Chicago Public Schools (CPS) is one of the largest school districts in the United States, serving over 320,000 students in 600+ schools and employing approximately 40,000 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 CPS Department of Capital Planning and Facilities’ mission is to make students and staff proud of their school so that they can concentrate on their studies and core missions, by investing in its physical assets (i.e. buildings, sites, and equipment) to ensure children have a safe and quality learning environment. Additionally, CPS has launched several Energy and Sustainability programs with the overall mission to conserve, protect and sustain resources to provide healthy and high-performing facilities and encourage community engagement to address climate change. The CPS’ Energy and Sustainability Department is committed to:
- Reducing the amount of energy we consume to help make our district more efficient and environmentally responsible.
- Investing in sustainable energy sources to power our district to improve the future for our students, staff, and community.
Job Summary:
Reporting to the Director of Energy & Sustainability, the Electric Vehicle (EV) Charging Infrastructure Specialist will be supporting the implementation of the electric vehicle charging infrastructure for school buses as related to funding from a federal grant program. The EV Charging Infrastructure Specialist will also strategically plan and manage existing EV charging infrastructure, replacement, and future installations across the district.
The Electric Vehicle (EV) Charging Infrastructure Specialist will be held accountable for the following responsibilities:
· Create and execute a comprehensive, strategic plan for an affordable, scalable, and compatible charging network; expand, manage, and maintain the charging network.
· Support in the development of the CPS EV charger master specification for buses, fleet, and passenger vehicles.
· Engage with CPS Transportation department to understand bus specifications and purchasing.
· Collaborate and support the standardization (Master Specification) and purchasing of the bus charging stations in coordination with the Procurement department.
· Facilitate the installation of the bus charging stations in coordination with the local utility (ComEd) and internal CPS capital improvement design and project managers.
· Support the development of EV charger software access protocols and coordination with the Transportation department upon activation of chargers and beginning of electric bus usage.
· Research and understand the necessity and cost/benefit of centralized control of charging equipment software subscriptions, user access, data tracking, maintenance, and replacements.
· Consolidate and maintain equipment specifications and status of all existing EV charging stations across the District.
· Ensure standardization of all charging hardware and software throughout the CPS portfolio.
· Partner with other governmental/city agencies to realize economic benefits or complementary infrastructure opportunities throughout implementation.
· Lead the continued adoption of EVs and charging infrastructure expansion across the district’s central office, fleet, driver’s education facilities, and student activity transport fleet.
· Access all available federal, state, local and private grants and incentives to fund continued expansion.
· Develop EV charging complementing renewable energy systems.
· Understand and consider on-site distributed generation solar & wind-occupying car/bus ports, and ground-mounted systems.
· Along with the incorporation of energy storage, vehicle-to-building, and microgrid capabilities supporting urban resiliency and disaster relief.
· Work with various governmental agencies, school districts, etc. to coordinate efforts and learn best practices.
In order to be successful and achieve the above responsibilities, the Electric Vehicle (EV) Charging Infrastructure Specialist must possess the following qualifications:
Education Required:
- Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university required; Concentration in science, engineering, or related field of study, preferred.
Experience Required:
- Minimum five (5) years of project management experience involving electric vehicles, charging infrastructure, energy efficiency, utility & site construction, energy systems, or other similar program development experience required.
Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:
- Strong communication skills (speaking - including presentations - listening, and writing).
- Strong planning, organization and time management skills.
- Skilled in planning and implementing projects that require cross collaboration with multiple internal departments, municipal departments, other government agencies, and outside vendors.
- Excellent critical thinking and independent problem-solving skills.
- Passionate and motived by the advancement of electric transport, renewable energy, and energy storage.
- Effective strategic planning capabilities, including the ability to establish long-term vision and goals, and align/manage activities toward goal fulfillment.
- Strong leadership and team building skills, e.g. ability to develop high-performing teams united around a clear vision for serving schools and achieving student success.
- Ability to build collaborative relationships with a variety of constituent groups, including external partners.
- Ability to define problems, analyze data, and outline valid conclusions and action steps.
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.
