Department: Education 
Position Reports To: Cornelia Grumman, Director of Education
Location: Robert R. McCormick Foundation, Chicago, IL

About the Robert R. McCormick Foundation

The Robert R. McCormick Foundation is dedicated to fostering communities of educated, informed, and engaged citizens. Through philanthropic grant-making and Cantigny Park, the Foundation works to make life better in Chicagoland. The McCormick Foundation, among the nation's largest foundations with more than $1.5 billion in assets, was established in 1955 upon the death of Col. Robert R. McCormick, the longtime editor and publisher of the Chicago Tribune. The Foundation awards about $55 million a year across five grantmaking program areas.

About the Education Program

The Foundation has a decades-long commitment to supporting the education and healthy development of young children in Illinois, ages birth to eight, through investments in early education. A good portion of our nearly $6 million annual investment goes toward leveraging systemic change in the state’s early education system to improve the effectiveness and quality of care children receive. Ultimately, our aim is to help move the state toward ensuring that all Illinois children – particularly those most in need of extra support – arrive at kindergarten ready to thrive, and enter 3^rd grade on track in literacy and math.

The Education Program focuses its strategy on systemic ways of cultivating outstanding leaders, teachers and care providers, and to support parents to fully optimize their young child’s learning and development at home. The Program also aims to support its grantees to fully realize the impact of their work, and use our own voice to raise awareness and public understanding of these efforts and critical issues in early education.

Opportunity

The program is looking for an administrative and scheduling expert with excellent customer service skills. The Administrative Officer will own general office duties and event planning for the Education Program with partial support (20 percent) to the Special Initiatives Program. This position plays an important role in the Foundation’s frequent communications with grantees; and managing logistics for convenings with other funders, and local and national stakeholders. The ideal candidate is a self-starter who thrives on creating efficiencies and supporting the team.

Responsibilities

• Coordinate logistics and provide general administrative support for meetings and events in the Education Program.
• Handle scheduling for the Education Program Director and the Special Initiatives Director.
• Manage follow-up communications with various Education program partners and grantees via phone and email.
• Assist in the preparation of the Education Programs’ presentations to the Board of Directors.
• Provide back-up support to the Education Program Officer including grants and financial management, and other tasks.
• Establish and maintain an efficient and orderly paper and electronic filing systems and recommends files for destruction or archiving annually.
• Maintain a close working relationship with fellow Foundation programs, departments, and individuals to leverage expertise and assets for maximum effect, including occasional assistance with the grants management system across teams.
• Provide back-up administrative support to the Special Initiatives Program.
• Provide for personal safety in the workplace by attending and completing all required safety training, knowing and following existing safety rules including the applicable use   of personal protection equipment, the proper operation of tools/machinery and proper   handling of hazardous materials, and reporting any unsafe conditions to respective supervisor.

Qualifications

• Minimum three to five years of experience specifically in administrative, meeting, or event planning/logistics roles
• Bachelor’s degree preferred
• Excellent computer skills and comfort with programs such as GIFTS, TRAVERSE, Microsoft Office Suite, and MS Project
• Strong customer service orientation
• Outstanding project management skills and attention to detail
• Must be able to work efficiently in a fast-paced, impact-oriented, collaborative environment
• All offers are contingent upon successful completion of a criminal background check and drug screening

To apply: submit a resume and cover letter to [email protected]

Cantigny Park and the Robert R. McCormick Foundation provide equal employment opportunity (EEO) to all persons regardless of age, color, national origin, citizenship status, individuals with disabilities, race, religion, creed, gender, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression, genetic information, marital and housing status.