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 Arts Education (DAE) integrates rigorous arts instruction into the district’s core educational infrastructure to drive student engagement, academic achievement, and postsecondary readiness across every Chicago Public School. The Goal of the DAE 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 in a global economy.
Every student in Chicago Public Schools will experience innovative, rigorous, and joyful arts learning that cultivates creativity, curiosity, empathy, and confident self expression. Through bold artistic practice and deep personal exploration, students will become critical thinkers, imaginative problem-solvers, and engaged citizens, ready to thrive in a dynamic world.
Reporting to the Executive Director, Arts Education, the Director, Arts Access & Operations provides strategic leadership, operational administration, instructional and logistical oversight for Chicago Public Schools' (CPS) centrally managed citywide arts staff. Additionally, this position directs the Arts Department’s comprehensive teacher pipeline initiatives, and supports that all CPS schools meet the access metrics of the Creative School Certification. This is a full-time, exempt position that will be paid for the time worked on a salary basis.
The Director, Arts Access & Operations will be held accountable for the following 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; Design rigorous, criteria-based vetting protocols, formulate performance tasks, evaluations, and coordinate with the Talent Office to select high-quality candidates in alignment with licensure requirements and district equity priorities; Build data collection strategies to track implementation quality and behavioral outcomes of citywide initiatives in classrooms, compiling comprehensive progress reports for district leadership, the Chicago 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 (e.g., Creative Schools Certification, CPS Opportunity Index, etc.) 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 through proactive communication, talent referrals, and hiring guidance
- For non-certified citywide arts staff, establish and implement structured professional development, instructional coaching cycles, protocol-driven learning walks, and support the development of performance standards; 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; Directly supervise and guide the mapping of the preparation landscape, coordinate targeted recruitment campaigns, expand alternative credentialing models, and sustain institutional relationships with universities, alternative certification providers, and workforce development agencies
- 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 site-level operational challenges across citywide arts positions
- Contribute to the development of district-wide strategies for arts education quality, access, and teacher support across grade bands and disciplines, ensuring 100% of CPS Schools meet the access metrics of the Creative School Certification by 2030 as well as any future metrics and requirements; Participate in citywide external initiatives related to the Creative Workforce
- Other duties and work streams as assigned
In order to be successful and achieve the above responsibilities, the Director, Arts Access & Operations must possess the following qualifications:
Education Required:
- Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university
- Master’s degree in Education, Curriculum & Instruction, Arts Education, or related field preferred
Experience Required:
- 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.
Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:
- 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
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.
