Chicago Public Schools (CPS) is one of the largest school districts in the United States, serving over 350,000 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:

Reporting to the Talent Development Manager, the Talent Development Specialist will provide creative, logistical, and analytical support for CPS’s talent management and leadership development programs (LDPs). The Specialist will work closely with the Manager to develop, design, and deliver innovative and sustainable talent management and leadership development initiatives for Central Office and Network staff. The role will focus on everything from organizing content and curriculum, managing training schedules, booking trainers, assessing team-specific training needs, and evaluating training solutions.

The Talent Development Specialist will be held accountable for the following responsibilities:

• Create, implement, and facilitate districtwide learning programs that support the professional development of our central office and network staff.
• Maintain the Lead with CPS website and support all training, learning, and development efforts sponsored by the Talent Development department.
• Organize and execute talent management and LDP events and training, material production and distribution, and other resources to ensure that operations are managed at a high level and within authorized budgets.
• Work collaboratively to support instructors and external vendors for in-house and outsourced training.
• Assess various training and development options and make recommendations on which to use based on thorough research and analysis.
• Develop, execute, and maintain CPS talent development curriculums and identify areas for improvement.
• Partner with stakeholders and cross-functional leaders, building trusting relationships with team members across central office departments to support all employee development with an overall goal of improving team member performance and retention
• Conduct needs assessments to determine skill gaps
• Perform additional duties as assigned.

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

Education Required:

• Bachelor's Degree from an accredited college or university in Business, Human Resources, Organizational Development, Organizational Psychology or a related field is required.

Experience Required:

• Minimum of five (5) years’ experience in a related field or training and development department, required
• Experience planning and executing high-level events for senior leadership, preferred

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

• Proficiency in Google Suite products
• Organizational skills and attention to detail
• Communication skills, both written and verbal
• Project management skills and expertise across medium- to large-scale projects
• Ability to think, plan, and execute strategically and with agility
• Knowledge and experience in creating surveys and analyzing data
• Seasoned presenter: ability to build rapport with diverse audiences and all levels of the organization.
• Strong project management capability and detail orientation.
• Juggles and manages competing tasks and demands.

• Commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusivity, and proven ability to work with diverse populations

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.