Special Projects Manager

Position Summary

For over 130 years, Chicago Commons has empowered individuals, families, and communities to overcome poverty and systemic barriers and embrace opportunities to thrive across generations. We support families' crucial role in shaping a child’s development, caring for seniors and vulnerable adults, and uplifting communities. Honoring our settlement roots, we provide life-changing resources to families in under-resourced communities.

Chicago Commons is enhancing its External Affairs team to tell the incredible stories of our programs, impact, and brand. The Special Projects Manager supports key goals in government affairs, communications, and marketing. The role will support Chicago Commons through policy advocacy, government relations, and storytelling. The Special Projects Manager reports to the Director of Communications and Marketing and partners closely with the Chief External Affairs Officer and the President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO). The primary responsibilities for partnering with executive leadership to design, plan, and implement a communications plan for the President and CEO, Executive Leadership, Board, and support government relations with policy briefs, visit coordination, and drafting proposals and other key communications tools. For Chicago Commons, the impact of this role could mean increased funding and/or policy advocacy to better support the families we serve, our employees, and the communities we serve, as well as, an overall expansion of brand and identity.

Education & Certification Requirements

• Minimum bachelor’s degree in communications, marketing, public relations, government, or related subject or field experience equivalent

• Required experience level: At least 3 years of experience in relevant fields (communications and marketing, public relations, or government affairs)

Experience & Training Requirements

Chicago Commons seeks to hire a Special Projects Manager who has at least 3 years of experience. Ideally, the Special Projects Manager has experience in communications, marketing, or government affairs. Experience in these areas within the nonprofit sector would be beneficial. We seek someone with the knowledge and skills to communicate the organization’s work. This entails analyzing the impact of policy and legislative matters on the organization’s mission and partnering with executive leadership to implement plans to support the goals of External Affairs.

Specific requirements include:

• Highly collaborative style; experience developing and implementing communications strategies

• Excellent writing/editing and verbal communication skills

• Understanding of the operations of government and legislative processes preferred

• Experience monitoring and interpreting political trends and their impact on policy preferred

• A strong track record as an implementer who thrives on managing a variety of key initiatives concurrently

• Relationship builder with the flexibility and finesse to "manage by influence"

• Familiarity with emerging media platforms

• Experience managing integrated communications plans via myriad channels

• Crisis and issues management experience

• Sincere commitment to work collaboratively with all constituent groups, including staff, board members, volunteers, donors, program participants, and other supporters

• Self-starter, able to work independently, and entrepreneurial; enjoys creating and implementing new initiatives

• Experience planning, writing, and editing content (social media, Op-Eds, press releases, fact sheets, etc.) for a variety of platforms on both digital and print medium.

• Proficient with Microsoft Office Suite and other software like Adobe’s InDesign, Photoshop, and Illustrator; Canva, Word Press, Constant Contact, etc.

• Superior project management and time management skills

Desired Outcomes

• Timely execution of assigned communication plan

• Draft and submit at least seven funding proposals

• Draft and submit at least three reports

• Support at least eighteen visits by policy makers

• High quality support for key external collaborative engagements

Essential Job Requirements & Duties

• Partner with the President and CEO, Chief External Affairs Officer, and consultants to design, plan, and implement a government affairs and advocacy plan.

• Partner with the President and CEO and Director of Communications and Marketing to design, plan, and implement a communications plan that promotes visibility for the President and CEO, Executive Leadership, and Board of Directors.

• Partner with Director of Communications and Market to implement the annual visibility plan by authoring and distributing content.

• Author and/or edit key position pieces such as policy briefs, op-eds, talking points, speeches, and more for the President and CEO, Executive Staff, or Board of Directors 

• Author and/or edit key visual documents such as fact sheets, PowerPoint presentations, video, or other media.

• Support logistics for strategic engagements for the Office of the President and CEO related internal communications or government affairs.

• Develop relationships with key stakeholders, especially those in government or media, to support Chicago Commons’ strategic growth

• Author key communication pieces for the President and CEO, Executive Leadership, or Board of Directors for placement on various channels (email, social, etc.) targeting diverse communities.

• Author special grant requests (i.e., capital, discretionary, and more) from the public sector and monitor advocacy of these opportunities

• Partner with program staff to ensure that visits with elected officials or policy makers best represent the agency’s impact and brand

• Represent the organization’s mission, vision, brand, and values at assigned events and meetings

• Supervise assigned consultants, interns, or staff

• Other duties as assigned

Physical & Working Condition Requirements: 

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to perform successfully. 

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to speak English, specifically, to communicate both in person and over the telephone. The employee must regularly be able to read English proficiently. The employee must regularly operate a word-processing system and be able to read, produce and transmit data on such a system. The employee frequently is required to stand, walk, reach with hands and arms, and stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl. The employee must be able to lift and/or move up to 20 pounds occasionally. Specific vision requirements include the ability to see at a close range.

Employment Conditions: 

This job description is to ensure that essential functions and basic duties have been included. It is intended to provide guidelines for job expectations and the employee’s ability to perform the duties as described. This job description is not intended to be construed as an exhaustive list of all functions, responsibilities, skills, and abilities. Additional functions and requirements may be assigned as deemed appropriate commensurate to the position. This document does not represent a contract of employment, and Chicago Commons reserves the right to change this job description and /or assign tasks deemed appropriate. 

Chicago Commons is an equal-opportunity employer. We consider all applicants for employment without regard to race, religion, color, age, sex, national origin, citizenship, ancestry, marital or parental status, sexual orientation including gender identity, gender expression, military discharge status, physical or mental disability, or any other status or characteristic protected by law. In addition, Chicago Commons provides reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act and applicable state and local laws (including during the application or hiring process).