CULTURAL AFFAIRS COORD II

JOB ANNOUNCEMENT

Cultural Affairs Coordinator II

DEPARTMENT OF CULTURAL AFFAIRS AND SPECIAL EVENTS (DCASE)

Cultural Grants and Resources Division, Cultural Resources

Number of Positions: 1

(Additional vacancies possible pending budget approval)

Starting Salary: $67,656

Applications for this position will be accepted until 11:59pm CDT on 06/02/2025

All qualified and interested candidates must apply online at

Chi.gov/DCASEJobs

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.

Cultural Affairs Coordinator II, Cultural Resources position in DCASE's Cultural Grants and Resources Division will report to the Program Director, Cultural Resources. The position will advance the priorities of the Cultural Resources team, including 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 requires multi-disciplinary understanding of exhibitions, performance production, public art, and other artistic projects to develop responsive professional development resources. In this capacity, the position will perform the following:

ESSENTIAL DUTIES

General

• Coordinate and support day-to-day operations and procedures for Cultural Resources programs and initiatives, from planning to reporting
• Respond to inquiries from the public and other City departments
• 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

Community Engagement and Outreach

• Coordinate and develop public/private partnerships to broaden the scope and reach of DCASE's Cultural Grants and Resources programs and resources throughout the city
• Attend events as a DCASE ambassador, to promote program offerings to artists, arts nonprofits, and creative businesses
• Assist in connecting creative workers, organizations, and businesses to resources across City departments
• Collaborate with DCASE's Marketing & Communications division to spread awareness of DCASE resources and opportunities by developing press releases, social media, updating website content, providing newsletter updates, and conducting outreach to Aldermanic offices

Professional Development Coordination and Creative Worker Advocacy

• Organize and conduct in person and virtual professional development programs, technical assistance workshops, informational sessions, office hours, grantee workshops, and other training as needed in collaboration with other DCASE divisions
• 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
• Support the ongoing work of the Creative Worker Rights campaign, and other artist and creative worker advocacy efforts

Operations and Strategy

• Support current interagency programs and partnerships (including racial equity action planning, updating of the Chicago Equity Dashboard) and participate in the development of new interdepartmental initiatives
• Coordinate with the department's Finance and Development team to establish appropriate contracting for programs, coordinate program budgets and expenditures, develop and support RFP processes, and coordinate with Office of Budget Management and Law Department as necessary

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.

For Information on our employees benefits please visit our benefits website at:

https://www.chicago.gov/city/en/depts/fin/benefits-office.html

For Information on our salary and title structure visit our classifications website at:

https://www.chicago.gov/content/dam/city/depts/dhr/supp_info/JobClassification/2025_Classification_and_Pay_Plan.pdf

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 practices click here.

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

The City of Chicago is an Equal Employment Opportunity, Military Friendly, and Fair Chance Employer.

City of Chicago

Brandon Johnson, Mayor