Education & School Partnerships Manager

Chicago Children’s Theatre is seeking a diverse pool of candidates that have a passion for working with children for the position of Education & School Partnerships Manager. Candidates with arts education experience will be prioritized for this position.  The hired candidate will be supported by the CCT Education Team who are experienced with our curriculum building, lesson planning, and programming.

This position is an early-career opportunity to gain exposure and skill development throughout several aspects of our progressive & visionary non-profit arts organization.

About Chicago Children’s Theatre

Since its launch in 2005, Chicago Children’s Theatre has cemented its reputation as the city’s largest professional theatre company devoted exclusively to children and families. The company evolved out of Chicago’s need for high-quality, professional year-round children’s programming to match the quality and significance of theatrical powerhouses such as Steppenwolf Theatre Company, Goodman Theatre, and Lookingglass Theatre. Likewise, CCT has always believed children should be treated as the sophisticated audiences that they are, showcasing high-profile and award-winning talent, inventive production values and compelling stories that challenge, educate, and entertain.

Education Programming Vision

The Education Department of Chicago Children’s Theatre aims to empower the next generation of performers, innovators, and collaborators. Through theatre education, we not only foster students’ artistic skills, but develop confident voices, encourage open-mindedness, and build community. Our programs are led by experienced teaching artists who are passionate about championing young people’s stories regardless of background. Our programs emphasize student authorship, youth empowerment, and community leadership.

Below is the list of normal job duties, but it is not exhaustive.

Administration of Residencies & Offsite Classes (estimated as 50% of workload, subject to change)

• Coordinate and supervise all off-site classes, camps, and workshops in 10+ school and community partners – including but not limited to in-school residencies, after-school residencies, ROAR (Residencies of Arts and Resilience), off-site summer camps.
• Provide clear and effective written communication of residency details, policies, and procedures to residency partners, CCT teaching artists, and families.
• Schedule and execute contracts for teaching artists and residency partners.
• Provide in-person and remote support for teaching artists and school partners to ensure quality of residencies.
• Create and issue post-program surveys to residency partners for evaluation and improvement of programs.
• Process payroll for residencies in coordination with Director of Education.
• Manage part-time Education staff in completion of administrative tasks to support implementation and well-being of residencies.

Strategic Planning and Relationship Building (estimated as 30% of workload, subject to change)

• Seek out new residency partners aligned with CCT Education’s strategic vision and goals.
• Foster meaningful relationships between Chicagoland school partners and CCT.
• Travel to residency sites across Chicago to conduct pre-residency visits and build rapport with principals, teachers, and other partners.
• Capture feedback, attendance data, and testimonials for marketing and grant reporting.
• Create and manage budgets for residencies and curriculum development initiatives.
• Communicate and collaborate frequently with fellow full-time Education staff to schedule, plan, and execute departmental projects.

Teaching, Teacher Training, Curriculum Development (estimated as 10% of workload, subject to change)

• Mentor, supervise, and coordinate lesson-planning support for teaching artists.
• Oversee interviewing, hiring, and onboarding of prospective teaching artists.
• Provide support to teaching artists to develop and implement unique curriculum aligned with arts and SEL standards.

Personnel Support of Camps and Classes (estimated as 5% of workload, subject to change)

• Provide daily personnel support for onsite and offsite summer camps.
• Provide personnel support for on-site after-school classes and other events as needed, in coordination with Education and other CCT staff.

Marketing Collaboration (estimated as 5% of workload, subject to change)

• Collaborate with CCT marketing staff and relevant community partners (CIS Chicago, Ingenuity) on outreach efforts in the Chicagoland area.
• Execute targeted appeals to families and school partners (emails, phone calls, school visits).

Qualifications, Skills, and Experience:

• 2+ years experience in arts administration, education administration, and/or similar administrative role.
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively with a wide range of internal and external personalities in a professional and congenial manner.
• A dedication to access, inclusion, and anti-racism.
• A passion for working with children and supporting their interest in the arts as well as their overall development.
• Understanding and passion for providing opportunities to help students develop empathy and broaden their understanding of each other and the world around them using theatre techniques and exercises.
• Enthusiasm for working in a collaborative artistic environment with artists, educators, and children.
• Familiarity with the landscape of arts education within the Chicago Public School system.
• Familiarity with  devising theatre and the Chicago theatre landscape is ideal, but not required.
• Morning and daytime availability during the summer, Monday-Friday.
• Excellent written and verbal communication.
• Strong organizational and time management skills, and the ability to manage multiple projects at once..
• Eagerness to plan ahead and to problem solve.
• Ability to travel to residency locations in all areas of Chicago with regularity (via employee’s personal vehicle is preferred and qualifies for mileage reimbursement, reimbursement via public transit also available).
• Ability to pass a background check in accordance with state and federal laws.
• Spanish language proficiency is ideal, but not required.
• A sense of humor!

Working Environment:

Position may include occasional lifting (up to 50 lbs individually), carrying, pushing &/or pulling, climbing & balancing, stooping, kneeling, crouching &/or crawling.

We are an equal-opportunity employer committed to accessibility and inclusion for all staff, students, and patrons, and priority will not be given to those with the ability to perform the physical tasks listed.

Programming and administration take place at Chicago Children’s Theatre in the West Loop, and a variety of residency locations across Chicago, ranging from Hyde Park to Lincoln Park.