Chicago Zoological Society's Brookfield Zoo is known throughout the world as a leader in animal welfare and conservation but the institution is also Illinois' most popular cultural attraction.* Our beautiful park like setting has an amazing 216 acres of meticulously landscaped grounds providing our guests with colorful native plants surrounding Roosevelt Fountain, shrub sculptured animals outlining our formal pool, and entrances decorated with a variety of plants, flowers and trees to welcome our over 2 million guests each year. Our grounds team is also responsible for 7 working greenhouses, a compost facility that processes 300 cubic yards of yard waste, and setting up over 1 million (mostly LED) twinkling lights for Holiday Magic.
As a groundskeeper, you will assist in creating Brookfield Zoo's beautiful picture perfect setting in every season by performing a variety of standard grounds duties and functions that include general park clean up, horticultural tasks, and grounds maintenance tasks. Your strong focus on safety will be utilized while you operate a variety of equipment such as lawn mowers, blowers, small tractors, pick-up and dump trucks, hand tools and other equipment as required. Your friendly demeanor and pleasant smile will contribute to creating an extraordinary guest experience as Groundskeepers work in public areas and may interact with guests to provide general information on park schedules and activities.
As Brookfield Zoo is open 365 days a year, the Groundskeeper position requires flexible availability to work non-standard hours including early mornings, evenings, holidays, and weekends. Due to the driving requirement, a valid driver's license is required and you must be at least 18 years of age for this position. This is a temporary (seasonal) position. The union hourly wage for this position is $9.95 per hour.
The requirements for this position include:
• High School diploma or equivalent combination of training/experience preferred.
• Previous groundskeeping or horticultural experience desirable.
• Minimum 18 years of age.
• Valid driver's license required. Illinois residents must possess a valid Illinois license within 90 days of hire. Valid out-of-state license required for out-of-state residents.
• One or more of the following licensures may be required: Valid "C" or "B" (CDL) Driver's License.
• Valid medical authorization card required for positions with commercial motor vehicle driving responsibilities.
• Experience and/or ability to work and interact effectively with a diverse, multicultural audience. Multilingual ability and Spanish fluency a plus.
• Good communication and interpersonal skills required.
• Must be reliable and able and willing to work non-standard hours such as weekends and holidays.
• Seasonal Groundskeepers must supply their own steel-toed work boots, which must be worn at all times when working.
* Brookfield Zoo is the most popular cultural attraction in the state of Illinois that actively monitors its attendance.