Associate Vice Chancellor-Government Affairs and Civic Engagement

City Colleges of Chicago’s vision is to be recognized as the city’s most accessible higher education engine of socioeconomic mobility and racial equity – empowering all Chicagoans to take part in building a stronger and more just city. The community college system’s more than 3,500 faculty and staff serve more than 60,000 students annually at seven colleges and five satellite sites. 

The mission of the Office of Legislative & Community Affairs is to: 

Ø  provide legislative, regulatory, and financial support to CCC through proactive representation at the local, state, and federal levels of government    

Ø  build and maintain a strong community relations program with external stakeholders  

Ø  advance and strengthen CCC’s commitment to civic and community engagement  

PRIMARY OBJECTIVE 

Reporting to the Vice Chancellor for Legislative and Community Affairs, the Associate Vice Chancellor-Government Affairs and Civic Engagement, is responsible for enhancing the District’s relationships with government officials at all levels and to maintain positive community relations.  In collaboration with the VC and senior executive leadership, the AVC works on legislative issues beneficial to CCC and fosters working relationships with elected officials, government agencies, and industry experts.

The AVC is also accountable for Civic Engagement and other special initiatives that reside within the Office of Legislative and Community Affairs:

·         Civic Engagement: Management oversight of Civic Engagement unit; leads initiatives and strategies  for building CCC’s capacity to cultivate community partnerships and explore student pathways for community involvement, leadership development, and civic responsibility.

·         Timuel Black Scholarship & Fellowship:   Oversees program initiatives providing scholarships and leadership development workshops centered on Chicago history and activism to support students, in their social justice works and career development in the social justice sector.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES

Government Affairs

·         Leads and manages CCC’s governmental relations functions to include strategy/policy development and government advocacy activities in collaboration with VC - Legislative & Community Affairs.    

·         Coordinates with college presidents and senior leadership to implement strategies to increase state and local government’s awareness of CCC’s programs, planned initiatives, and institutional needs. 

·         Researches higher education and public policy issues; analyzes and monitors proposed legislative and regulatory actions impacting CCC’s programs and funding and higher education in general; and communicates legislative matters to senior leadership. 

·         Implements strategies to engage external and internal stakeholders in supporting CCC’s legislative agenda.  Develops and disseminates key messages to public/elected officials and key stakeholders.  

·         Provides operational support for stakeholder engagement efforts, including organizing meetings with elected officials, and relevant community groups.  

·         Drafts position papers, reports, fact sheets and other informational materials to effectively communicate CCC’s views and position on proposed legislation, enacted laws, and government regulations and to enlist support for CCC’s interests. 

·         Prepares a quarterly legislative data impact report for local and state legislative officials in collaboration with decision support department. 

·          May travel to Springfield, Illinois and/or Washington D.C. for legislative sessions.  

Civic Engagement

·         Works collaboratively with key stakeholders in developing strategies and providing opportunities for student involvement in civic engagement activities such as individual volunteerism, collective engagement, and electoral participation. 

·         Cultivates community partnerships designed to give students opportunities to explore pathways to community involvement, leadership development, and civic responsibility and to foster awareness of societal issues and address issues of public concern.

Timuel Black Scholarship Program

·         Provides management oversight of the Timuel Black Scholarship & Fellowship (TBSF) Program.   

·         Supports the Director-Civic Programs in working with CCC Foundation and district leadership to implement fundraising plans to build long term sustainability for the program’s scholarship component.  

·         Monitors fund distribution to scholarships to students identified as emerging community leaders and the use of funds for leadership development workshops centered on Chicago history and activism to address social justice issues. 

REPORTING RELATIONSHIPS

Reports To                         Vice Chancellor for Legislative and Community Affairs     

Direct Supervision           Director-Civic Programs

QUALIFICATIONS

·         Master’s degree from an accredited college or university in Government Relations, Public Affairs, Political Science or a related field OR a Juris Doctor from an American Bar Association (ABA) accredited law school

·         Five years of government and/or public affairs or public policy development or advocacy work experience, preferably for a higher education institution or not-for-profit organization

·         Work experience in higher education public policy development highly desirable

·         Knowledge and understanding of CCC’s mission, goals, and strategic initiatives  

·         Knowledge of local, state, and federal legislative and executive processes

·         Highly developed interpersonal skills

·         Excellent verbal and written communication experience

·         Skill in analyzing and interpreting legislation and policy documents

·         Demonstrated ability to effectively advocate for institutional needs to elected and appointed officials, stakeholders, and the public

·         Ability to exercise tact and diplomacy in handling sensitive situations

·         Ability to work effectively within a culturally diverse environment

·         Ability to develop and maintain partnerships with business, industry, and the community

·         Must be able to travel to Springfield and/or Washington D.C.

·         Must be able to work some evenings and weekends

·         Proficiency in the use of Microsoft Office 365 (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Teams)

Salary Range: $122,579 - $130,000

Offered salary will be determined by the applicant's education, knowledge, skills and abilities, as well as other factors such as internal equity.

Benefits information is found at https://www.ccc.edu/departments/Benefits/

WE OFFER: Excellent health and welfare benefit package and long-term savings and investment programs including 403(b) & 457(b) Investment Plans and a pension plan with the State University Retirement System (SURS) Plan. Generous vacation, holiday, personal and sick days, and tuition reimbursement. For a more detailed overview of benefits, please visit the benefits page of our website.

We are an equal opportunity and affirmative action employer. Chicago residency is required for all full-time employees within 6 months of hire. Thank you for your interest in CCC!