stakeholders to achieve stated goals and deadlines.

The position is in Chicago. Regular travel within the city is required. We offer opportunities for employees to work in a combination of in-person and remote work (“hybrid” option).

Equal Employment Opportunity Statement

The Club and its affiliated organizations are equal opportunity employers and do not unlawfully discriminate against employees or applicants for employment on the basis of any legally protected characteristic, whether actual or perceived, including, including, but not limited to, an individual’s race, religion, color, creed, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation national origin, ancestry, citizenship status, marital status, pregnancy, age, disability, genetic information, veteran status, or other legally protected status. This policy applies to all terms, conditions, and privileges of employment, including recruitment, hiring, placement, compensation, promotion, discipline, and termination.

Compensation

Commensurate with experience. The Club offers a competitive benefits package, subject to specific policy eligibility guidelines.

Seniority level

• Mid-Senior level

Employment type

• Full-time

Job function

• Human Resources
• Industries
• Non-profit Organizations and Civic and Social Organizations

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