CULTURAL AFFAIRS COORD II - City of Chicago

Job Number:

JOB ANNOUNCEMENT

CULTURAL AFFAIRS COORDINATOR II

DEPARTMENT OF CULTURAL AFFAIRS AND SPECIAL EVENTS (DCASE)

Cultural Grants and Resources Division 

Number of Positions: 1

Starting Salary: $67,656

Applications for this position will be accepted until 11:59pm CDT on 10/17/2024

The City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE) supports artists and cultural organizations, invests in the creative economy, and expands access and participation in the arts throughout Chicago’s 77 neighborhoods. As a collaborative cultural presenter, arts funder, and advocate for creative workers, our programs and events serve Chicagoans and visitors of all ages and backgrounds, downtown and in diverse communities across our city — to strengthen and celebrate Chicago.

DCASE produces some of the city’s most iconic festivals, markets, events, and exhibitions at the Chicago Cultural Center, Millennium Park, and in communities across the city — serving a local and global audience of 25 million people. The Department offers cultural grants and resources, manages public art, supports TV and film production and other creative industries, and permits special events throughout Chicago.

The Cultural Affairs Coordinator II position in DCASE’s Cultural Grants and Resources Division will be responsible for coordinating and supporting community engagement, outreach, partnerships, professional development, and technical assistance strategies to strengthen the capacity of Chicago’s arts and culture sector. This work will connect artists and arts organizations with City of Chicago grants, resources, facilities, processes, and procedures. The position will also require candidates with multi-disciplinary understanding of exhibitions, performance production, public art, and other artistic projects to assess and evaluate grant proposals and provide guidance and advice to applicants and grantees in the planning and execution of artistic projects. In this capacity, the position will perform the following:

ESSENTIAL DUTIES

·Coordinate and support day to day operations and procedures for Cultural Resources programs and initiatives

·Organize and conduct in person and virtual technical assistance workshops, informational sessions, open office hours, grantee orientation workshops, and other training as needed

·Coordinate public/private partnerships, including community ambassadors, to broaden the scope and reach of DCASE’s Cultural Grants and Resources throughout the city

·Assist in connecting creative workers, organizations, and businesses to resources across City departments

·Respond to inquiries from the public, and other City departments

· Support interagency programs and partnerships and participate in the development of new interdepartmental initiatives

·Collaborate and communicate with arts service organizations and the philanthropic community to monitor program offerings, gaps, trends, and to connect the arts sector to existing resources and services

·Coordinate program budgets and expenditures, review financial documents, RFP processes, and work with the department’s Finance and Administration team, Office of Budget and Management, and Law Department as necessary

·Assist with DCASE’s annual impact report, and work with other internal DCASE teams such as Marketing and Communications and Partnerships and Development to spread awareness of grant programs and timely notification of cycle deadlines through press releases, social media, newsletter updates, partnerships with local organizations, and outreach to Aldermanic offices

·Coordinate contracts, communications, and website updates for the Cultural Resources team

·Attend events as a DCASE ambassador, to promote program offerings to artists, arts nonprofits, and creative businesses

·Support DCASE in the development, implementation, and ongoing monitoring of the racial equity action plan (REAP) goals, in partnership with the Office of Equity and Racial Justice (OERJ)

·Collaborate with Executive Administration team to coordinate and conduct professional development and technical assistance programs

·Support recruitment of members of the arts community and public to serve on committees that advise and assist grant applicants and inform the work of Cultural Resources

·Provide written and oral updates on the status of work assignments

·Attend and assist with other DCASE events, programs, and activities

·  Perform related duties as required

Additional duties may be required for this position

LOCATION:Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE)

                        78 E Washington St, Chicago Cultural Center, Chicago, IL 60602

HOURS:        9:00 am – 5:00 pm, Monday – Friday

Must be flexible to work early mornings, evenings, weekends, and holidays.Work indoors and occasionally outdoors in extreme weather conditions and noise.

THIS POSITION IS IN THE CAREER SERVICE.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

Graduation from an accredited college or university with a Bachelor’s degree, plus two years of program development or administration experience in the area of visual arts, performing arts or creative arts programming, or an equivalent combination of education, training and experience.

