PROGRAM SPECIALIST

City of Chicago; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 61,000 - 83,000; Full time

Job summary

The City of Chicago seeks a Program Specialist-IGA, BX15 in the Intergovernmental Affairs Division at O'Hare. Two positions, starting salary $71,772 yearly, with potential additional vacancies. Typical hours 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m., salary paid yearly, closing date Oct 15, 2026.

Responsibilities include coordinating projects, tracking federal/state/city legislation, preparing briefing materials, and liaising with officials and stakeholders to support departmental initiatives.

Qualifications

• Seven years of work experience performing or supporting project or program administration functions.
• Associate's degree plus five years in related work.
• Bachelor's degree plus three years in related work.
• Master's degree plus two years in related work.

Responsibilities

• Coordinates assigned projects and programs independently.
• Monitors activities for confidentiality, legal and ethical compliance.
• Acts as liaison with federal, state, City officials, agencies and stakeholders.
• Tracks legislation, ordinances, regulations and governmental actions affecting programs.

Education

Associate's degree +5 years experience

Bachelor's degree +3 years experience

Master's degree +2 years experience

Seven years of work experience in program administration

Job description

PROGRAM SPECIALIST-IGA, BX15

Chicago Department of Aviation

O'Hare International Airport

Intergovernmental Affairs Division

Number of Positions: 2

Additional vacancies possible pending budget approval

Starting Salary: $71,772.00

Salary: $71,772.00 Pay Basis: Yearly

Applications for this position will be accepted until 11:59pm CDT on October 15, 2026.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES

• Works independently, coordinating assigned projects and programs.
• Monitors project and program activities for adherence to confidentiality standards, legal requirements, laws, ordinances, program requirements, and ethical guidelines.
• Serves as a liaison with federal, state, and City elected officials and their professional staffs, governmental agencies, City departments, and other public and private organizations to coordinate requests, exchange information, and support departmental initiatives.
• Monitors and tracks federal, state, and City legislation, ordinances, resolutions, regulations, and other governmental actions that may affect departmental programs, policies, operations, or initiatives.
• Conducts studies and analyses of projects and programs, including research and analysis of legislative, regulatory, governmental, and public-policy matters, and prepares findings for management.
• Interprets and applies municipal codes, regulations, and procedures, as well as applicable federal and state laws, regulations, policies, and governmental requirements.
• Reviews and analyzes proposed legislation, ordinances, resolutions, regulations, agreements, and other legal or governmental documents and coordinates with legal staff and subject-matter experts to identify potential departmental impacts.
• Coordinates the internal review of legislative and governmental matters, obtaining information and input from appropriate departmental divisions, legal staff, and subject-matter experts.
• Prepares briefing materials, memoranda, legislative summaries, correspondence, talking points, presentations, and reports for departmental leadership regarding federal, state, and City governmental and legislative matters.
• Assists with the preparation, review, routing, and tracking of ordinances, legislation, resolutions, agreements, and other governmental matters requiring departmental or governmental review and approval.
• Coordinates meetings, briefings, hearings, site visits, and other engagements involving federal, state, and City elected officials and their staffs, governmental agencies, departmental leadership, and other stakeholders.
• Develops informational, educational, and training materials related to legislative initiatives, governmental processes, policy changes, and departmental programs for internal and external stakeholders.
• Assists in coordinating briefings, presentations, informational sessions, and other educational activities to communicate legislative, regulatory, policy, and governmental developments to appropriate stakeholders.
• Maintains legislative and governmental tracking systems, calendars, databases, and status reports to monitor governmental requests, legislative matters, commitments, deadlines, correspondence, and required follow-up.
• Develops and implements new or revised operating policies and procedures to ensure the effectiveness of assigned project or program operations.
• Prepares narrative and statistical programmatic status reports, including performance metrics, dashboards, legislative tracking reports, and other management reports.
• May assist with program and policy development.

Additional duties may be required for this position.

Location: Chicago Department of Aviation

10510 West Zemke Road

Shift: 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.

Hours: Varies

THIS POSITION IS IN THE CAREER SERVICE

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

Education, Training, and Experience

• 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

NOTE: Must be flexible to early and/or late meetings and occasional weekends.

NOTE: Must be flexible to travel to Both Airports, based on operational needs.

NOTE: This position requires a valid license at the time of hire.

NOTE: The candidates selected for hire must pass an airport background check and a Security Threat Assessment.

SELECTION REQUIREMENTS

This position requires an applicant to successfully complete an interview.

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

Preference will be given to applicants who possess the following:

• Professional experience working with federal, state, or City/local elected officials and/or their professional staff, legislative bodies, or governmental agencies.
• Professional experience in intergovernmental affairs, government relations, legislative affairs, public policy, or a closely related governmental function.
• Professional experience in a legal department, law firm, government law office, or similar professional legal environment involving legislative, regulatory, governmental, policy, compliance, or administrative matters.
• Professional experience in training or professional development involving the development and delivery of educational materials, briefings, presentations, or programs related to governmental processes, policies, regulations, compliance, or organizational initiatives.
• Professional experience researching, reviewing, analyzing, monitoring, or tracking federal, state, or local legislation, ordinances, resolutions, regulations, governmental policies, or related legal matters.

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 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.

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

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

The City of Chicago is committed to providing fair chance hiring and welcomes applicants with past convictions, recognizing the value of a diverse workforce and the potential for growth and positive change.

City of Chicago

Brandon Johnson, Mayor