PROJECTS ADMINISTRATOR 

Job Number:

0311.3-CDPH-2023

Description

JOB ANNOUNCEMENT

Projects Administrator

Bureau of Community Health

Epidemiology

Number of Positions: 1

WORKING WITH THE CHICAGO DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC HEALTH

CDPH works with communities and partners to create an equitable, safe, resilient and Healthy Chicago.

OVERVIEW OF HEALTHY CHICAGO 2025

The Chicago Department of Public Health (CDPH) envisions a city of thriving communities where all residents can live healthy lives. Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, however, a white Chicagoan lived 8.8 years longer on average than a Black Chicagoan, and life expectancy was declining for all racial and ethnic groups except whites. This is unjust, unacceptable – and preventable. Every five years, CDPH and a wide range of Chicago organizations review data and work with community members to understand the needs and strengths of our neighborhoods. We launched our current health improvement plan, Healthy Chicago 2025 (HC2025), in Fall 2020. The plan is a call to action to address the drivers of Chicago’s life expectancy gap.

Overview of Office of Research and Evaluation (ORE)

Within the Bureau of Community Health at CDPH, the Office of Research and Evaluation promotes the application of research, evaluation, and assessment to CDPH to increase the knowledge and support recommendations for best practices for CDPH programs and services. The CDPH ORE aims to advance the Healthy Chicago 2025 priority areas and address drivers of Chicago’s racial life expectancy gaps by serving as a liaison between CDPH and community partners to help build research capacity, define community-driven research questions, and build partnerships with academic institutions. CDPH ORE works to identify grant opportunities and grant preparation for research, evaluation, needs assessments and outcome measurement projects. CDPH ORE also serves as a liaison to local and national academic stakeholders including universities, research institutes and policy think tanks to initiate collaborative projects and integrate CDPH programs and staff into grant opportunities. CDPH ORE promotes the increased use and creation of research and scholarship among CDPH staff and their stakeholder organizations.

ROLE SUMMARY

Under direction of the Director of Epidemiology and as an essential member of the Chicago Department of Public Health, the Projects Administrator (PA) has a vital role in promoting the application of research, evaluation, and assessment in CDPH bureaus, programs and services. This position plans and directs the full scope of research and evaluation activities for the Chicago Department of Public Health, including establishing partnerships with universities and other research organizations and developing or integrating collaborative projects or special studies that aim to improve public health outcomes in the city of Chicago. The PA will coordinate data sharing with academic, government and community partners working with administrative teams, legal counsel and stakeholders to define and identify priorities for research and evaluation and implementing studies. PA will work with CDPH staff to identify and initiate opportunities for scholarship and dissemination of data through scientific journals and conferences. 

ESSENTIAL DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES

• Providing leadership, direction, and administrative oversight for the CDPH Office of Research and Evaluation
• Developing and coordinating special research and evaluation studies with academic partners
• Developing and applying research projects in an applied setting, including researching and specifying methods and approaches, developing analytic plans, analyzing data, communicating results and assisting with interpretation and application to practice and policy
• Developing administrative and scientific structure to support scientific scholarship and publishing journal articles by CDPH staff
• Developing research capacity-building opportunities and training community partners on how to integrate research and evaluation into project planning
• Leading development of collaborative projects with academic and other research institutions; monitors and reports to management on any partnership issues
• Monitoring the effectiveness of program changes and recommending modifications as needed
• Researching programs and services provided by other cities and agencies and incorporating best practices into existing programs
• Working across City departments, public and private agencies and other service providers to coordinate data collection, tracking and reporting procedures and to improve the sharing of research data
• Providing research and evaluation consultations and technical assistance to public health sector, other cross-sector government and community partners seeking health system level changes in plans or projects
• Leading writing proposals and grant applications to obtain funding for projects and to collaborate with external stakeholders
• May participate in program development and monitoring of grant funded projects
• Supervising a team engaged in conducting research studies, analyzing data, leading collaborations with external partners
• Supporting community partners in co-development of hyperlocal research agendas and connecting partners to research and program evaluation information, services, and best practices
• Other duties as assigned

Location: 333 South State Street, Chicago, IL 60604

Days: Monday - Friday

Hours: 8:30 am – 4:30 pm

THIS POSITION IS IN THE CAREER SERVICE

Qualifications

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

EDUCATION

• Graduation from an accredited college or university with a Bachelor’s degree in Business, Public Administration, or a field of study directly related to the responsibilities of the position.

EXPERIENCE

• Five years of project management experience, or an equivalent combination of training and experience.

OTHER KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, ATTRIBUTES, AND ABILITIES

• Master’s or Doctoral degree in a public health-related field (Public Health, Epidemiology, Community Health, Administration) is preferred.
• (8) Eight years of progressively responsible research experience.
• Advanced knowledge of research methods, analysis and techniques
• Advanced knowledge of statistical methods and procedures
• Advanced knowledge of participatory research and evaluation approach best practices
• Ability to design and conduct research studies
• Ability to analyze, monitor and evaluate program effectiveness.
• Ability to prepare narrative and statistical reports, grants and scientific journal articles
• Experience publishing in scientific journals as a primary contributor

ABOUT YOU

You have a strong focus on CDPH’s core values, which are: 

• Anti-Racism – a commitment to dismantling systemic racism to create an organizational culture that actively supports anti-racist efforts and is committed to recognizing, addressing, and eradicating all forms of racism within the department and the community. 
• Informed Decision Making – collect, share, and operationalize data to support public health decisions and actions to improve health and achieve our mission. CDPH leverages appropriate data infrastructure and technology to drive decisions and assess performance. 
• Teamwork – cultivate belonging and respect for colleagues and community partners. Act responsibly and work cooperatively to ensure effective communication. Encourage each other to grow and achieve our common goals. 
• Excellence – value creativity, innovation, and exploration; continuously seek ways to improve processes and systems by working together with integrity, honesty, compassion, and transparency. 

All employees of the City of Chicago must demonstrate commitment to and compliance with applicable state and federal laws, City ordinances and rules; the City's Ethics standards; and other City policies and procedures. Equivalent foreign degrees, accreditations, and credentials in evaluating qualifications will be considered. The City of Chicago is an Equal Employment Opportunity and Military Friendly Employer. 

ALL REFERENCES TO POLITICAL SPONSORSHIP OR RECOMMENDATION MUST BE OMITTED FROM ALL APPLICATION MATERIALS SUBMITTED FOR CITY EMPLOYMENT.

This position is funded by a federal grant. These funds may be extended, but CDPH cannot guarantee this position will be funded past July 2024.

The City of Chicago is an Equal Employment Opportunity and Military Friendly Employer.

City of Chicago Department of Human Resources

Lori Lightfoot, Mayor Christopher Owen, Commissioner

Applications for this position will be accepted until 11:59 pm CDT on 04/25/2023

Job Posting

: May 1, 2023, 6:20:21 PM | 

Closing Date (Period for Applying) - External

: May 16, 2023, 4:59:00 AM

Salary: $90,120 - $97,548 

Pay Basis

:Yearly

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