District Director - Strategic Initiatives

District Director - Strategic Initiatives

District Office - 180 N Wabash

City Colleges of Chicago (CCC), the largest community college system in Illinois, is made up of seven colleges and five satellite sites, providing more than 70,000 students each year access to a quality, affordable education.

PRIMARY OBJECTIVE

Reporting to the Chief of Staff and Strategy (COSS) at the District Office of the City Colleges of Chicago (CCC), the District Director of Strategic Initiatives is responsible for managing the implementation of Our Path Forward: One Vision, Seven Strong, CCC’s strategic framework and district-wide strategic initiatives. The District Director – Strategic Initiatives will work across college and district teams and functions to provide technical and strategic support and ensure district-wide alignment of key strategic initiatives, goals, and values associated with our six levers: Student Experience, Equity, Excellence, Economic Responsiveness, Collaboration, and Institutional Health.

Working in collaboration with the COSS, senior administrators, and college leaders, the District Director of Strategic Initiatives provides thought partnership and capacity to facilitate the implementation of the District’s five-year vision and strategic framework. The District Director aids the Chief of Staff and Strategy in supporting the dissemination and uptake of new innovations and practices across the District. The District Director will also coordinate the efforts of third-party contractors or consultants in order to deliver projects according to plan. Performs related duties as required.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES

• Provides subject matter expertise to District leadership and college teams in the areas of strategic planning, continuous improvement, organizational development, and change management.
• Serves as a facilitator and internal consultant to District leadership and college teams to facilitate ongoing strategic planning and continuous improvement efforts.
• Supports senior leadership team in the implementation of district-level strategic initiatives.
• Leads the process of developing an Institutional Health Dashboard to enable City Colleges to develop the systems and practices to monitor and ensure accountability for institutional health.
• Supports the development and adoption of innovative practices and projects across the district in collaboration with the Provost’s Office, Office of Institutional Advancement, and the Department of Racial Equity.
• Coordinates various district-wide strategic efforts with other District and College partners.
• Directs and manages projects and initiatives assigned by the Chief of Staff and Strategy from idea through implementation.
• Defines project or initiative scope, goals and deliverables that support business goals in collaboration with senior leadership and stakeholders.
• Manages project plans and associated communications documents.
• Effectively communicates project expectations to team members and stakeholders in a timely and clear fashion.
• Estimates the resources and participants needed to achieve project goals.
• Sets and continually manages project expectations with team members and other stakeholders.
• Tracks project milestones and deliverables.

QUALIFICATIONS

• A Master’s Degree from an accredited college or university
• Five years of work experience in strategic consulting, change management, organizational development, or within a strategy department or role within a non-profit organization, higher education institution or public sector institution.
• Experience working in a higher education environment desirable.
• Demonstrated knowledge and experience with process change and optimization.
• Demonstrated ability to advise and influence leaders throughout the organization.
• Proficient in the use of Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, SharePoint).
• Knowledge of strategic planning.
• Knowledge of best practices in change management.
• Knowledge of best practices to monitor institutional effectiveness and continuous improvement.
• Excellent interpersonal, verbal and written communication skills.
• Strong problem-solving and analytical skills.
• Strong project management skills.
• Ability to interpret and analyze ambiguous data to draw conclusions and make recommendations to senior leaders
• Ability to guide and motivate others toward goal achievement.
• Ability to work within a culturally diverse environment.
• Ability to cultivate and maintain strategic partnerships with key stakeholders.
• Ability to work some evenings and weekends.
• Ability to travel to all CCC sites and campuses.

Chicago residency is required for all full-time employees within 6 months of hire.

We are an equal opportunity and affirmative action employer.

Thank you for your interest in City Colleges of Chicago.

TBD