Vice President of Programs

Position: Vice President of Programs

Reports to: Chief Strategy Officer

About Chicago Scholars

At Chicago Scholars we strive to prepare our Scholars for the world and the world for our Scholars. Our dual focus on Scholars and the world are both essential to our strategy. The first part of our work supports college acceptance, matriculation, persistence, and career access for our Scholars. The second part allows Scholars to go beyond surviving to thriving, from achieving to excelling, from attending and working to belonging and exceeding. The first part of our work allows entry, the second truly opens up opportunity and redistributes power. To achieve these goals we center diversity, equity, inclusion, accessibility, and racial justice so that we can launch and lift our Scholars and enable them to lead and leverage their power wherever they are on their journeys.

Chicago Scholars is transforming the leadership landscape of our city by resolving the fundamental barriers to success for academically driven, first-generation college students from under-resourced communities. Through college counseling, mentoring, and by providing a supportive community to our Scholars through each phase of our program: College Access, College Success, and Career and Leadership Development, we ensure that they realize their full potential as students and leaders.

76% of Chicago Scholars graduate college within 6 years. Per the University of Chicago Consortium on Chicago School Research, only 49% of their peers earn a degree within 6 years. Upon graduation, our Scholars move into leadership positions across Chicago, helping to drive the economic future of their communities and our thriving city.

READI Commitment

At Chicago Scholars we strive to prepare our Scholars for the world and the world for our Scholars. Our dual focus on Scholars and the world are essential to our strategy. To achieve these goals, we center racial justice, equity, accessibility, diversity, and inclusion (READI) in all that we do.

Chicago Scholars’ commitment to READI encompasses all of our stakeholders—from our staff to our board, from our volunteers to our partnering organizations, and most importantly our Scholars. This holistic approach is necessary for the sustained, long-term, positive impact that we seek for our Scholars, our neighborhoods, our city, and our world.

To learn more about Chicago Scholars commitment to READI, please visit chicagoscholars.org/readi.

At Chicago Scholars, we believe that education is social justice. That's why we're empowering Chicago's best and brightest first-generation college students and students from low-income communities with the mentors, resources, and opportunities to go to our nation's best colleges and universities, graduate on time, and become Chicago's next generation of leaders. Since 1996, we've impacted the lives of more than 5,000 young leaders in Chicago.

Our Values

These are a set of guiding principles that apply to all stakeholders within the Chicago Scholars ecosystem. We select and retain stakeholders based on these stated expectations for how we achieve our mission and vision. Each are supported with core competencies and narrative for the sake of clarity.

We Dream Big. We speak up, innovate, push the boundaries and keep the creativity flowing. We don’t accept the status quo because the stakes are too high. We have an incredible belief that growth and change is possible. While we dream big, we are laser focused on our intended goals and outcomes for our Scholars, our city and the world.

We Show Up. We show up every day; not just physically, but with a positive attitude and willingness to work, connect, challenge, engage, solve problems and have fun. We don’t wait for someone to tell us what to do. We take action and get the job done. If we don’t know how, we figure it out through our knowledge, exploration or our network.

We Embrace Our Differences. We represent a multicultural nation and our collective backgrounds, experiences, styles, values, perspectives and beliefs are an asset to the world. We recognize that together we achieve better outcomes more quickly. Justice and equity starts with us using our collective voice.

We Model the Way. We exhibit the behavior that we want to see in others and in the world. Titles are granted, but our behavior is what earns us respect. In order to model the way, we must be clear about our guiding principles, celebrate our accomplishments and learn from our challenges and failures.

We Care For Each Other. We adapt to the needs of the person in front of us. We pause, reflect and listen. We do our best work when we are in good relationship together. We care personally and challenge directly.

We Keep Our Word. When we commit, we are all in. Whether for events, a Scholar, a peer or ourselves. Our words are as powerful as our actions and are the building block of trust, respect, self-worth and integrity.

Position Summary

The Vice President of Programs is responsible for leading a team that implements all aspects of Scholar programming from recruitment to persistence to career and leadership development, mentorship and coaching. The Vice President of Programs will design (if/when necessary) and implement a comprehensive, innovative and research-based program focused on the key transition points for Scholars (college matriculation, college graduation and career readiness). The Vice President of Programs will serve as a member of the Executive Team for Chicago Scholars, helping to lead the organization from a strategic perspective as it relates to direct services provided to a youth population to achieve our goal of 100% graduation.

