EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR - BOARD OF ETHICS

City of Chicago, IL; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

City of Chicago Department of Law seeks an Executive Director for the Board of Ethics to oversee governance, integrity, and compliance with city ethics laws. The role directs staff, manages programs and budgets, and advises leadership on ethics policy and enforcement matters.

The position requires a law degree and substantial leadership experience in public administration or government settings, with a commitment to equity and transparency in city governance.

Qualifications

• Five years of leadership experience in government, non-profit, or large-scale organization managing people, programs, and budgets.
• Graduation from an ABA-accredited law school with a law degree.

Responsibilities

• Oversee day-to-day programs and operations of the Board of Ethics.
• Guide staff to align with the department's vision and mission.
• Lead development of standards ensuring integrity in City government operations.
• Prepare and present department budgets and resources to City Council.
• Advise Mayor and collaborate with City departments on ethics and compliance matters.

Skills

Leadership

Budget management

Strategic planning

Stakeholder engagement

Education

Juris Doctor (J.D.) / ABA-accredited law school

Tools

MS Office

Budgeting software

Job description

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Job Description - EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR - BOARD OF ETHICS (9978-BOE-2026)

The Board of Ethics ("The Board") administers the City of Chicago's Governmental Ethics and Campaign Financing Ordinances and other laws adopted to help ensure that City officials and the City’s over 30,000 employees avoid conflicts of interests. The Board's activities include providing confidential advice; educating City personnel, vendors, lobbyists, and the public about ordinances; regulating lobbyists and campaign contributors; distributing and maintaining financial disclosure statements for public inspection; and referring complaints and adjudicating completed investigations related to the Governmental Ethics and Campaign Financing Ordinances.

The Executive Director of the Board of Ethics oversees the general management and control of the Board’s staff and works in collaboration with the Board’s appointed Members to organize their monthly meetings and advise them on the disposition of matters that come before it. The position has full and complete authority to administer the department in a manner consistent with applicable ordinances, rules, and regulations.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES

• Manages day-to-day programs and operations which includes: providing confidential advice; educating City personnel, vendors, lobbyists, and the public about ordinances; regulating lobbyist and campaign contributors; distributing and maintaining financial disclosure statements for public inspection; and referring complaints and adjudicating completed investigations
• Directs and works with staff to ensure the quality, scope, and suitability of program activities reflects the vision and mission of the department
• Encourages and exercises leadership in the development of standards which maintain integrity in the operation of City government
• Demonstrates commitment to equity, diversity, and inclusion in all areas of operations, including staffing, policies, and programming
• Undertakes responsibility for achieving departmental goals and objectives through senior level teams
• Directs departmental operations including, but not limited to, personnel budgets, departmental policies, programs and services, contracts, and funding
• Drives innovation and strategic planning to develop programs, partnerships, and services
• Serves as key advisor to the Mayor by developing and leading the City’s agenda on issues related to maintaining integrity in the operation of City government
• Provides regular reports to the Mayor’s Office and departmental operations, metrics, reforms, and initiatives
• Identifies opportunities and works collaboratively across all City departments and sister agencies to advance administration priorities and initiatives
• Prepares and presents department’s budget to City Council
• Assists and participates in the implementation of Mayoral priorities
• Represents the Mayor’s Office and the department at key city-wide events (e.g., speaking events, forums, and press conferences) and in the negotiation of union contracts
• Ensures that all activities are carried out in alignment with both the City’s ethics codes and specific grant requirements
• Attends regular cabinet meetings and Mayor’s Office and departmental meetings, as requested

Additional duties may be required for this position.

Location

740 North Sedgwick Street Chicago, IL 60654

Qualifications

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

Education, Training, and Experience

• This is a Shakman Exempt - appointed position
• Successful candidates to possess the following:
• Five (5) years of work experience in a leadership role, preferably in a government, non-profit or a large-scale organization, which includes a strong track record of managing people, programs and budgets
• Graduation from an American Bar Association (ABA) accredited law school.

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

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

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 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.

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