Executive Director of Strategic Initiatives

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF STRATEGIC INITIATIVES

HAROLD WASHINTON COLLEGE

CITY COLLEGES OF CHICAG0

City Colleges of Chicago'svision is to be recognized as the city's most accessible higher education engine of socioeconomic mobility and racial equity - empowering all Chicagoans to take part in building a stronger and more just city. The community college system's more than 3,500 faculty and staff servemore than 70,000 students annually at seven colleges and five satellite sites.

PRIMARY OBJECTIVE

Reporting to the President of a college, the Executive Director-Strategic Initiatives plays a key leadership role in advancing the colleges vision, mission, and strategic goals. The Executive Director-Strategic Initiatives is responsible for providing strategic direction and administrative oversight across multiple areas of the college, including academic, operational, and organizational excellence. The Executive Director leads the successful execution of major projects, managing all phases from planning and resource allocation to coordinating efforts among college teams, district personnel, and external stakeholders. The role ensures projects are completed on time and in alignment with the colleges strategic objectives. Performs related duties as required.


Harold Washington College is proud to be a member of the Caring Campus network. Caring Campus is a model of professional development that works to implement strong and consistent behavioral commitments for all employees in regard to how they interact with students. As a result of this work, employees become engaged with students on a level that has not occurred before. The core benefit of this work is making a connection with students, many of whom have not had an adult who has cared about them in an educational system.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES

Strategic Leadership and Organizational Improvement

• Spearheads the identification and implementation of initiatives that enhance student success, streamline operations, and improve organizational effectiveness, aligning efforts with the colleges long-term strategic objectives.
• Leverages internal and external best practices to drive continuous improvement across academic and administrative functions, ensuring the integration of innovative solutions that advance the institutions mission.
• Collaborates with senior leadership to design and refine organizational processes and procedures that optimize performance across the college.

Team and Project Management

• Directs and manages multiple cross-functional project teams, guiding them through all phases of project executionfrom ideation and resource planning to implementation and post-project review.
• Uses a data-driven, hypothesis-based approach to foster a solution-oriented mindset within teams, establishing clear metrics to measure both team and project performance while ensuring accountability for outcomes.
• Coaches, mentors, and develops Project Team Leaders, providing guidance on advanced problem-solving techniques, performance management, and leadership development.
• Leads the recruitment, evaluation, and professional development of project leadership, making decisions regarding staffing, performance improvement, and, when necessary, disciplinary action.
• Resolves conflicts and challenges across teams and stakeholders, ensuring smooth collaboration and maintaining focus on project goals.

Project Monitoring, Evaluation, and Reporting

• Establishes performance metrics to measure the impact of projects, tracks milestones, and ensures timely delivery in alignment with success criteria.
• Proactively identifies risks, manages scope changes, and implements mitigation strategies to keep projects on track.
• Conducts post-project reviews to assess outcomes and generate recommendations for continuous improvement.

Stakeholder Communication and Collaboration

• Serves as a key liaison with internal and external stakeholders, maintaining clear and timely communication on project expectations, progress, and results.
• Prepares and delivers proposals, status updates, and presentations, ensuring transparency and alignment with project goals.
• Works collaboratively with department heads and other senior leaders to allocate resources, resolve interdepartmental issues, and ensure the success of cross-functional initiatives.
• Cultivates and strengthens relationships with key stakeholders, both within and outside the institution, to support the successful delivery of strategic projects and initiatives.

REPORTING RELATIONSHIPS

Reports To College President

Direct Supervision None

Indirect Supervision Project Team Leaders

QUALIFICATIONS

• Masters degree from an accredited college or university in Education, Administration, Business, or related field
• Five years of work experience developing and implementing solutions to business problems with a focus on strategy or operations, or in higher education as an administrator or project manager
• A combination of education and experience may be taken into consideration based on the applicants credentials.
• Experience in a higher education environment preferred
• Demonstrated knowledge and experience with process change and optimization.
• Excellent analytical, organizational, and planning skills, with the ability to prioritize, manage, and complete multiple projects under tight deadlines while adapting to shifting priorities.
• Excellent interpersonal, verbal and written communication skills
• Strong problem-solving skills, with the ability to synthesize both quantitative and qualitative data to develop innovative solutions, particularly in public or social sector contexts.
• Excellent relationship-building skills, with the ability to engage and collaborate with employees at all organizational levels, including academic and administrative staff.
• Passion for education and a commitment to improving student success, especially in urban settings.
• Ability to manage at all levels, coordinating with numerous departments across the college
• Ability to work independently and lead multiple project teams
• Strong ability to advise and influence leaders across the organization on opportunities for performance improvement in both academic and operational areas.
• Ability to provide consulting, training, and coaching to empower employees to solve problems and implement solutions independently.
• Ability to work effectively with colleagues across administrative and academic units
• Ability to work within a culturally diverse environment
• Proficient in the use of Microsoft Office 365 (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook)

Benefits information is found at Health and Benefits - City Colleges of Chicago

WE OFFER: Excellent health and welfare benefit package and long-term savings and investment programs including 403(b) & 457(b) Investment Plans and a pension plan with the State University Retirement System (SURS) Plan. Generous vacation, holiday, personal and sick days, and tuition reimbursement. For a more detailed overview of benefits, please visit the benefits page of our website.

We are an equal opportunity and affirmative action employer.

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

Thank you for your interest in CCC!

Approved by Compensation Design & Strategy Date: March 18, 2021

The intent of this job description is to provide a general description of the duties and responsibilities of this position. It is not intended to be an exhaustive set of the duties and responsibilities, nor all of the necessary qualifications to perform the work.

Original title created for DO August 2013. Revised for College January 2025.


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