Key Responsibilities:

• Lead Program Vision and Design:
  • Assess current programs and continually improve the design to maintain high programmatic outcomes based on our strategic plan, theory of change, logic model, data, best practices, and current realities
  • Research best practices in college access, college success, career readiness, and leadership development, locally and nationally
  • Present and publish the learnings, best practices and outcomes of programs to be recognized as a leader in college access and success, as well as career and leadership development
  • Participate in the Executive Team, including owning key programmatic decisions, developing organizational stances that shape curriculum and partnership decisions, and making recommendations that are best for the organization as a whole

• Coordinate Programmatic Oversight and Coaching:
  • Oversee our programmatic curriculum design, codification, and overall Scholar experience and personalization across the full spectrum of programming from Scholar recruitment through high school, college, and career
  • Integrate READI (Racial Justice, Equity, Accessibility, Diversity, and Inclusion) values into program delivery for Scholars, mentors, volunteers and staff
  • Identify critical success indicators for our programs, and ensure data collection and reporting procedures are followed
  • Work in partnership with all departments to proactively plan for effective cross-team collaboration (recognizing competing timelines and the “domino” effect of cross-team work) and ensure stewardship of external relationships along the ladder of engagement
  • In partnership with the Research and Evaluation Team, develop, analyze, share, and act on organizational data analyses
  • Serve as a coach, mentor, and leader that models the way for the Program Team members (approximately 20 FTEs)
  • Directly supervise 2-4 FTEs and support their goal achievement and professional development aspirations
  • Ensure implementation of key organizational programmatic events including, but not limited to: New Scholar Orientation, Onsite College & Leadership Forum, and New Scholar Selection Days

• Manage Key Internal and External Stakeholder Relationships:
  • Apprise the Chief Strategy Officer of any new programmatic insights, pivots, and risks that may impact any of Chicago Scholars’ stakeholders
  • Coordinate the Programs Committee of the board and support board engagement and stewardship
  • Represent Chicago Scholars in board and funder meetings
  • Collaborate with Chicago Public Schools (CPS), private, and parochial schools to recruit academically ambitious, first-generation students into the program
  • Coordinate with the Research and Evaluation Team and external researchers on all programmatic research projects (e.g., program assessments and evaluations, white papers, Randomized Control Trial, etc.)
  • Manage partnership with CPS and execute data sharing agreements and memoranda of understanding
  • Build relationships with community-based organization partners to multiply our impact
  • Support the Development Team in connecting Scholars with career partners for leadership development and career opportunities
  • Engage in kind, clear, and direct crucial conversations with staff and all above-mentioned stakeholders around our READI values and on behalf of Scholar needs

• Attend and support mandatory all staff events: New Scholar Orientation, Scholar Con, the Onsite College & Leadership Forum, New Scholar Selection Days, and Staff Retreats.

Qualifications/Skills:

• Education: Undergraduate degree required; Master’s degree strongly preferred
• Experience:
  • 10+ years total relevant experience
  • Expertise in college access and success and/or career and leadership development
  • Commitment to growth and coaching of a team
  • Demonstrated commitment to our READI values
  • Experience with change management and supporting staff through change
• Competencies:
  • Develops and Motivates Others
  • Continuous Improvement Minded
  • Change Management
  • Decision Making
  • Values & Prioritizes Inclusion
  • Growth Mindset
  • Leadership Intelligences
  • Accountability/Project Management
  • Problem Solving & Critical Thinking

Starting Salary Range: $94,900-$140,000

Best Offer First Policy: The data nationally show for every $1 paid to white men, women earn 83 cents, black men earn 88 cents, and black women earn 80 cents. Women and black and brown people are also less likely to negotiate than their white male peers. Chicago Scholars has decided to offer our best offer first rather than wait for a potential negotiation. This allows us to set salaries based on market data and internal equity and ensure fair and equal pay for every role.

If you have questions regarding any of Chicago Scholars employment policies, please reach out to the Human Resources team at humanresources@chicagoscholars.org with the subject line: Policy Question.

To Apply:

• Please visit the Careers page on the Chicago Scholars website Careers - Chicago Scholars and click 'Apply' to submit your application, which should include a resume and cover letter no later than January 3, 2025.
• Please include a cover letter that explains how your background and experience align with the role, examples of how you've successfully managed large-scale programs and strategic initiatives in a previous role, your leadership/team management style, and your perspective on program innovation and continuous improvement.
• Applicants must reside in the Chicago metropolitan area.

Qualifications/Skills:

• Education: Undergraduate degree required; Master’s degree strongly preferred
• Experience:
  • 10+ years total relevant experience
  • Expertise in college access and success and/or career and leadership development
  • Commitment to growth and coaching of a team
  • Demonstrated commitment to our READI values
  • Experience with change management and supporting staff through change
• Competencies:
  • Develops and Motivates Others
  • Continuous Improvement Minded
  • Change Management
  • Decision Making
  • Values & Prioritizes Inclusion
  • Growth Mindset
  • Leadership Intelligences
  • Accountability/Project Management
  • Problem Solving & Critical Thinking