Laboratory Schools: Associate Director of Community Engagement (Hybrid)

Department

Lab School Alumni Relations & Development

About the Department

At the University of Chicago Laboratory Schools, students in Nursery through Grade 12 experience a world-class educational journey. Founded in 1896 by John Dewey as a place for educators to develop and explore novel approaches to pedagogy and curriculum, Lab continues to provide excitement and imagination in learning to this day. Academic rigor, experiential learning, and intellectual discourse are hallmarks of a Lab education. Lab educators are recognized for excellence in teaching and pride themselves on innovation in the classroom. Students in every grade have access to unparalleled resources, and all members of the Lab community benefit by partnerships and connections with the University of Chicago. Families who choose Lab care deeply about curiosity, inquiry, and creativity.

No less than scholarship, Lab’s mission prioritizes honoring diversity and exhibiting kindness. We are committed to building and supporting a teaching and learning community where young people see aspects of their backgrounds and identities reflected around them, where they feel a deep sense of belonging, and where they discover and use their voices to full effect. Today, 53-59 percent of Lab’s student body are students of color. Families report speaking nearly 40 different languages in their homes. Approximately 60 percent of Lab families are also affiliated with the University of Chicago. Half of our families live in Hyde Park, and the rest come from across Chicago, the suburbs, and northwestern Indiana. Inclusion is a fundamental value at Lab, such that we celebrate every facet of community members’ identities, and even where we disagree, we emphasize respect, civility, and maintaining a spirit of community.

Lab seeks the finest employees to join our vibrant learning community. We employ people with a wide range of skills and training in many different disciplines, who have in common a love of learning and the wish to inspire that same love of learning in young people. We seek candidates for employment who thrive in an educational environment. We provide a great professional home for those committed to collaboration, ongoing personal and professional growth, and cultivating positive relationships. In turn, we strive to ensure that Lab is a joyful, welcoming, and inspiring place to work. Through our connection to the University, faculty, staff, and administrators enjoy benefits and opportunities that would be nearly impossible to match in any other environment.

Job Summary

The Associate Director of Community Engagement will be responsible for building and managing a comprehensive volunteer and stewardship program that deepens community connection and supports philanthropic growth. The role creates strategic and structured opportunities for parents, alumni, and friends to engage meaningfully with Lab, while ensuring that Lab community experience consistent, thoughtful, and mission-driven stewardship, including support and execution of Lab’s ARD-based parent/family and alumni relations programs. The Associate Director of Community Engagement will coordinate parent events and assist with parent communications across all four divisions within Lab Schools. The Associate Director of Community Engagement will plan and execute Lab activities and events that are grounded in the culture of Lab Schools with an end goal of increased engagement.

The successful candidate will be a collaborative team player who is able to work well independently and be able to interact and coordinate with administrators of the schools, faculty, and staff. The primary constituents will be current Lab families and parents, but will also include current students, Lab alumni, and parents of Lab alumni.

The ideal candidate will be entrepreneurial, curious, enthusiastic, and will help build a broad understanding of Lab’s philanthropic value to donors and prospective donors.

Responsibilities

• Works under the direction of the director of alumni relations and community engagement, and in collaboration with the director of development to oversee key volunteer groups including the Parents Development Committee (PDC), the Alumni Association Executive Board, and Maroon Key Society, event hosts and community ambassadors, Maroon Key Society, and senior class scholarship chairs.

• Serve as the liaison to the Parents Association.

• Lead recruitment and engagement of volunteers.

• Volunteer constituent communications and reporting.

• Support transition of engaged volunteers into donor pipelines.

• Collaborate with fundraising staff to align engagement with cultivation strategies.

• Track movement from volunteer engagement to philanthropic participation.

• Play a key role in supporting Lab's campaign priorities through volunteer engagement,stewardship, constituent activation, and pipeline development.

• Develop and execute engagement strategies that identify, cultivate, and advance volunteerleaders and highly engaged constituents toward philanthropic participation and major giftopportunities.

• In coordination with the Associate Director of Special Events, provide direction, leadership and volunteer management on parent-focused events including Connections, Dewey Dance, new family events, parent social and educational engagement events.

• Collaborate with Lab’s frontline fundraisers to ensure appropriate handoff and interactions with annual and major gift prospects.

• Collaborate to create strategic interaction between current Lab families and Lab alumni.

• Participate in and is visible in the life of Lab Schools.

• Establishes and maintains metrics of success and makes sure those are present in departmental strategic plans, goals setting, and the annual budget.

• Identifies, cultivates, and trains volunteers and alumni leaders to help with committees and design programs to engage students and alumni in meaningful ways to advance objectives of the alumni association and broader University.

• Performs other related work as needed.

Minimum Qualifications

Education:

Minimum requirements include a college or university degree in related field.

Work Experience:

Minimum requirements include knowledge and skills developed through 2-5 years of work experience in a related job discipline.

Certifications:

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Preferred Qualifications

Experience:

• Five years or more in schools, non-profit organizations, or businesses with high levels of relationship-building and customer service.

Preferred Competencies

• Good time management and ability to collaborate on projects as well as work independently.

• Team building and collaboration.

• Excellent short and long-range planning skill.

• Proficiency with Google work networks, databases and network-based environments.

• Commitment to the values of the University of Chicago Lab Schools and champion its commitment to kindness, intellectual rigor, and inclusion via parent engagement.

• Proven desire for continuing education to acquire the latest in industry best practices.

• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills.

• Proven ability to analyze processes and plan improvement initiatives.

• Outstanding interpersonal and organizational skills.

• Ability to work on own initiative, develop rapport, and work well with others.

• Ability to handle multiple tasks simultaneously and accurately under deadlines.

• Experience with fundraising databases and reporting tools such as Salesforce.

• Ability to travel to campus and/or non-campus locations for Lab Schools business.

• Willingness and ability to work evenings and weekends for Lab ARD events and activities.

Working Conditions

• Standard office environment (hybrid available)

Application Documents

• Resume (required)

• Cover Letter (required)

• Three Professional References (required)

The University of Chicago uses AI-assisted tools to streamline and augment some recruitment processes; however, AI is not used to make hiring decisions.

When applying, the document(s) MUST be uploaded via the My Experience page, in the section titled Application Documents of the application.

Job Family

Alumni Relations & Development

Role Impact

Individual Contributor

Scheduled Weekly Hours

40

Drug Test Required

No

Health Screen Required

No

Motor Vehicle Record Inquiry Required

No

Pay Rate Type

Salary

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FLSA Status

Exempt

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Pay Range

$65,000.00 - $80,000.00

The included pay rate or range represents the University’s good faith estimate of the possible compensation offer for this role at the time of posting.

Benefits Eligible

Yes

The University of Chicago offers a wide range of benefits programs and resources for eligible employees, including health, retirement, and paid time off. Information about the benefit offerings can be found in theBenefits Guidebook.

Posting Statement

The University of Chicago is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, or expression, national or ethnic origin, shared ancestry, age, status as an individual with a disability, military or veteran status, genetic information, or other protected classes under the law. For additional information please see the University's Notice of Nondiscrimination.

Job seekers in need of a reasonable accommodation to complete the application process should call 773-702-5800 or submit a request via Applicant Inquiry Form.

All offers of employment are contingent upon a background check that includes a review of conviction history.A conviction does not automatically preclude University employment.Rather, the University considers conviction information on a case-by-case basis and assesses the nature of the offense, the circumstances surrounding it, the proximity in time of the conviction, and its relevance to the position.

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