CULTURAL AFFAIRS COORD II

JOB ANNOUNCEMENT

Cultural Affairs Coordinator II

DEPARTMENT OF CULTURAL AFFAIRS AND SPECIAL EVENTS (DCASE)

Cultural Grants and Resources Division, Cultural Grants

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.

The Cultural Affairs Coordinator II, Grants position in DCASE's Cultural Grants and Resources Division will report to the Program Director, Grants. The position will be responsible for coordinating and supporting several grant initiatives, community engagement, outreach, partnerships, professional development, and technical assistance strategies to strengthen the capacity of Chicago's arts and culture sector and connect artists and arts organizations with City of Chicago grants, resources, facilities, processes, and procedures. The positions will also require candidates with multi-disciplinary understanding of exhibitions, performance production, public art, and other artistic projects to assess and evaluate grant proposals and provide guidance and advice to applicants and grantees in the planning and execution of artistic projects. In this capacity, the positions will perform the following duties:

ESSENTIAL DUTIES

General

• Coordinate and support day-to-day operations and procedures for Cultural Grants programs and initiatives
• Support outreach and applicant assistance to broaden the scope and reach of Cultural Grants programs throughout the city
• Respond to inquiries from grantees, the public, and other City departments
• Ensure grantee compliance with all required materials and reports, complete basic reviews of narrative and financial material
• Support ongoing data collection and analysis of applicants and recipients of DCASE Cultural Grants
• Attend arts performances, exhibitions, events, and programs as DCASE representative
• Perform related duties as required

Grant Cycle Project Management

• Coordinate and support efficient and timely project management of designated grant program cycles
• Respond to applicant inquiries and organize application assistance opportunities such as webinars and info sessions
• Lead key functions for grant application review cycles, including checking applications for eligibility, facilitating panel discussions, evaluating grant proposals, completing required due diligence, and providing feedback to declined applicants
• Support recruitment and training of members of the Chicago arts community to serve on external panel review committees
• Collaborate with DCASE Marketing and Communications division to spread awareness of grant programs and grantees through website updates, social media, press releases, e-newsletters, partnerships with local organizations, and outreach to Alders

Grant Operations

• Learn and administer key functions in Cultural Grants online database CyberGrants, including application and records management, building applications and panel reviews, and completing data entry and impact reports
• Collaborate with DCASE Finance and Development division to process contracts and payments via the City's financial management systems; provide relevant training and support to grantees
• Present and facilitate meetings and webinars using online platforms such as Zoom and Microsoft teams

Community Engagement

• Facilitate key functions in reporting and site visits for designated grant program cycles
• Communicate with grantees and potential applicants throughout the year about their proposals and projects
• Collaborate with Cultural Resources team and other DCASE divisions to coordinate and conduct professional development and technical assistance programs for current or potential applicants to Cultural Grants programs

Grant Strategy

• Engage in team planning for annual updates to designated grant programs such as review of goals, guidelines, evaluation criteria
• Assist team with annual DCASE budget process, funder reports, other documents summarizing impact
• Collaborate with DCASE Development team to support efforts to seek and sustain funding from private and public funders
• Attend trainings and programs as part of Chicago's arts philanthropic community, staying up to date on current trends and sector needs, ways to connect the arts sector to resources and services

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

* Previous work experience in developing public programs or presenting and producing events

* Previous work experience in grants management

* Previous 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 organizational 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. Experience with video conferencing software, including Zoom and Microsoft Teams, or willingness to learn. Experience working with financial payment systems, or willingness to learn.

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