Coordinating Architect

Chicago Public Schools (CPS) is a district on the rise, serving over 325,000 students in 500+ schools and employing over 45,000 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. Aligned with our transformed philosophy, we are steadfastly focused on ensuring that the District provides resources equitably to support every student, every school, and every community. Six core values guide the work we do every day for our students – student-centered, whole child, equity, academic excellence, community partnership, and continuous learning. Each role in the district supports our vision that every student deserves a rigorous, joyful, and equitable learning experience.

The Department of Capital and Facilities Operations is responsible for managing the day-to-day operations of CPS schools, modular buildings, annexes, and administrative offices. The department ensures that the district’s schools and facilities are clean, safe, heated and cooled, and dry.

Job Summary:

Reporting to the Executive Director of Capital Planning and Construction, the Coordinating Architect role provides oversight establishing processes and procedures that reduce cost and increase the reliability of the delivery of the projects and the implementation of these initiatives. This role ensures that projects are formulated correctly, designed to perform consistent with the facility requirements, and constructed within time and budgetary targets. This role will concentrate on the capital program projects, but will also be responsible for working with and advising operation teams on small capital and maintenance projects. Capital program projects range from $35,000 to over $20,000,000 and span a wide range of project types: new construction, additions, annexes, large complex renovation projects, selective renovation projects for educational program initiatives, facility upgrades, playgrounds etc.

The Coordinating Architect will be held accountable for the following responsibilities:

• Supervises the work of planning and design staff (contracted consultants); Oversees consultants and supervises the work of in-house architectural staff engaged in establishing design criteria, project schedules and cost estimates for architectural projects. Plans and implements work standards and evaluates the performance of architectural staff (contracted consultants).
• Reviews completed design plans to ensure compliance with project specifications, space requirements, and funding guidelines
• Conducts site visits to monitor work in progress and to ensure adherence to project schedules, contract specifications, and budget targets
• Represents Chicago Public Schools (CPS) in City Council matters, Department of Buildings and Zoning meetings, and community forums; Act as a direct liaison between departments
• Supervises the preparation of administrative and technical reports to keep leadership apprised of all project life cycles
• Serves as the primary contact for ADA-related inquiries and provide annual updates to CPS Design Standards
• Supervises furniture contracts, including specification development, ordering, and installation
• Coordinates the implementation and maintenance of capital project data systems and programmatic software
• Other duties as assigned

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

Education Required:

• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university in Architecture or related field is required
• Registration as Professional Architect (R.A.) in the State of Illinois is required

Experience Required:

• Minimum of five (5) years of professional architectural work experience in planning, coordination and development of major architectural projects is required
• Minimum of three (3) years of experience supervising architectural work and projects is required
• Experience working with the City of Chicago including various departments and sister agencies is required
• Experience working on commercial, industrial and educational k-12 projects is required
• Experience with Green, sustainable and LEED projects is required

Other requirements:

• Frequent and regular travel to various locations throughout the district, including, but not limited to professional development locations, CPS offices, and school sites is required
• Access to reliable transportation is required
• Extended hours and weekend work, especially during construction season including during typical school breaks (thanksgiving, Water, Spring & Summer break) is required

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• Strong verbal and written communication skills, including presentations, listening, and writing
• High levels of instructional expertise, integrity, honesty, credibility, and the courage to make difficult yet necessary decisions
• Effective strategic planning capabilities, including the ability to establish long-term vision and goals, and align/manage activities toward goal fulfillment
• 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)
• Knowledge of operations, budget/finance, management, and organizational development
• Excellent interpersonal skills and the ability to build collaborative relationships with a variety of constituent groups, including external partners, to ensure the entire system operates in the most effective manner possible to support schools and principals
• Ability to define problems, analyze data, and outline valid conclusions and action steps
• Demonstrated strong leadership and project management skills
• Solid knowledge of programming, design, construction management, and financial reporting
• Strong Microsoft Office (Word, PowerPoint, Excel, Access, etc.) skills.
• Strong knowledge of design, construction project, and financial applications, including Oracle Primavera, AutoCAD, BIM, BlueBeam, Google Suite, E-Builder and others
• High level of initiative and leadership, commitment to drive exceptional level of collaboration with all direct reports, interdepartmental staff, and external organizations
• Proactive approach to problem solving, strong analytical acumen; ability to quickly process complex information and present it clearly and simply to varied stakeholders
• Self-starter, structured, and creative
• Ability to quickly analyze a problem/question and decide the level of importance and necessary higher-level intervention.

Benefits:

Health & Wellness: Your Care, Your Choice

CPS is committed to providing comprehensive health coverage to our employees and their eligible dependents. You'll have access to a variety of choices to best fit your needs:

• Medical Plan Options
• Pharmacy
• Dental
• Vision
• Behavioral Health & EAP
• Employee Wellness Program

Financial Security: Planning for Today and Tomorrow

We understand the importance of financial stability, which is why CPS offers strong retirement and savings options:

• Basic Life Insurance
• Life and Disability Insurance
• Pension Plans
• Supplemental Retirement Plans (403(b) and 457(b))
• Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs)
• Spot Pet Insurance

Work-Life Balance: Supporting Your Personal and Professional Life

CPS values the well-being of its employees and offers competitive paid time off policies:

• Paid Leave
• Sick Leave
• Vacation Days
• Parental Leaves
• Short-Term Disability
• Religious Holidays
• Leaves

Reference the Chicago Public Schools: A Comprehensive Benefits Overview or the benefits handbook for comprehensive details.

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.