Job Description

Job Requisition ID: 53077
Closing Date: 02/06/2026
​Agency: Illinois Educational Labor Relations Board
Class Title: SENIOR PUBLIC SERVICE ADMIN (40070)
Skill Option: General Administration/Business Marketing/Labor/Personnel
Bilingual Option: None
Salary: Anticipated Annual Starting Salary $145,000 - $160,000
Job Type: Salaried
Category: Full Time
County: Cook; Sangamon
Number of Vacancies: 1
Bargaining Unit Code: None
Merit Comp Code: Excluded - Subject to Paragraph (1), (2), (3), or (6) of Section 4d of the Personnel Code

A resume is highly encouraged to evaluate your qualifications and skills as part of your application. Please attach a DETAILED Resume/Curriculum Vitae (CV) to the MY DOCUMENTS section of your application if you decide to provide one.

This position is full-time, in-person either in Chicago or Springfield. There is no remote or hybrid availability for this position.

The Illinois Educational Labor Relations Board is seeking to hire an Executive Director. The Executive Director serves as a key executive leader responsible for the operational management, strategic planning, and regulatory enforcement of the Illinois Educational Labor Relations Act (IELRA). This position acts as a liaison between the agency Board, labor organizations, and educational employers to promote orderly labor relations. The role requires balancing statutory enforcement—including investigating unfair labor practices, conducting representation elections, and dispute resolution—with agency administration, including budget preparation, policy development, and full-line supervision of staff.

Illinois Education Labor Relations Board offers a robust benefit package including:

• Monday-Friday schedule
• Health, life, vision, and dental insurance
• Paid Parental leave
• Pension Plan
• Deferred Compensation, and other pre-tax benefit programs
• Employees earn (12) paid sick days annually
• (10-25) paid vacation days (based on years of service)
• Employees earn (3) paid personal days (pro-rated based on start date)
• (13-14) paid state holidays annually

Why Work for Illinois?

Working with the State of Illinois is a testament to the values of compassion, equity, and dedication that define our state. Whether you’re helping to improve schools, protect our natural resources, or support families in need, you’re part of something bigger—something that touches the lives of every person who calls Illinois home.

No matter what state career you’re looking for, we offer jobs that fit your life and your schedule—flexible jobs that provide the gold standard of benefits. Our employees can take advantage of various avenues to advance their careers and realize their dreams. Our top-tier benefits and great retirement packages can help you build a rewarding career and lasting future with the State of Illinois.

Essential Functions

• Serves as the agency’s Executive Director, subject to Board supervision, by administering fiscal and personnel operations
• Plans, directs, and supervises a statewide program related to representation elections, unfair labor practice investigations and adjudications, dispute resolution and other activities enforcing and implementing the provisions of the Illinois Educational Labor Relations Act.
• Develops, implements, and monitors agency rules, policies, and procedures used in regard to the Illinois Educational Labor Relations Act.
• Acts as liaison and represents and speaks on behalf of the board.
• Participates in preparation and conduct of Board meetings in coordination with the Board’s General Counsel.
• Serves as full line supervisor.
• Performs other duties as required or assigned which are reasonably within the scope of the duties enumerated above.

Minimum Qualifications

• Requires knowledge, skill and mental development equivalent to completion of four (4) years of college
• Requires prior experience equivalent to four (4) years of progressively responsible administrative experience working with labor laws in an educational setting within a public or private business organization
• Requires thorough knowledge of the Illinois Educational Labor Relations Act and the rules and regulations that pertain to the Act
• Requires at least five (5) years of professional experience in labor relations or a similar setting
• Requires the ability to exercise judgement and discretion in developing, implementing, and interpreting policies and procedures for an agency or business entity
• Requires the ability to analyze information and make recommendations and independent decisions from a non-bias and neutral point of view
• Requires previous professional experience and the ability to conduct legal writing and research

Preferred Qualifications

• Prefers possession of a Juris Doctorate

Conditions of Employment

• Requires completion of a background check and self-disclosure of criminal history.
• Requires ability to travel in the performance of duties, with overnight stays as appropriate. Requires appropriate, valid driver’s license.
• Overtime is a condition of employment, and you may be requested or required/mandated to work overtime including scheduled, unscheduled, or last-minute overtime. This may require the ability to work evenings and weekends.
• Requires ability to attend seminars, conferences, and trainings to stay current on methods, tools, ideologies, or other industry related topics relevant to the job duties.

The conditions of employment listed here are incorporated and related to any of the job duties as listed in the job description.

About the Agency

The IELRB is the state agency responsible for administering the Illinois Educational Labor Relations Act (IELRA), which establishes the right of educational employees to organize and bargain collectively. Some of the methods the IELRB employs to protect these rights include conducting on-site ballot elections to determine educational employees’ preferences regarding union representation; certifying and clarifying bargaining units; investigating unfair labor practice charges; ruling on unfair labor practice charges; and conducting hearings and issuing formal decisions to decide labor disputes between educational employees and their employers. The IELRB utilizes a three-tiered adjudicatory process: all initial cases are reviewed and decided by the agency Executive Director; all hearings are conducted and decided by one of the Board Agents; and all appeals and final orders are heard and decided by the agency’s five-member Board.

Work Hours: Monday - Friday 8:30am-5:00pm
Headquarter Location: 160 N Lasalle St, Chicago, Illinois, 60601
Work County: Cook
Agency Contact: Cathy Banks
Email Cathy.A.Banks@illinois.gov
Phone #: (312)793-3170
Posting Group: Leadership & Management

The main form of communication will be through email. Please check your “junk mail”, “spam”, or “other” folder for communication(s) regarding any submitted application(s). You may receive emails from the following addresses:

• donotreply@SIL-P1.ns2cloud.com
• systems@SIL-P1.ns2cloud.com