Jobs, Internships, Volunteering

For more than 167 years, we have been dedicated to educating Chicagoans about nature and science.

We were originally founded in 1857 as the Chicago Academy of Sciences, an institution of scientific discourse and learning among scientists and nature enthusiasts. We continue to build on our legacy of natural history exploration and education at the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum through immersive exhibits, critical conservation and research initiatives, public engagement, and education programming. Our mission is to create a positive relationship between people and nature through collaborations, education, research and collections, exhibitions and public forums to grow our region’s urban connection to the world of nature and science.

All current opportunities are listed below. If there are no current positions listed, please check back as we post openings as they become available.

Employment Opportunities

Reports to: Private Events Manager

The Opportunity

The Nature Museum seeks an organized and detail-oriented individual with strong communication skills to be the Private Events Associate. This is a key role in supporting the ongoing private event functions of the Nature Museum. They will support many steps of the event planning process, such as birthdays, graduation parties, work events, weddings, and more. Weekend Birthday party logistics are a high priority of this role. The Private Events Associate will collaborate with guests and vendors to ensure a seamlessly planned and executed event. Experience in aquariums, zoos, museums, and/or other cultural institutions is desirable, but not essential.

The Ideal Candidate

Enjoy being with, engaging, and adapting to children
Positive and outgoing attitude
Ability to adapt and operate in a dynamic and creative environment
Excitement for nature
Strong decision making skills
Relate to Nature Museum mission and core values
Ability to work successfully with and support a team and independently
Customer service or hospitality background

Key Responsibilities of the Private Events Associate include:

Supports a variety of aspects of planning and executing private events for the Museum including scheduling, coordinating room set-ups, audio/visual coordination, vendor/caterer coordination and communication to ensure events run smoothly from beginning to end.
Lead weekend logistics of Birthday parties and other weekend day time private events
Communicate updates and processes with the guests and ensures a clear expectation of event needs.
Acts as the on-site contact for private events.
Responds to inquiries for private events.
Support internal Museum events and daily operations as needed.
Works cross-departmentally to keep the team informed of event needs.
Stay up to date on best practices and trends in museum and non-museum private events.
Other duties as assigned.

Requirements

Some experience managing events, especially birthday parties, or related experience.
Proven ability to manage multiple projects and meet deadlines.
Attention to detail.
Comfortable working early mornings and late nights.
Proven experience in supporting vendor relationships.
Proven ability to analyze problems and solutions in a proactive, constructive, and creative manner.
Ability to work effectively with minimal supervision.
Ability to maintain effective working relationships with a variety of stakeholders.
Excellent written and oral communication skills.
Comfortable handling live animals and non-living specimens.

Salary: $17.20 per hour

Schedule: Weekends during the day (Saturday & Sunday). Evenings upon request.

Benefits

Paid Time Off
Paid Sick Leave

How to Apply: Please send a resume and cover letter to hr-privateevents@naturemuseum.org to apply.

The Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum of the Chicago Academy of Sciences is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We are committed to equity, diversity and inclusion in all areas of the organization. We strongly encourage applications from people of color and members of underrepresented groups.

Internship Opportunities

There are no open positions currently available. Please check back for opportunities as they become available.

Volunteer Opportunities

There are no open positions currently available. Please check back for opportunities as they become available.

A Note on Volunteering

Regardless of their role, all Nature Museum volunteers must have a commitment to our mission and a genuine passion for nature and science.

We invest a lot of time in bringing new volunteers on board and finding the right fit for their interests, talents, and schedules. Please know that it may take up to two months to become an official Nature Museum volunteer. If you have an urgent need for service hours, we encourage you to seek out other opportunities. You can browse the variety of volunteer positions offered below. Questions? Please contact our Volunteer and Intern Coordinator, Anabel Hirano, at ahirano@naturemuseum.org.

Host Volunteers provide meaningful assistance and support to museum guests of all ages. They provide wayfinding assistance throughout the museum, highlight daily programs and upcoming events, and help to answer questions from guests. Host Volunteers provide invaluable support by acting as a conduit between museum guests and museum staff and volunteers.
Public Interpretive Program (PIP) Volunteers serve as the voice of the Museum, helping to lead all of the programs the Museum offers to the public on a daily basis. These programs include animal-focused programs like Critter Connections and Animal Feedings; activities that connect visitors to our exhibits and collections; and story time for our littlest visitors.
Special Event Volunteers support larger museum events such as Summer Nature Fest, Bugapalooza, and Booseum Bash. Special Event volunteers do a variety of roles, depending on the day’s needs. Roles may include things such as greeting and checking in guests, facilitating craft activities, or helping guests collect insects in the prairie. This role is best suited for those who want to be involved, but may not be able to commit to a regular schedule.

Living Collections Volunteers assist staff with the care of the animals in the museum’s Living Collections. This may include preparing food, feeding, and cleaning enclosures. The animal care volunteer cares for a wide range of animals including (but not limited to) snakes, turtles, frogs, salamanders, birds, and many invertebrate species. Duties may vary by day and at the discretion of the Living Collections staff.
Horticulture Volunteers work in the museum’s outdoor and indoor garden spaces to maintain and restore landscapes.
Butterfly Lab Volunteers care for the butterflies within the Judy Istock Butterfly Haven. They keep the receiving lab area and pupae cases clean, keep records of butterfly emergence, prepare food trays for the butterflies, and process shipments of new chrysalises. All work in the lab must follow strict USDA regulations.
Collections Volunteers assist Collections staff in preserving and organizing the scientific collections and archives of the museum. Work takes place primarily at the museum’s off-site Ravenswood Collections Facility. Collection Volunteers who are preparing new specimens (taxidermy) primarily work at the Nature Museum’s Beecher Lab.