Director, Arts Access & Operations

Chicago Public Schools•Chicago, IL

10d•Onsite

About The Position

Chicago Public Schools (CPS) is seeking a Director, Arts Access & Operations to provide strategic leadership, operational administration, and instructional/logistical oversight for the district's centrally managed citywide arts staff. This role also directs the Arts Department’s comprehensive teacher pipeline initiatives and supports schools in meeting Creative School Certification access metrics. The position is full-time, exempt, and paid on a salary basis. The Department of Arts Education (DAE) aims to integrate rigorous arts instruction into the district's core educational infrastructure to enhance student engagement, academic achievement, and postsecondary readiness. The DAE's goal is to establish the arts as a universal instructional lever that empowers every CPS student to become a critical thinker, an inventive problem-solver, and a high-performing citizen. The vision is for every student to experience innovative, rigorous, and joyful arts learning that cultivates creativity, curiosity, empathy, and confident self-expression.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university.
Minimum of seven (7) years of successful program administration experience required; arts program administration experience preferred.
Minimum of three (3) years of experience in a leadership role supervising a team of direct reports is required, preferably managing a large or mobile team of educators/creatives within an urban school district or a major cultural institution.
Demonstrated experience designing adult professional development, instructional coaching frameworks, or managing strategic educational partnerships.
Strong understanding of PK–12 arts instruction, standards-aligned curriculum, and high-quality arts integration practices.
Comprehensive knowledge of educational credentialing pathways, alternative certification pipelines, and teacher residency structures.
Ability to effectively plan and manage budgets and resources and day-to-day business operations.
Strong capabilities in data analysis and data-driven strategic planning, with the ability to navigate quantitative student/school datasets and synthesize actionable operational plans.
Excellent communication (written, oral, and presentation) and conflict resolution skills to build alignment across diverse internal and external stakeholders.
Exceptional time management, organizational, and project management skills; Ability to handle complex logistics, multi-site scheduling, and staff compliance guardrails under tight timelines.
Ability to coach educators, lead instructional improvement, and facilitate professional learning communities.
Operational skill in scheduling, deployment, and coordination across multiple sites.
Knowledge of CPS instructional frameworks, district policies, and the CPS Collective Bargaining Agreement related to teaching assignments and school leadership.
Data management abilities, including monitoring service distribution, teacher impact, and school-level outcomes.
Strong communication, problem-solving, and relationship-building skills with teachers, principals, and network leaders.
Ability to work independently and collaboratively in a fast-paced central office environment.
Commitment to equity, student access, and implementation of the District’s Arts vision, including CPS Arts Education Plan 2.0.
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. All CPS employees must be residents of Illinois.

Nice To Haves

Master’s degree in Education, Curriculum & Instruction, Arts Education, or related field preferred.

Responsibilities

Supervise, develop, and manage the performance of a team of direct and indirect reports.
Lead the end-to-end talent acquisition lifecycle for all central office arts instructional staff and fellows, including designing vetting protocols and coordinating with the Talent Office.
Build data collection strategies to track implementation quality and behavioral outcomes of citywide initiatives, compiling progress reports for leadership, the Board of Education, and philanthropic contributors.
Direct the district-wide matching, placement, and schedule coordination of citywide arts teachers, creative experts, and external fellows across multiple school contexts.
Utilize data systems to prioritize schools with critical staffing vacancies, under-resourced programs, or geographic areas furthest from arts access.
Regularly analyze arts staffing data to identify schools without adequate arts educators and provide targeted support.
Establish and implement structured professional development, instructional coaching cycles, and performance standards for non-certified citywide arts staff.
Deliver descriptive feedback aligned with District vision, strategy, and frameworks.
Guide instructors and artists toward process-based, culturally responsive teaching practices that support diverse learners and multilingual pathways.
Provide strategic leadership for the district's long-term arts educator pipeline tracks, including mapping the preparation landscape, coordinating recruitment campaigns, expanding alternative credentialing models, and sustaining institutional relationships.
Support coordinated efforts among the Department of Arts Education, Network Offices, CPS Talent, school principals, ISBE, and labor partners to manage scheduling, ensure hiring and contract compliance, and resolve operational challenges.
Contribute to the development of district-wide strategies for arts education quality, access, and teacher support, ensuring 100% of CPS Schools meet the access metrics of the Creative School Certification by 2030.
Participate in citywide external initiatives related to the Creative Workforce.
Perform other duties and work streams as assigned.