Description

Organization Overview 
Grow Your Own Illinois (GYO-IL) recruits, supports, and prepares individuals from underrepresented communities to become and thrive as licensed teachers. We envision an Illinois teacher workforce that reflects the rich racial and cultural diversity of its students and is rooted in their communities. To achieve this, we provide candidates with financial and academic assistance, social-emotional support, and culturally sustaining professional development. Our teachers—and the students, schools, and neighborhoods they serve—are all strengthened by this process. To learn more visit: growyourownteachers.org 

Position Summary 
The Chicago/Lake County Candidate Coordinator position provides direct support to up to 30 teacher candidates as they progress through their teacher preparation or pre-college education programs. The coordinator plays an essential role in identifying and recruiting prospective candidates, reviewing application materials, and supporting newly admitted candidates. The coordinator meets monthly with assigned individual candidates to track academic progress, identify roadblocks, and ensure candidates’ success in completing a teacher licensure program. GYO Candidate Coordinators are pivotal to linking candidates to critical support, building candidate capacity for self-advocacy, and fostering a professional community of racially diverse and community-connected educators. The coordinator maintains data to track the progress candidates and relay learning from ongoing engagement to strengthen program effectiveness.  

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in education or a related field  
• Three years of experience in academic advising or related careers in post-secondary education
•  Passion for supporting non-traditional teacher candidates from diverse communities.
• Proficient in Microsoft Office (Excel, Word, PowerPoint).
• Strong relationship building and communication skills.
• Ability to build partnerships with educational and community organizations.
• Experience facilitating adult training and presentations.
• Availability for occasional evenings, weekends, and travel.