Chicago Public Schools (CPS) is one of the largest school districts in the United States, serving over 340,000 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. Job Summary: The Office of Information and Technology Services (ITS) works to build the capacity of schools to use information and technology, maintain network infrastructure, security standards, and support other departments to meet district goals. ITS provides innovative technology solutions that improve the quality of education for students, reduce the administrative burden on educators, facilitate parent interaction, increase community engagement, and support CPS' mission of transparency by focusing on the ease and equity of access to information. The Information & Technology Services (ITS) Associate will support a variety of ITS work streams while rotating through various teams to assist with relevant projects and activities. This is a one-year, junior-level position that will provide new-to-the-field candidates with the opportunity to gain experience and build skills while developing a pipeline for potential future positions on CPS ITS teams. Depending upon the ITS team assignment, the ITS Associate may report to leadership such as the Director of Telecommunications, the Apple Device Management Team Lead, or the Director of Student Information Systems. The ITS Associate will be held accountable for the following responsibilities:
- ITS Team Support: Support various ITS teams by assisting with the completion of department-led operations work and specific ITS projects, to be assigned per the needs of each individual team. ITS teams supported include:
- Information Security Team:
oAssisting the InfoSec team on identifying security gaps writing CPS and working to help solve for them oAttend Meetings oCommunications and Technical Writing oData Analysis & Reporting • Service Management Team: oBusiness Analysis/Customer Engagement oOrganizational Change oKnowledge Management/Documentation oAdministrative Tasks • Student Information Systems Team: oAttend Meetings oCommunications and Technical Writing oData Analysis & Reporting - 30 oBusiness Process analysis and technical support
- General Support: Assist with effective, efficient, day-to-day ITS procedures through completing tasks that may include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Assist with data entry and maintenance of records to ensure the accuracy of existing databases
- Assist with the coordination of department or project-related communication plans, calendars, and timelines
- Prepare research materials and presentations; assist with creating and and updating department documents, plans, and templates (ex: interview rubrics, onboarding handbooks, etc.)
- Attend and/or facilitate ITS team meetings, recording meeting minutes as assigned
- Assist with drafting memos, maintain electronic and/or paper files
- Other duties and technical support as assigned
In order to be successful and achieve the above responsibilities, the ITS Associate must possess the following qualifications: Education Required: - Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university, or relevant work experience, is required
- Master's degree from an accredited college or university is preferred
Experience Required: - Minimum of 1 year of professional or internship-level experience, including the following, strongly preferred:
- Experience in education or school settings or government agencies
- Experience working with technology (hardware and software)
- Experience with data analysis and using tools such as SAS, Stata, and/or SQL
- Experience designing IT training courses and curriculum
- Experience in simple video production, website building, providing application and database support, and working on a desktop service desk team
Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities: - Excellent verbal and written communication and presentation skills, capable of communicating with a broad range of CPS colleagues including school staff and district leaders
- Excellent project management skills, organizational skills, and attention to detail
- Strong analytical, critical thinking, and problem solving skills, including an ability to think in terms of processes and systems Ability to deliver high-quality work in a fast-paced environment, successfully meet established deadlines, effectively multi-task high-priority projects, and provide prompt, thorough information to multiple constituencies and stakeholders
- Capable of success both working independently and as a member of a team, collaborating with colleagues and stakeholders across departmental boundaries, including both technical and non-technical personnel
- Capable of providing customer service, responding efficiently and effectively to all technology-related inquiries or issues
- Proficient in Microsoft Office Suite, including Word, Excel, and PowerPoint
- Knowledge of educational and organizational tools such as Apple Classroom, Google Classroom+ Google Apps, GoGuardian, ServiceNow, and Jamf Pro
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.