Fundamental Needs Partnership Specialist

Communities In Schools (CIS) of Chicago is a nonprofit organization dedicated to working in partnership with Chicago Public Schools (CPS) and community organizations to help students stay in school and be successful.  

During the 2023-2024 school year, CIS of Chicago is partnering with 238 Chicago public schools and will connect services and programs to more than 78,000 CPS students and their families by leveraging community partner programs and services. In addition, CIS of Chicago is implementing our Intensive Program— at 34 Chicago public schools we have placed a full time Student Supports Manager. Staff in these schools provide intervention services to a caseload of 45-50 students per school who are at risk of dropping out, as well as connect support services to the whole school.  

CIS of Chicago was founded in 1988, and is an affiliate of Communities In Schools, Inc., a national nonprofit organization with offices across the country, reaching more than 1.6M students annually.  

The mission of Communities In Schools of Chicago is to surround students with a community of support, empowering them to stay in school and achieve in life. The vision of CIS of Chicago is to ensure that every public-school student in Chicago graduates from high school prepared to succeed. The organization’s core values are Impact, Integrity, Relationships, and Social Justice.  

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This position joins a team of community partnership specialists whose focus includes arts and culture, behavioral and mental health, health and wellness, academic enrichment, and college and career readiness. 

The team works together to connect no-cost community partner programs to a growing number of CIS of Chicago partner schools based on the schools’ expressed needs and priorities. Together, members of the Community Partnership Team execute a partner training series, monitor the quality of the partner programming, obtain and analyze data points related to student connections, and play supporting roles in a variety of other organizational projects, as needed.   

The Fundamental Needs Partnership Specialist will be responsible for cultivating partnerships with community organizations to support school communities’ basic needs and for managing opportunities to provide direct support in this focus area.  

The types of needs and services in this focus area include, but are not limited to: 

1. Personal hygiene items 
2. Books and school supplies 
3. Food 
4. Crisis intervention 
5. Emergency response funds 
6. Legal support 
7. Other related basic needs 

A relationship builder with keen communication skills, this position works in close collaboration within programs and across departments to understand school community needs and to leverage opportunities and logistics of direct service opportunities. 

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES 

Community Partnership Management: 

• Manage an existing and growing portfolio of community partners; cultivate relationships with established CIS of Chicago partners; and, using school needs as a driver, proactively develop new partnerships to address key needs of the CIS of Chicago school network 

Supplies Management: 

• Work closely with key Program staff to discern what, if any, donated items will be accepted, in what capacity, and how they will be utilized 
• Ensure all donated items are accompanied by a vetted resource or program opportunity 
• Manage and organize basic needs items; including sorting and categorizing various items 
• Coordinate logistics of scheduling and receiving deliveries, inclusive of pickups and dropoffs and work closely with the School Partnership Team to ensure school communication is clear and actionable 

Impact Management: 

• Track data related to service and program connections, including the number of items distributed to school communities and number of families served 
• Connect 10,000-15,000+ families to resources in this focus area 
• Report trends, track impact stories, and regularly analyze data related to this focus area 
• Lead the growth of this stream of work informing best practices and direction of ways to best serve a growing number of CIS of Chicago partner school communities 

Team Participation: 

• Work with the team to plan and facilitate training and networking events for community partners to build and deepen capacity; identify and vet presenters, assign roles and responsibilities, and create evaluation and feedback pathways 
• Attend regular program team planning sessions, individual supervision, and all-staff meetings; adhere to program operational procedures 
• Perform other related duties that may be assigned from time to time
   

DESIRED SKILLS AND ATTRIBUTES 

• Understanding of and commitment to the mission of Communities In Schools  
• Knowledge and understanding of common challenges related to supporting school communities and families to meet their most fundamental needs 
• Knowledge of, or willing to and capable of quickly learning CPS policies for serving students   
• Ability to manage workload and be part of a supportive, collaborative team 
• Ability to utilize appropriate leadership skills to drive this focus area forward 
• Ability to communicate professionally with diverse audiences  
• Strong verbal and written communication skills 
• Flexible and capable of working in a fast-paced environment, sometimes needing to turn work around quickly 
• Attention to detail; excellent follow through  
• Ability to prioritize and multitask; performs well to deadlines  

QUALIFICATIONS 

• Bachelor’s degree with at least three years of relevant work experience   
• Strong writing, organization and communication skills  
• Experience working with urban public schools and community organizations  
• Required to clear the CPS Background Check process including criminal background check and eligibility to work in CPS buildings with students  
• Must have reliable daily access to a vehicle plus a valid driver’s license and proof of insurance  
• Must have reliable access to remote workspace with internet connection   
• Must be able and willing to lift and move supplies up to 40 pounds, as needed 

REPORTS TO: Associate Director of Community Partnerships 
 
WORK ENVIRONMENT: Currently, the work environment is hybrid, which may be adjusted at the discretion of CIS leadership. The CIS office is located in Chicago’s West Loop.  
 
SCHEDULE: This position is a full-time, year-round position and follows CIS of Chicago’s holiday and vacation time calendar and corresponding policies (versus that of CPS).  

TO APPLY: 

Complete the online application form here. Candidates are strongly encouraged to include a cover letter detailing their interest in the role. 
 

 

CIS of Chicago provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.  

This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation, and training.