Current Openings

We are currently seeking:

Managing Producer

Part-Time Network & Communications Manager, Bluhm/Helfand Social Innovation Fellowship — Contract

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MANAGING PRODUCER

Reports to:

Chief Operating Officer

About the Role

Chicago Ideas is a platform for progress. We inspire, connect, and enable the curious and the committed to build a more thriving, more joyous city for everyone. At Chicago Ideas, you'll find accessible, high-quality experiences designed to inspire, and ways to find and activate your purpose within our community and beyond.

We’re seeking a Managing Producer who is passionate about building transformative experiences, connecting people, and social impact. This position will work in partnership with the Programming team and responsible for the oversight and execution of all of the productions throughout the course of the year, inclusive of stage, lab and special activations in service of our strategic partnerships.

About You

You are organized, detail-oriented, energetic and collaborative. You are a student of your field, and fearless when it comes to suggesting new ways of doing things if it means improving the end result. You approach new challenges with curiosity and excitement. You’re as comfortable with self-direction and independent thinking as you are with collaboration.

The ideal candidate will have a proven track record of producing large-scale live and/or televised events and have experience collaborating across an organization to achieve the desired end product. You have a minimum of 6-8 years experience serving in the capacity of a lead producer for live events. You’re proud of how resourceful you are in identifying ways to achieve a desired goal while preserving capital, and you have demonstrated experience managing multiple moving parts in the same direction.

Additional responsibilities of the role of Managing Producer include:

• Build and execute overarching production plans for year-round needs as well as for Chicago Ideas Week inclusive of back of house, front of house, volunteers, AV, stage design, technical needs, media production, etc.

• Create and execute staffing plan for all events and be responsible for overseeing the activity of production team members

• Build and manage a production budget for year round and the October festival

• Build and oversee event timelines to ensure successful execution of events

• Develop stage design concepts and oversee creation of all stage elements

• Secure venues for all programs inclusive of site visits and review and negotiation of contracts

• Lead and/or participate in pre-production meetings and calls to ensure successful production of the event, including reviewing run-of-show put forth by programming team

• Collaborate with programming team on creative elements of events, digital content pieces, etc.

To apply, please send cover letter & resume to sona (at) chicagoideas.com with salary requirements.

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PART-TIME NETWORK & COMMUNICATIONS MANAGER, Bluhm/Helfand Social Innovation Fellowship — Contract

About the Role

The Bluhm/Helfand Social Innovation Fellowship at Chicago Ideas is an internationally recognized program created with a mission to serve emerging social entrepreneurs through elevating, connecting and enhancing their trajectory of driving social models that matter acrossthe globe. Annually, the BHSI Fellowship team identifies five leading social entrepreneurs underthe age of 35 through a global call for entries. Chosen Fellows earn a spot on the Chicago Ideas Week stage and enjoy a weeklong personalized schedule of 1:1 meetings and small group sessions with key business and civic leaders, as well fellow Ideas Week speakers. In addition, Fellows participate in one-of-a-kind networking and skill-building experiences and join an impressive network of BHSI Fellowship alumni.We’re seeking a Network & Communications Manager who is passionate about social entrepreneurship, telling stories and connecting dots. The position will work in partnership with the co-directors of the Fellowship to ensure that past and current Fellows are actively engaged in ways that advance the success of their organizations and expand the visibility of the Fellowship. Additionally, the position will leverage the alumni network in order to increase the volume of high-quality applicants to the Fellowship.

About You

You have a passion for social entrepreneurship and are organized, detail-oriented, inquisitive and humble. You are a natural connector, someone who enjoys fostering meaningful and authentic relationships with all types of people. You approach your work with enthusiasm and curiosity in a way that makes others want to work alongside you. You enjoy pitching and positioning a story with a leader, the press, or an interested party, and do so naturally and comfortably. You act as an owner when it comes to your work. You are willing to ask questions when something doesn’t make sense and are committed to always asking: “What can we do to make this even better?” You have a communications background and are very comfortable with oral and written communications with great attention to detail.

Additional responsibilities of the role of Network & Communications Manager include:

• Launch and Manage the Fellowship’s application process including new applicant recruitment, past applicant follow up, and ongoing follow-up with all interested applicants.
• Working with the team to build out the judging panel and facilitating communications with the group to ensure critical deadlines are met
• Work to manage on the ground fellowship experience during Chicago Ideas Week
• Developing a communications cadence, plan and content to support the fellowship community connectivity (applicants, finalists, past fellows, judges, etc.)
• Establishing regular, ongoing phone/in-person and written communication 1:1 with past and current fellows in order to always know the current state of their organizations and any needs they may have so as to be supportive to them and to provide regular updates to BHSI team
• Leading the creation, building and launch of the new BHSI Fellowship website
• Launching Fellowship clusters featuring events in New York and Bay Area to support further connectivity among Fellows
• Working to continue to improve the Fellowship by collecting – and acting on – feedback from the Fellowship network
• Helping to determine our next class of Fellows, including reviewing all application submissions, conducting interviews with semi-finalists, as well as reaching out to references
• Facilitating media partnerships that help to enhance our ability to tell the stories of the BHSI Fellowship

Strongly preferred skills include:

• Social Media Listening & Engagement Proficiency (SproutSocial, Spredfast, Hootsuite, etc.)
• Social Media Proficiency (Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn)
• Salesforce Proficiency
• Excel/Word Proficiency
• Wordpress Proficiency
• Strong Written & Verbal Communication Skills

To apply, please send cover letter & resume to jessica (at) chicagoideas.com.