Community Partnership Specialist, Juvenile Justice

Chicago Public Schools (CPS) is the third-largest school district 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 College and Career Success (OCCS), the Office of Student Support and Engagement (OSSE) works with schools and networks to establish systems of support to keep all students on track and engaged in school.. This includes providing re-engagement services for out-of-school youth; resources to eliminate barriers for students in temporary living situations; attendance and truancy guidance for families, schools, and networks; and extended learning opportunities to enhance all students' core academic experience while engaging parents and community members in school-led activities

Job Summary:

The Community Partnership Specialist will assist with facilitating the overall Juvenile Justice team strategy, as well as the coordination and implementation of strategic community, agency, and research partnerships to support the team's work. The Community Partnership Specialist will help drive Juvenile Justice initiatives to increase intensive service provision to court-involved students and will assist with developing wraparound programming, growing the program portfolio, and ensuring appropriate support and training is provided to Juvenile Justice partners and schools. They will be held accountable for key implementation milestones around the development of referral, coordination, and data tracking systems, and for key outcome metrics in the enrollment of court-involved students in intensive support programs and evidence-based interventions. The Community Partnership Specialist will report to the Juvenile Justice Manager.

The Community Partnership Specialist will be held accountable for the following responsibilities:

• In collaboration with the Juvenile Justice Manager, support the development of a vision and strategy for dramatically increasing the provision of intensive wrap-around services and research-based interventions to CPS court-involved students
• Obtain feedback from school leaders, networks, and partners on gaps in service provision and reporting requirements in CPS student information systems (ie: Aspen, CitySpan, and other CRM tools)
  • Work with the Aspen & CitySpan teams to implement enhancements based on stakeholder feedback
  • Engage in cross-collaboration with other CPS departments (e.g., Procurement, Office of Network Support (ONS), and OCCS Departments) to ensure unified data capture processes for agency partners
• Collaborate with internal and external stakeholders to increase the capacity of CPS-approved vendors to meet the particular needs of the court-involved youth populations through effective partnerships (ie: developing RFPs, vendor contracts, vendor management procedures, referral protocols, and data tracking systems to ensure coordination and accountability from partners)
• In collaboration with the CPS External Research Office, develop partnerships with university and research institutions to identify, implement, and evaluate evidence-based interventions for court-involved and re-entry students
• Deliver contextually relevant guidance to schools and partners on programmatic opportunities; conduct regular training on Juvenile Justice and relevant CPS policy for court stakeholders, schools, departments, and community partners
• Develop, maintain, and regularly update a catalog of current opportunities for wraparound services and programming designed specifically for court-involved and acutely high-need students to serve as a resource for OSSE staff and schools
• Manage existing partner relationships with various agencies, entities, and Community-Based Organizations that help lead to expanded placements, enrollments, and successful completion of intensive support service programming for court-involved CPS students (e.g., Department of Family and Support Services, Community Partners for Peace, TASC, CRED, READI)
• Manage existing relationships with research organizations to leverage current and potential research opportunities to inform CPS OSSE work (e.g., Stanford University, University of Chicago, OJJDP, NDTAC, Breakfree, NJPJS, and other entities)
• Collaborate with the Career and Technical Education (CTE) team, develop partnerships with businesses and organizations focused on work-based learning opportunities to increase the enrollment of CPS court-involved students in earn-to-learn, career exploration, job readiness, and apprenticeship programs
• Manage existing relationship with Mikva Council and develop other partnerships with youth and youth voice organizations to develop a Youth Advisory Council for the Department of Student Transition and Stabilization

• Under the direction of the Juvenile Justice Manager, implement, monitor, and refine all partnership processes, policies, and systems that will enhance OSSE's and schools' ability to identify and successfully partner with external partners with proven track records of impact for court-involved youth
• Develop and maintain programming, vendor and procurement processes, documents and standards
  • Ensure agreements between CPS and external partners are tracked, reviewed, approved, and compiled
• Assist with the creation and facilitation of trainings to ensure all external partners, vendors, and applicable school-based staff understand and can meet the requirements of OSSE agreements
• Complete program reports, data entry, and monitor program compliance for all OSSE-contracted partnerships
• In collaboration with the OSSE Data team, develop systems for data collection, transfer, and analysis of CPS and service provider data to allow ongoing management, program refinement, school coordination, and accountability
• Develop regular meeting cadence with central office department representatives, networks/schools, and key partners to align on best practices and processes across functional areas
• Work with networks, principals, and community members to develop programming, research, and services delivered at school sites
• Function as liaison and key point of contact for the Office of the Chief Judge, Public Defender, States Attorney, Probation, DCFS, Public Guardian, and other JJ system stakeholders to provide training and information on relevant CPS policies and programming
• Other duties as assigned

• Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university required; Focus in Psychology, Social Sciences, Criminal Justice, Education, Business, Law, or related field preferred
• Master's degree in Psychology, Social Sciences, Criminal Justice, Education, Business, Law, or arelated field, preferred

• Minimum of five (5) years of professional experience completing customer service-driven work in education, non-profit, and/or community-based organizations, including the following is required:
  • Minimum of three (3) years of experience supporting complex and high-impact projects and initiatives
  • Minimum of two (2) years of experience working with youth-serving organizations in Chicago
• Experience leading trainings and workshops for small and large groups is preferred
• Experience with the criminal/juvenile justice system is preferred
• Experience working with CPS schools, central office, networks and school stakeholders is preferred.

• Dedicated to providing educational, workforce, and career development opportunities to support the success of the young people of Chicago.
• Excellent interpersonal, written, and verbal communication skills; capable of building collaborative relationships with all levels of CPS staff and leadership
• Excellent self-leadership, organization, and planning skills
• Ability to lead cross-functional teams to achieve project goals
• Outstanding problem-solving and data analysis capabilities; ability to define problems, analyze data, and outline valid conclusions and action steps
• Self-starter capable of anticipating problems and developing preemptive solutions
• Ability to be flexible, navigate ambiguity and adapt in a fast-paced, continually shifting environment
• Advanced proficiency with Microsoft Office (Excel, PowerPoint, Word), and familiarity with Google Workspace (Google Docs, Google Slides, Google Sheets, and Google Meet)

• 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