Chicago Public Schools (CPS) is one of the largest school districts in the United States, serving over 330,000 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.

Located within the Office of Teaching & Learning, the New Teacher Induction and Mentoring Team (NTIM) seeks to ensure equitable, rigorous, affirming schooling experiences for students, teachers, and families through research-based, collaboratively designed induction practices at the district and school levels.  Currently, the NTIM supports over 1100 new teachers with a school or district-based mentor and over 200 pre-service teachers with a cooperating teacher or resident mentor as part of the CPS Residency Programs. 

The Program Manager, New Teacher Induction and Mentoring will support the team’s efforts to positively impact new teacher retention through multiple district and school-based professional learning and mentoring programs. This position will collaborate with colleagues across Teaching and Learning, and serve as the primary point of contact and support for schools and teachers involved in CPS induction programs. The Program Manager will report to the Director of New Teacher Induction and Mentoring. 

The Program Manager will be held accountable for the following responsibilities:

• Develop and support teacher leaders in an ongoing effort to improve teaching and learning in classrooms
• Ensure fidelity of implementation to CPS’s high-quality approach to teacher induction by assessing, developing, and managing a tri-level induction program; including,
  • Support and co-manage a new teacher summer learning series and three-day orientation for approximately 500 new teachers
  • Lead district-wide cohort of teacher leaders, who mentor and provide monthly new teacher professional learning
  • Manage school-based induction plans and processes
  • Organize and administer the school-based mentor selection process
  • Manage outreach and registration process for multiple teacher leader programs
  • Coach, manage, and develop a portfolio of teacher leaders through facilitation and management of professional learning scope and sequences
  • Support an induction throughline from the pre-service experience to a teacher’s second year in the district
• Create and disseminate district-wide communication to all new teachers
• Develop and sustain ongoing effective partnerships with internal and external stakeholders
• Maintain flexibility of schedule, including availability on occasional nights & weekends, as required to meet the needs of the program and its participants
• Other duties as assigned

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

Education Required: 

• Bachelor’s degree in education, policy, or other related field(s) of study from an accredited college or university is required
• Valid teaching certificate issued by the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) with appropriate grade level and content level endorsement preferred
• Master’s degree preferred

Experience Required: 

• Minimum of five (5) years of relevant professional experience, including the following, is required: 
  • Two (2) years of classroom teaching experience  
  • One (1) year of experience as a teacher mentor
  • Project management experience
• Experience leading teachers and/or administrators preferred

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

• Strong knowledge of adult learning theory, curriculum, instruction, assessment and professional development
• Strong leadership and team building skills, e.g. ability to develop high-performing teams united around a clear vision for serving schools and achieving student success
• Effective project management and strategic planning capabilities, including the ability to think at both a big picture and detailed level, establish long-term vision and goals, and align/manage activities toward fulfillment of departmental and office-wide goals
• Demonstrated understanding of leadership in a variety of contexts including working within a team leadership setting and through project management 
• Exemplary executive functioning, organizational and time-management skills; able to effectively manage and align several work streams simultaneously 
• Strong interpersonal and relational skills as required to actively build and sustain positive, productive relationships with colleagues and stakeholders 
• Strong strategic thinker capable of weighing competing priorities quickly to determine the appropriate path to success
• Outcome-focused and skilled at using data to draw inferences and meaning to make recommendations and/or decisions 
• Self-starter capable of navigating ambiguity and establishing direction
• Ability to oversee and administer budget, operations, and procedures for multiple school-based programs 
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, including the ability to engage in courageous conversations across a diverse range of audiences (ex: executive leaders, principals, teachers, internal and external stakeholders) in order to move the work forward
• Capable of differentiating communication to school administrators to increase buy-in of district offerings and support, as well as creating districtwide communication to new teachers to increase awareness and engagement in supports and resources
• Comfort in the use of technology including Google Suite & Google Applications
• Demonstrate high standards of honesty, integrity, flexibility and responsiveness
• Commitment to CPS leadership’s vision for success, including support and respect of colleagues and the communities CPS serves

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.