King Conservation Leadership Academy Assistant Seasonal

King Conservation Leadership Academy Assistant Seasonal

Chicago Zoological Society | Brookfield Zoo, 3300 Golf Rd, Brookfield, Illinois, United States of America

Posted Monday, March 2, 2026 at 6:00 AM | Expires Friday, May 1, 2026 at 4:59 AM

Join the PRIDE and Brookfield Zoo Chicago’s mission to ignite emotional connections with wildlife that spark conservation action while leading vital programs to protect endangered species. Our beautiful 235-acre campus offers a living classroom that is home to over 3,500 animals representing 500 species. Brookfield Zoo Chicago is embarking on a groundbreaking, ambitious Next Century Plan to achieve our vision. It is the beginning of an exciting transformative journey!

This King Conservation Leadership Academy Assistant Seasonal contributes to the success of Brookfield Zoo Chicago (“BZC”) by extending BZC’s mission to the variety of communities it serves, including generating consistent, positive exposure for BZC through on-site and off-site community engagement in experiential learning opportunities. The primary goal for this position is to support high-quality informal S.T.E.A.M. education while building strong, sustainable relationships with a diverse spectrum of audiences and age ranges partaking in onsite, offsite, and virtual programming.

This is a seasonal non-union hourly position, grade S007 with a pay rate of $17.10 per hour. Please see Benefits Summary section below the job description information.

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential job functions.

• Under supervision of Director, provide peer coaching and guidance for King Conservation Science Scholars engaged in public guest- and community-focused learning experiences, including but not limited to: interpretation, facilitated activities, and community engagement supports via outreach and Zoo sponsored events.
• Assist King Conservation Leadership Academy staff with monitoring and enforcement of program rules, expectations, and safety protocols during courses, activities, and other participant-focused learning experiences on-site at the zoo and off-site in community locations. Serves as an additional point of contact for King Conservation Leadership Academy participants while they are at the Zoo, community center, or out in the field.
• Assist King Conservation Leadership Academy staff with the organization and effective use of various physical and digital assets, the development of programmatic tools and materials aligned to organizational messaging, and structured co-facilitation delivery models to help KCLA participant learners:
  Connect – understand connections between them, their lives, and their environment;
  Care – have empathy for living things; and Conserve – take action that leads to a sustainable relationship with nature.
• Under supervision of Director, assist with King Conservation Leadership Academy program recruitment and on-going peer training.
• Other related duties as assigned to ensure successful achievement of BZC objectives.

• Current and active participant in the King Conservation Science Scholars program at Brookfield Zoo Chicago or similar youth engagement community program.
• Must be at least 16 years of age.
• Must report to work on time.
• Ability to work well with others and in a team with effective collaboration, respect and shared problem-solving to achieve shared goals.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills with the ability to convey messages for diverse audiences and with the public.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills (ability to convey and receive information).
• Interest in leadership, conservation or community to ensure alignment with the BZC mission and KCLA programmatic offerings.
• Cultural competency; experience and/or ability to work and interact effectively with a diverse, multicultural audience.

• Multilingual ability, Spanish fluency is a plus.

This position description summarizes the primary duties and functions of the King Conservation Leadership Academy Assistant Seasonal,…