Chicago Public Schools (CPS) is one of the largest school districts in the United States, serving over 330,000 students in 600+ schools and employing nearly 36,000 people, most of them teachers. CPS has set ambitious goals to ensure that every student, in every school and every neighborhood, has access to a world-class learning experience that prepares each for success in college, career, and civic life. In order to fulfill this mission, we make three commitments to our students, their families, and all Chicagoans: academic progress, financial stability, and integrity. Six core values are embedded within these commitments – student-centered, whole child, equity, academic excellence, community partnership, and continuous learning.

The Office of Internal Audit and Advisory Services (IAAS) provides assurance and advisory services through independent and objective reviews to continuously improve systems and processes across the district that better prepare every child for success in college, career, and civic life.

Job Summary:

Reporting to the Executive Director of Internal Audit and Advisory Services, the Risk Data Manager serves as a subject matter expert to facilitate and help develop the district’s risk management strategy. The Risk Data Manager will facilitate the risk assessment program, ongoing risk monitoring, and collaboration with business owners across the entire organization to proactively monitor key risk indicators. The Risk Data Manager will also assess process controls and lead advisory and consultative projects to address high-risk areas.

The Risk Data Manager will be held accountable for the following responsibilities:

• Lead the district’s risk assessment activities, including managing the comprehensive enterprise risk assessment and fraud risk assessment.
• Conduct interviews and inquiries with stakeholders to understand business processes and identify areas of high risk where improvement opportunities exist.
• Develop project scope and objectives to support business owners in implementing improvements.
• Identify, recommend, and implement operational improvements to streamline internal processes and increase efficiency.
• Develop a regular cadence to collaborate with business leaders across the organization and engage in risk discussions and assess ongoing mitigation strategies.
• Build relationships with business partners across the organization for data gathering, data initiatives, and data governance purposes.
• Proactively hold discussions with the Internal Audit leadership to brainstorm additional risk management opportunities to include in the Risk Committee.
• Identify opportunities for new analytics (descriptive, diagnostic, and prescriptive) to support and address risk areas.
• Develop reporting to update executive leadership and the Board of Education on Risk Committee initiatives and accomplishments.
• Facilitate and prepare materials for monthly committee meetings to review interconnected district risks; lead discussion collaboration, analysis, reporting capabilities, and monitoring progress on critical initiatives.
• Oversee and coordinate the work of the Staff Auditor and staff as they assist with risk-related projects.
• Coordinate and communicate effectively with internal auditors, CPS management, and other key stakeholders, as necessary, to meet the above objectives and, with the support of the Internal Audit leadership, engage in special projects, critical process reviews, and investigations as necessary.

In order to be successful and achieve the above responsibilities, the Risk Data Manager must possess the following qualifications:

Education Required:

• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university in Accounting, Finance/Business Administration, Public Policy, or a related field.
• Master’s degree preferred.
• Active certification as a Certified Internal Auditor (CIA), Certified Public Accountant (CPA), or other internal audit-related certifications, preferred.

Experience Required:

• Minimum of five (5) years of experience in risk management or executing risk-based audits, including management of complex, large-scale projects with people management responsibilities.
• Experience conducting risk assessment interviews is preferred.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• Strong critical thinking skills with a disciplined approach to decision-making that is data-driven and sensitive to shifting demands and expectations of the organization's obligations.
• Effective communication, leadership, and time management skills with the ability to act autonomously while being a team player.
• Strong planning and organizational skills.
• Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills with attention to detail.
• Broad business acumen – ability to engage in a wide variety of business discussions and quickly learn new and/or complex concepts.
• Capacity to prioritize tasks, manage multiple deadlines, and work independently while maintaining high levels of organization.
• Ability to manage highly sensitive and confidential information.

Conditions of Employment

As a condition of employment with the Chicago Public Schools (CPS), employees are required to:

• Establish/Maintain Chicago Residency - Employees are required to live within the geographic boundaries of the City of Chicago within six months of their CPS hire date and maintain residency throughout their employment with the district. The Chicago residency requirement does not apply to temporary/part-time positions, however, all CPS employees must be residents of Illinois.
• Be Fully Vaccinated Against COVID-19 - Unless approved for a medical or religious exemption, all employees are required to be up-to-date on COVID-19 vaccinations, including boosters, and to submit proof of vaccination to the district within 30 days of hire. “Up-to-date” on vaccination is defined as being at least two weeks past all primary vaccine doses and any applicable boosters.