PROGRAM SPECIALIST

JOB ANNOUNCEMENT

PROGRAM SPECIALIST

Chicago Animal Care and Control

Number of Positions: 1

(Additional vacancies are possible pending budget approval)

Annual Starting Salary: $69,684

Applications for this position will be accepted beginning 3-30-26 until 11:59pm CDT on 4-13-26.

Under general supervision, coordinates specialized programs at Chicago Animal Care and Control and perform related duties as required.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES:

* Works independently, coordinating an assigned moderately sized project or program.

* Oversees, trains and evaluates staff engaged in program operations.

* Designs, implements and monitors procedures utilized in program evaluations.

* Assists with social media for Chicago Animal Care and Control.

* Monitors project and program activities for adherence to confidentiality standards, legal requirements, laws, ordinances, program and ethical guidelines.

* Interprets and applies municipal codes, regulations and procedures (e.g., licensing and permitting).

* Conduct studies and analyses of projects and programs, their operations and activities.

* Develops and implements new or revised operating policies, procedures and corrective action plans to ensure the effectiveness of project or program operations.

* Provides key program or project data to a Project or Program Manager on a timely basis.

* Plans work schedules and priorities for project or program activities.

* Participates in preparing project or program operating budgets, justifications and monitors budget expenditures.

* Monitors project or program to ensure compliance with applicable department requirements, ordinances, laws and funding requirements.

* Designs, implements and monitors procedures utilized in program evaluation.

* Develops marketing strategies to encourage participation in City projects and programs.

* Creates informational and training materials (e.g., webinars, social media posts, etc.).

* Audits and approves contractor and consultant vouchers for payment.

* Supports evaluation of proposals, as required.

* Acts as a liaison with City departments, public and private agencies and business organizations to secure commitments in providing services to program participants, sharing program information and obtaining additional funding support.

* Monitors and provides direction to consultants engaged in administering program activities.

* Prepares narrative and statistical programmatic status reports (e.g., performance metrics, dashboards, etc.).

* May assist with program policy development.

Additional duties may be required for this position

*This position requires you to work in an Animal Shelter with various types of animals*.

Location: Chicago Animal Care and Control

2741 S. Western Ave

Chicago, IL. 60608

Days: 5 Days a week (days may vary)

Hours/Shift: 7 hours per day (times may vary)

THIS POSITION IS IN THE CAREER SERVICE

Seven (7) years of work experience performing or supporting project or program administration functions.

OR

Graduation from an accredited college with an Associate's degree, in a field related to the responsibilities of the position, PLUS five (5) years of work experience performing or supporting project or program administration functions.

OR

Graduation from an accredited college or university with a Bachelor's degree, in a field related to the responsibilities of the position, PLUS three (3) years of work experience performing or supporting project or program administration functions.

OR

Graduation from an accredited college or university with a Master's degree, in a field related to the responsibilities of the position, or higher PLUS two (2) years of work experience performing or supporting project or program administration functions.

Educational & Employment Verification:

Please be advised that if you are selected to be hired you must provide, upon request, with adequate information regarding your educational and employment history as it relates to the qualifications of the position for which you are applying. If you received your degree internationally, all international transcripts/diploma must be accompanied by a Foreign Credential Evaluation. If the City of Chicago cannot verify this information, any offer extended to you will be withdrawn and you will not be hired.

SELECTION REQUIREMENTS

This position requires applicants to complete an interview. The interviewed candidate(s) possessing the qualifications best suited to fulfill the responsibilities of the position will be selected.

Desired Skills:

• Educational background in veterinary assistance or animal science.
• Previous experience in project coordination or specialized program support.
• Previous experience working with animals in a professional setting (shelter, vet clinic, boarding facility, etc.)
• Previous experience in implementing and evaluating specialized programs such as rescue coordination and animal behavior modification plans.

* Proficiency in Microsoft Office, including Excel and Outlook

For Information on our employees benefits please visit our benefits website at:

https://www.chicago.gov/city/en/depts/fin/benefits-office.html

For Information on our salary and title structure visit our classifications website at:

https://www.chicago.gov/content/dam/city/depts/dhr/supp_info/JobClassification/2025_Classification_and_Pay_Plan.pdf

APPLICATION EVALUATION: Initial evaluation will be based on information provided on the application and the documents submitted. The Department of Human Resource staff will review applications after the final posting date. Staff will follow any and all required Employment/Hiring Plan provisions, federal, state and local laws, and Collective Bargaining Agreements when applicable. Staff will apply hiring preferences as required by the municipal code. Placement on an eligibility list is not an offer or guarantee of an interview nor employment with the City of Chicago.

COMMITMENT TO DIVERSITY: To further our commitment to hiring applicants with diverse experience the City of Chicago has adopted the following ordinances 2-74-020 and 2-74-075. The ordinances provide a preference for applicants who meet minimum qualifications and who are veterans of the Armed Forces, and/or residents of Socio-Economically Disadvantaged Areas (SEDA) and/or Chicago Public School (CPS) high school graduates to be referred to departments for consideration. These hiring preferences do not apply to bidders, as Collective Bargaining Agreements define the hiring process for bidders. For positions covered by a collective bargaining agreement, bidders will be considered before external candidates. To learn more about our hiring practices click here.

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

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

City of Chicago

Brandon Johnson, Mayor