Coordinating Architect

Chicago Public Schools•Chicago, IL

29d•Onsite

About The Position

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. 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.

Requirements

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
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
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
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.
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.

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