ABOUT US
Interfaith America is a national nonprofit organization based in Chicago. We believe that religious diversity is a foundational American strength, and we are building a nation that achieves that promise for the common good. Our mission is to inspire, equip, and connect organizations and leaders to unlock the potential of America’s religious diversity. We leverage our expertise in interfaith leadership in different sectors and spaces in American life, such as higher education, health, public policy, racial equity, corporations/business, and technology. We give leaders and institutions the tools and resources they need to positively engage religious diversity for the common good.
At Interfaith America, we are ever adapting and changing. We look for people who set audacious goals and love that one workday may not be like the next. We have a strong commitment to pluralism and building bridges across deep differences. Our programs help people build skills to bridge deep ideological divides. Our work is about staying in relationship with one another and contributing to the common good even when we might disagree on fundamental things. We seek to attract and retain a team of staff comprised of a wide variety of views and backgrounds we need to achieve our vision, especially people from communities historically underrepresented in interfaith work.
ABOUT YOU
You are passionate about religious and worldview diversity, building interfaith cooperation and racial equity, and the civic value of engaging across deep differences. You thrive in a fast-paced, adaptable environment where one day won’t look like the next. You feed off organizational learning and social science research and adjust your strategy to fit what we’ve learned. You love working collaboratively internally and externally and liaising across multiple, complex project dimensions. You hold yourself and your work to a high bar of excellence and take personal responsibility for achieving your goals.
ABOUT THE POSITION
The Learning Systems Manager’s primary responsibility will be to manage Interfaith America’s new “Learning & Action Bridge” (the LAB). The LAB is an automated, online tool meant to assist our external audiences in finding the very best resources for their work. As currently envisioned, LAB users will answer a few questions about their goals. In response, the LAB will generate a short, curated list of our best recommendations for next steps.
The effectiveness of the Learning & Action Bridge will depend on two mutually supportive dimensions of its design and functionality:
- Technology. To a significant extent, the LAB’s effectiveness will depend on its technology, which web developers are currently building. IA’s external web development partners advise on and implement this work. The Learning Systems Manager will manage the relationship with our web developers to ensure that LAB technology is well-maintained and continually evolves to meet the needs of IA’s audiences.
- Content organization and management systems. Beyond its technology, however, the LAB’s effectiveness also depends – to a large degree – on the content organization and management systems that “feed” it with the resources and opportunities to present to our audiences. To be useful to LAB users, the LAB’s resources (static documents, live learning opportunities, links to external resources, courses, curricula, grant opportunities, etc.) must be well-organized, correctly tagged, regularly updated, and kept current. This work is critical given IA’s vast offerings. There is much content to manage across several key audiences. The Learning Systems Manager will lead on this second, key dimension of ongoing LAB management.
How are resources added to the LAB? How are those resources categorized and tagged? What’s the best way to ensure that IA staff add resources to the LAB consistently? When are resources retired? Where do archived resources go? Do existing content management systems serve the needs of program teams? Are they easy to use and sustainable? The Learning Systems Manager will lead on these key Learning & Action Bridge questions.
Responsibilities:
- Serving as the “owner” of the Learning & Action Bridge. Taking primary responsibility for the LAB’s ongoing maintenance, management, and development
- Creating, supporting, and revising cross-organizational systems for organizing and managing the “assets” (resources and opportunities) that “feed” the LAB
- Creating taxonomies and metadata tags to ensure effective asset organization, retrieval, and management
- Supporting IA program staff to use and contribute to the LAB
- Consulting with IA staff to determine external and internal needs related to the LAB
- Leading on efforts to evaluate the LAB’s effectiveness
- Working with IA’s web development partners to update and improve LAB technology
- Reporting out on LAB progress, both internally and to satisfy grant requirements
- Ensuring effective promotion of the LAB to external audiences, including any supports (tutorials, etc.) that help introduce external audiences to LAB functionality
- Leading on future phases of LAB development, including, for example: expansion of the LAB to serve additional audiences, increasing the number of assets/opportunities available to our audiences, and expanding the LAB’s scope to serve not just external audiences, but internal constituents as well
- Keeping current on learning technology trends.
Required Qualifications:
- Bachelor’s Degree in Library Science, Information Science, Information Studies (or related)
- Three or more years of professional experience in a related field, including library science, online education, computer science, data management, or information science
- Proven success in designing and maintaining systems for information management
- Excellent project management and organizational skills
- Advanced listening, consultative, and collaborative skills
- Customer service approach
- Demonstrated effectiveness in getting work done with and through multiple stakeholders across several teams; Ability to influence without authority
- Authorization to work in the United States
Preferred Qualifications (but not required):
- Master’s Degree in Library Science, Information Science, Information Studies (or related)
- Background in Religious Studies, Civic Leadership, or Higher Education
- Experience managing learning management systems (LMSs)
- Familiarity with online learning environments and/or the basics of web development
- Experience in a Learning & Development role and/or curricular development experience
- Intermediate to advanced use of WordPress and web-based content management systems
Essential Competencies:
- Relationship Building - Connecting with others (internally and externally) to form positive working relationships.
- Project Management - Aptly leading, planning, and executing projects, ensuring all project members are staying within timelines and budgets.
- Results oriented – Ability to complete multiple assigned tasks across multiple program and project areas with a high level of excellence and attention to detail and within set deadlines.
- Adaptability - Adapting to change within the organization, programs, and projects with grace and positivity.
- Cultural Competency - Ability to understand, appreciate and interact effectively with people from cultures, identities, lived experiences, or belief systems different from one's own.
Location: This position will work 2-3 days per week from our Chicago Loop office and 2-3 days per week from home.
Supervision: Director of Learning
Compensation: $65,000 - $75,000 annually
Application Deadline: Ongoing until position is filled
Other Requirements:
The Learning Systems Manager position requires the ability, with or without reasonable accommodation, to: maintain regular attendance; travel across this US (little to no travel); work cooperatively with others; adhere to Interfaith America personnel policies and safety rules; sit and/or stand for extended periods of time; operate standard office equipment, including computers, telephones, photocopiers, and projectors; communicate orally, in writing, and via computers and digital devices; and requires close visual acuity to prepare and analyze data and figures, transcribe, view a computer terminal and other office equipment.
Interfaith America is an Equal Opportunity Employer, and does not discriminate on the basis of religion, race, ethnicity, national origin, age, gender, sexual orientation, disability, pregnancy, marital status, or any other status protected by applicable law. Reasonable accommodation will be provided as needed to enable qualified applicants with a disability to participate in pre-employment procedures.