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.

Located within the Office of Teaching and Learning, the Professional Learning Department leads the district-wide strategy for professional learning that improves the student experience and outcomes aligned to the CPS Instructional Core Vision. This includes learning opportunities for teachers, teacher leaders, instructional coaches, school administrators, network instructional support leaders, network chiefs and deputies, and central office team members.

Job Summary:

Reporting to the Deputy Chief of Teaching & Learning, the Director of Teacher Development will ensure that the support provided by the Office of Teaching and Learning improves the student experience and outcomes aligned to the CPS Instructional Core Vision. The Director of Teacher Development will leverage their experience and expertise in the areas of professional learning and PreK-12 education to strengthen the impact and quality of professional learning across the district. This position is responsible for leading and coordinating the implementation of the Skyline professional learning plan and ensuring a quality control process for all internal and external district-level professional learning. This position will collaborate closely with departments across Teaching & Learning and other offices, departments, and teams across CPS, and will lead a team of direct reports in ensuring a coherent vision for PreK-12 professional learning is scaled throughout CPS. This is a full-time exempt position that will be paid for time worked on a salary basis.

The Director of Teacher Development will be held accountable for the following responsibilities:

• Lead strategy development and implementation for the Office of Teaching and Learning’s professional development systems, standards, evaluation, and communication, ensuring between teacher development, academic priorities, network support structures, and district-wide strategic initiatives

• Manage a high-functioning and collaborative team by providing leadership, professional development, feedback, and establishing objectives, defining results required in support of the strategic goals, and evaluating their performanceCreate systems for collaboration, performance management, professional growth, and shared accountability across the team

• Collaborate with cross-department Directors through centralized meeting structures to ensure school-facing supports reflect a coherent vision for teaching and learning across content areas

• Oversee the day-to-day operations of teacher development programs and initiatives

  • Use quantitative and qualitative data to evaluate the effectiveness of teacher development programs and initiatives, identify implementation barriers, and inform continuous-improvement efforts.  Facilitate regular progress monitoring and feedback cycles to deepen the impact of teacher development and professional learning

  • Oversee the systems, structures, and tools required for effective professional learning management, including scheduling, Learning Hub operations, communication workflows, and event logistics

  • Ensure resources, budgets, and timelines are managed effectively to support high-quality professional learning execution.

  • Lead vendor partnerships that support district priorities, including those focused on curriculum-based professional learning and successful implementation of high-quality curricula

• Keep abreast of innovative professional development techniques, strategies, and modalities to support the implementation and continuous improvement of the district’s professional learning strategy 

• Other duties and work streams as assigned

In order to be successful and achieve the above responsibilities, the Director of Teacher Development must possess the following qualifications: 

Education Required: 

• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university, required

• Valid teaching certificate issued by the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) with appropriate content and grade-level endorsement, required. 

• Master’s degree, preferred

• Google Certified Educator, Apple Distinguished Educator, and/or other Educational Technology-related certifications, preferred

Experience Required: 

• Minimum of seven (7) years of relevant professional experience in education leading the design, facilitation, and evaluation of professional development experiences for adult learners, including the following, is required:

  • Minimum of three (3) years of classroom teaching experience

• Experience leading a high-functioning team within the professional learning focus 

• Experience with program management, providing professional coaching, or managing others 

• Experience with strategic planning and adult learning to shape the cross-content district-wide professional learning strategy

• Experience leading curriculum adoption and implementation, preferred

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities: 

• Expertise in planning, designing, facilitating, and evaluating professional learning 

• Ability to model the intentional, effective use of instructional technology in professional learning contexts and daily work, including communications, organization, and management tasks

• Strong leadership and team building skills, e.g. ability to develop high-performing teams united around a clear vision for serving schools and achieving student success

• Effective strategic planning capabilities, including the ability to establish and articulate a vision and goals, set high standards, and effectively guide individuals and teams in the realization of expectations set

• Excellent leadership development and instructional leadership skills; capable of coaching managers toward excellence, building the capacity of content area teams, and developing meaningful and high-impact professional communities for teachers and school leaders

• Exceptional organizational skills; ability to effectively manage several work streams simultaneously

• Capable of building and sustaining positive, productive relationships with colleagues and stakeholders

• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills; comfortable collaborating and communicating across a diverse range of audiences, including network teams, principals, teachers, and support staff

• Deep knowledge of equity issues in education; Commitment to CPS Instructional Core Vision, and ensuring that all students have access to high-quality, grade-level, standards-aligned learning opportunities

• Ability to build consensus and leverage expertise with educators across the district 

• Ability to define problems, analyze data, and outline valid conclusions and action steps

• Excellent technology and computer skills, including familiarity with Google Suite, Microsoft Office tools etc.

Benefits:

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 are required to 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.