COORDINATOR OF COMMUNITY SERVICES

City of Chicago Department of Law; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 70,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

City of Chicago Department of Law is seeking a Coordinator of Community Services to develop and supervise community outreach programs, liaise with local groups, and coordinate emergency communications. The role emphasizes collaboration with diverse communities and reporting on program progress.

The position requires extensive knowledge of social services and strong communication skills, with a focus on public safety and service delivery. On-site work is expected in Chicago.

Qualifications

• Eight years of community or social service work experience or equivalent education with related experience.
• Transcripts or diploma may be required at processing time where applicable.
• Knowledge of social services programs, public relations, and program evaluation.
• Ability to work with diverse communities and groups.

Responsibilities

• Develops recommendations to improve community service programs and presents to managers.
• Reviews reports reflecting unemployment, housing, social services trends and actions.
• Works with the community through clubs, schools, sports and cultural groups to solve problems.
• Establishes and maintains rapport between community institutions and the City.
• Serves as liaison with community groups and represents the department at meetings.
• Coordinates establishment and maintenance of a central communications center during emergencies.

Skills

Active learning

Active listening

Critical thinking

Complex problem solving

Coordination with others

Persuasion

Service orientation

Social perceptiveness

Judgement and decision making

Education

eight years experience or higher

Associate's degree in Social Sciences or related

Bachelor's degree in Social Sciences or related

Master's degree or higher in Social Sciences or related

Tools

Microsoft Office Suite

Google Workspace

Job description

Job Description - COORDINATOR OF COMMUNITY SERVICES (416523)

Applications for this position will be accepted until 11:59 pm DST on Monday, October 12, 2026.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES

• Develops recommendations for the improvement of various community service programs and presents same to departmental managers
• Reviews reports from unit offices reflecting trends, issues, and recommended actions regarding unemployment, housing, social services, and other community problems
• Works with the community through existing block clubs, social media, school councils, and sports and cultural groups in order to seek means of solving community problems
• Refers problems and concerns to local social agencies equipped to deal with them
• Establishes and maintains good rapport between community institutions and the City
• Serves as liaison with community groups and represents the department at community meetings as required
• Assists with gathering, drafting and disseminating information about programs and activities
• Coordinates the establishment and maintenance of a central communications center during emergency situations to ensure proper practices and timely delivery of services
• Prepares periodic reports on the activities, status, and progress of various community programs
• Plans, coordinates, and oversees the administration of special and seasonal programs and activities

Additional duties may be required for this position

Location

Jardine Water Purification Plant

THIS POSITION IS CAREER SERVICE.

Qualifications

Minimum Qualifications

• Eight (8) years of community or social service work experience, OR
• Graduation from an accredited college with an Associate's degree in the Social Sciences or a directly related field, plus six (6) years community or social service experience, OR
• Graduation from an accredited college or university with a Bachelor's degree in the Social Sciences or a directly related field, plus four (4) years community or social service experience, OR
• Graduation from an accredited college or university with a Master's degree or higher in the Social Sciences or a directly related field, plus three (3) years community or social service experience

You must provide a copy of your transcripts/diploma at the time of processing, if applicable.

EQUIPMENT

• Standard office equipment (e.g., phone, printer, copier, computers, mobile devices)
• Standard productivity suites (e.g., Microsoft Office Suite, Google Workspace, etc.)

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, ABILITIES, AND OTHER WORK REQUIREMENTS

Knowledge

Considerable knowledge of:

• social services programs and resources
• promotional and public relations methods, practices, and procedures
• specialty program planning, development, coordination, and evaluation
• *particular needs, issues, and concerns of specific communities or groups (e.g., the elderly, disabled persons, domestic violence victims, youth)
• *social, developmental, cultural, environmental, and legislative issues and trends impacting targeted populations

Some knowledge of:

• applicable federal, state, and local laws, regulations, and guidelines
• applicable computer software packages and applications
• Knowledge of applicable City and department policies, procedures, rules, regulations, and ordinances

Skills

• *ACTIVE LEARNING - Understand the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making
• *ACTIVE LISTENING - Give full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, ask questions as appropriate, and not interrupt at inappropriate times
• *CRITICAL THINKING - Use logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems
• *COMPLEX PROBLEM SOLVING - Identify complex problems and review related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions
• *COORDINATION WITH OTHERS - Adjust actions in relation to others' actions
• *PERSUASION - Persuade others to change their minds or behavior
• *SERVICE ORIENTATION - Actively look for ways to help people
• *SOCIAL PERCEPTIVENESS - Demonstrate awareness of others' reactions and understand why they react as they do
• *JUDGEMENT AND DECISION MAKING - Consider the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one

Abilities

• COMPREHEND ORAL INFORMATION - Listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences
• COMPREHEND WRITTEN INFORMATION - Read and understand information and ideas presented in writing
• WRITE - Communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand
• REASON TO SOLVE PROBLEMS - Apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense
• DEMONSTRATE ORIGINALITY - Come up with unusual or clever ideas about a given topic or situation, or to develop creative ways to solve a problem
• MAKE SENSE OF INFORMATION - Quickly make sense of, combine, and organize information into meaningful patterns
• REACH CONCLUSIONS - Combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events)

Other Work Requirements

• INITIATIVE - Demonstrate willingness to take on job challenges
• COOPERATION - Be pleasant with others on the job and display a good-natured, cooperative attitude
• CONCERN FOR OTHERS - Demonstrate sensitivity to others' needs and feelings and be understanding and helpful on the job
• ADAPTABILITY/FLEXIBILITY - Be open to change (positive or negative) and to considerable variety in the workplace
• DEPENDABILITY - Demonstrate reliability, responsibility, and dependability and fulfill obligations
• ATTENTION TO DETAIL - Pay careful attention to detail and thoroughness in completing work tasks
• INDEPENDENCE - Develop own ways of doing things, guide oneself with little or no supervision, and depend mainly on oneself to get things done
• INNOVATION - Think creatively about alternatives to come up with new ideas for and answers to work-related problems
• ANALYTICAL THINKING - Analyze information and using logic to address work or job issues and problems

SELECTION REQUIREMENTS

This position requires an applicant to successfully complete an interview with a writing exercise.

The interviewed candidate(s) possessing the qualifications best suited to fulfill the responsibilities of the position based on the written and oral assessment, will be selected.

APPLICATION EVALUATION

Initial evaluation will be based on information provided on the application and the documents submitted. 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 to 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

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://my.chicago.gov/dam/intranet/documents/depts/dhr/INFORMATION/2026_Classification_and_Pay_Plan.pdf

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

The City of Chicagois an Equal Employment Opportunity, Military Friendly, and Fair Chance Employer

City of Chicago