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 Talent Office supports and empowers employees through all stages of their Chicago Public Schools (CPS) careers, with the understanding that the department’s success enables employees to better serve the students of Chicago. The Human Resources team for the School Support function provides one-stop support for CPS school administrators for all HR-related needs, including discipline, guidance, timely assistance, and executive consultation. Other efforts include improving online systems and ensuring seamless transitions from one school year to the next.

Job Summary:

Reporting to the Manager of HR School Partners, the HR Specialist will provide Tier 1 customer service support, including answering calls, exercising independent judgment in the processing of all transactions related to staffing, including but not limited to new hire and rehire staffing, administrative and intra-unit transfers, retirements and resignations, layoffs and displacements. They will also evaluate employee applications to determine eligibility in line with established laws, policies, and procedures and work with team members to identify and operationalize process improvements related to their work. The HR Specialist will adhere to three key goals: 1) delivering impeccable customer service, 2) speedy and accurate turnaround of all staffing transactions, and 3) working as a cross-trained, flexible, and cohesive team member. This is a full-time, exempt position that will be paid for time worked on a salary basis.

The Human Resources Specialist will be held accountable for the following responsibilities:

• Accurately complete activities related to employee staffing transactions, including staffing for new hires and rehires, transfers, promotions, demotions, retirements and resignations, layoffs, and displacements for all assigned networks.

  • Facilitate the referral process for all school-based staff, including determining lane and step placement based on union affiliation

  • Facilitate the completion of important licensure-related tasks, such as the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) RUSH, Short-Term Approval, and Emergency process, including reviewing and processing the forms, tracking requests and updates, communicating with ISBE and school administrators if credentials are deficient, and communicating to HRBP/HR Specialists once the certification has been issued

  • Conduct the ESP/PSRP layoff reviews for school networks

  • Facilitate Leave of Absence (LOA) displacements and Continual Pay forms for displacements

• Provideexcellent customer service to Network- and school-based staff and leadership, including but not limited to:

  • Answering Tier 1 phone calls

  • Inputting and answering tickets into the SNOW system

  • Responding to routine queries related to staffing, policies, and procedures

  • Supporting customers using HR-related systems, including answering customer questions and participating in customer training

  • Managing incoming forms, faxes, and other documents from CPS employees

• Facilitate the hiring process for Summer School

  • Collaborate with summer school sites to assist in recruitment efforts

  • Validate hiring selections to align with contractual obligations

• Assist with updating job aids and HR Procedures Manual for new policies, practices, Collective Bargaining Agreements (CBAs), etc.; share any recommendations for process improvement with the HR Manager

• Attend and participate in regularly scheduled meetings with HR colleagues, including HR School Partners and other HR Specialists, to ensure the consistency of HR methodologies across the district, and to establish plans of action for all networks

• Other duties as assigned

To be successful and achieve the above responsibilities, the Human Resources Specialist must possess the following qualifications:

Education Required:

• High school diploma or GED equivalent is required

• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university in human resources or a related field is preferred.

Experience Required:

• Minimum of five (5) years of general administrative and customer service experience is required

• Minimum of two (2) years of experience in an HR Support role, preferred

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• Exceptional interpersonal, verbal, and written communication skills, including the ability to provide customer service and support to CPS employees at all levels of the organization

• Excellent time management and organizational skills; set priorities and deliver consistent results

• Ability to build collaborative relationships with a variety of constituent groups to ensure the entire system operates in the most effective manner possible to support schools and principals

• Capable of success both working independently and as part of a team; ability to successfully collaborate with team members to address transactions and Tier 1 inquiries efficiently

• High levels of integrity, honesty, credibility, and the ability to communicate difficult yet necessary decisions

• Ability to uphold confidentiality, remain objective, use sound judgment when faced with challenging decisions or situations, and identify when matters need to be escalated for additional guidance

• Capable of self-awareness, reflection, and accepting responsibility for decisions, actions, and mistakes made; Ability to receive and implement constructive feedback and lessons learned in real time

• Ability to define problems, analyze data and information presented, and outline valid conclusions and action steps for resolving the issues identified

• Basic computer skills, including familiarity with and/or the ability to use/learn to use programs such as Microsoft Office (Word, PowerPoint, Excel, Visio, etc.) and Google Suite (Google Sheets, Gmail, etc.)

• Able to quickly learn and understand CPS Board Rules and Policies, and software systems.

Health & Wellness: Your Care, Your Choice

CPS is committed to providing comprehensive health coverage to our employees and their eligible dependents. You'll have access to a variety of choices to best fit your needs:

Medical Plan Options

Pharmacy

Dental

Vision

Behavioral Health & EAP

Employee Wellness Program

Financial Security: Planning for Today and Tomorrow

We understand the importance of financial stability, which is why CPS offers strong retirement and savings options:

Basic Life Insurance

Life and Disability Insurance

Pension Plans

Supplemental Retirement Plans (403(b) and 457(b))

Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs)

Spot Pet Insurance

Work-Life Balance: Supporting Your Personal and Professional Life

CPS values the well-being of its employees and offers competitive paid time off policies:

Paid Leave

Sick Leave

Vacation Days

Parental Leaves

Short-Term Disability

Religious Holidays

Leaves

Reference the Chicago Public Schools: A Comprehensive Benefits Overview or the benefits handbook for comprehensive details.

Conditions of Employment

As a condition of employment with the Chicago Public Schools (CPS), employees are required to:

• Establish/Maintain Chicago Residency - Employees must 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.