Equivalencies:

·Master’s Degree or higher from an accredited college or university plus one (1) year of program development or administration experience in the area of visual arts, performing arts or creative arts programming

·Associate’s Degree from an accredited college or university plus four (4) years of program development or administration experience in the area of visual arts, performing arts or creative arts programming

·Six (6) years of work experience in program development or administration experience in the area of visual arts, performing arts or creative arts programming

Selection Requirements

This position requires applicants to complete an interview which will include a written exercise as part of the interview. The interviewed candidate(s) possessing the qualifications best suited to fulfill the responsibilities of the position, based on the oral and written parts of the interview will be selected.

Preference will be given to candidates possessing the following:

·Minimum 1 year of paid or volunteer experience working with individual artists, creative workers, cultural organizations, nonprofits, arts businesses, or the arts philanthropic community

·Work experience in developing public programs or presenting and producing events

·Work experience in developing professional development, capacity building, or technical assistance programs

·Work experience managing multiple projects or complex processes

Knowledge:Knowledge of the Chicago arts and culture sector including artist communities, cultural organizations, nonprofits, and the philanthropic community. Knowledge of need, assets, and character-defining attributes of Chicago’s neighborhoods and communities. Knowledge of trends in arts and culture philanthropy, civic engagement, and community development in large urban cities. Basic understanding of exhibition and event production process for special events and live performances.

Skills:Excellent interpersonal skills. Strong written and oral communication skills. Proven organization skills. High attention to detail. Strong analytical skills. Critical thinking related to program development, strategy, and implementation. Strong proficiency in Microsoft Word, Excel, Powerpoint, and the Internet. Strong proficiency with database management.

Abilities:Ability to manage complex processes, accelerated timelines within a fast-paced environment. Ability to provide technical assistance to external grantees/delegate agencies. Strong ability to multi-task and be flexible. Demonstrated ability to work effectively with people of diverse backgrounds. Ability to review program proposals for grant compliance. Ability to learn new technology quickly and ability to train others. Ability to plan, manage and follow through on assignments and communicate at all levels of the department in a timely and professional manner. Ability to work independently and as a member of a team with minimal supervision. 

APPLICATION EVALUATION: Initial evaluation will be based on information provided on the application and the documents submitted.  Department of Human Resource staff will review applications after the final posting date.  Staff will follow any and all required Employment/Hiring Plan provisions, federal, state and local laws, and Collective Bargaining Agreements when applicable. Staff will apply hiring preferences as required by the municipal code. Placement on an eligibility list is not an offer or guarantee of an interview nor employment with the City of Chicago.

COMMITMENT TO DIVERSITY:  To further our commitment to hiring applicants with diverse experience the City of Chicago has adopted the following ordinances 2-74-020 and 2-74-075.  The ordinances provide a preference to applicants who meet minimum qualifications and who are veterans of the Armed Forces, and/or residents of Socio-Economically Disadvantaged Areas (SEDA) and/or Chicago Public School (CPS) high school graduates to be referred to departments for consideration. These hiring preferences do not apply to bidders, as Collective Bargaining Agreements define the hiring process for bidders.  For positions covered by a collective bargaining agreement, bidders will be considered before external candidates. To learn more about our hiring practicesclick here.

Residency Requirement:All employees of the City of Chicago must be actual residents of the City as outlined in 2-152-050 of the City of Chicago Municipal Code. Proof of residency will be required.

If you would like to request a reasonable accommodation due to disability or pregnancy in order to participate in the application process, please contact the City of Chicago, Department of Human Resources, at 312-744-4976 ordisabilityaccommodations@cityofchicago.org. Please be prepared to provide information in support of your reasonable accommodation request.

ALLREFERENCES TO POLITICAL SPONSORSHIP OR RECOMMENDATION MUST BE OMITTED FROM ANY AND ALL APPLICATION MATERIALS SUBMITTED FOR CITY EMPLOYMENT. 

The City of Chicago is an Equal Employment Opportunity and Military Friendly Employer

City of Chicago

Brandon Johnson,

Mayor

Please note, all positions with the City of Chicago close promptly at 11:59pm Central Daylight Time (CDT).Applications for this position will be accepted until 11:59p.m. CDT on 10/17/2024.No exceptions will be made.

Job Posting

Pay Basis