Associate, Events & Operations

BACKGROUND

The Chicago Public Education Fund (The Fund) supports public schools by investing in the talented educators who lead them. As an independent nonprofit organization, we partner with Chicago Public Schools (CPS), the City of Chicago, the local philanthropic community, principals, and aspiring principals to build and sustain a culture of strong leadership. For more than two decades, our supportive program and policy efforts, and our willingness to innovate alongside educators, have made a measurable, positive impact on the quality of school leadership and helped educators support student learning.

ASSOCIATE,

EVENTS & OPERATIONS

Reporting to the Director, People & Operations, the Events & Operations Associate keeps events, meetings, and follow-ups running smoothly and supports cross-functional projects across the organization. The role partners with Development, Strategy, Finance, and Senior Leaders (Chief Executive Officer, Chief of Internal and External Affairs, and Chief of Innovation and Continuous Improvement) while maintaining the data, records, and processes that make the work reliable and easy to handoff.

You will be primarily responsible for four key work streams:

Operations Administrative Support

• Collaborate with the Strategy Team Senior Associate to support Senior Leaders with calendar scheduling, travel logistics, and staffing at partner meetings
• Provide day-to-day administrative support for organizational and donor events
• Staff Senior Leaders at external events, supporting in organizing materials and event follow-up communication
• Support creation of customized materials (decks, one-pagers, invitations, and other materials)
• Develop high-quality email drafts, meeting materials, and other correspondence for leadership

Events

• Project-manage the end-to-end event planning process for organization-wide events that support our program and policy work, donor-facing events, school visits, and in-person board gatherings
• Surface the team's event and logistical needs regularly (daily, weekly, monthly)
• Prioritize event needs and communicate decisions in a way that builds trust and ensures the tema feels supported
• Execute prioritized event needs efficiently, maintaining clear communication to ensure alignment
• Lead event logistics for various external meetings, ensuring all details are planned for and executed seamlessly and efficiently

Data & Finance Support

• Enter and maintain event attendance, RSVPs, and follow-up records in Salesforce so they are accurate and complete for every organizational and donor event
• Track event budgets, vendor invoices, and payments, working with the Finance team to make sure expenses are coded, approved, and reconciled on time
• Handle purchase requests, receipts, and reimbursements for team and event spending, keeping records accurate and audit-ready
• Keep shared trackers (event calendars, vendor lists, board and partner meeting logs) organized, current, and easy for the team to use
• Run regular data-quality checks to flag gaps or errors to system owners before they affect reporting
• Write and update simple process guides for data entry so work stays consistent and can be handed off to others

Cross-functional Projects

• Support People & Operations projects by tracking timelines, action items, and deliverables
• Coordinate with project stakeholders across Policy, Program, Development, and Finance to keep work moving, flagging risks and following up on open items.
• Support board meeting preparation logistics, including scheduling, materials, and follow-up

As a member of The Fund team, your broader culture contributions will include:

• Offering ideas and supporting projects that help achieve The Fund's main goals. Your input is crucial for our success.
• Attending events and meetings to…