Administrator & Assistant, Animal Health, Welfare & Science

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!

The Administrator & Assistant, Animal Health, Welfare & Science is a non-union, full-time, hourly position grade 05H with an expected hiring range of $23.80 - $26.18 per hour. Please see Compensation and Benefits Summary section below the job description information.

This position contributes to the success of Brookfield Zoo Chicago by providing a full range of administrative and clerical support functions for the Animal Health, Welfare & Science department (AHWS).

PRIMARY JOB DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

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

• • Provide general administrative support to the Animal Health, Welfare, & Science department comprised of Veterinary Services, Zoo Nutrition Services, and Animal Welfare Science.
• • Provide direct administrative support to the Senior Vice President of Animal Health, Welfare & Science, Director of Operations-Animal Health, Welfare & Science, Vice President of Animal Welfare Science, and Director of Nutrition.
• • Provide clerical support to the AHWS department including but not limited to managing phone calls, email communications, addressing visitor needs, making travel arrangements, scheduling meetings, reserving rooms, preparing reports, filing and organizing documents, recording meeting minutes, handling mailings and shipments, maintaining electronic department files and databases, ensuring the AHWS SharePoint page is up to date and well organized, maintaining the AHWS central calendar, and assisting the Senior VP and Director of Operations in staff scheduling.
• • Provide accounting, invoicing, and client relations support for the Radiology Consulting Service. Communicate with clients and radiologists and facilitate study submissions as required.
• • Provide administrative, clerical, and client relations support for the Zoo and Aquarium Radiology Database program.
• • Maintain office equipment and coordinate inspections/repairs as needed. Inventory and maintain office supplies for the department.
• • Maintain, file, and manage electronic and hard copy patient medical records as directed.
• • Under direction of the Director of Operations-Animal Health, Welfare & Science, assist in tracking and scheduling examinations and medical procedures for the animal collection. Work with external consulting veterinarians to coordinate scheduling, record acquisition, and logistics.
• • Under direction of the Director of Operations-Animal Health, Welfare & Science, assist in tracking and coordinating annual inspections and servicing of hospital and laboratory equipment.
• • Provide support to the Veterinary Education Program by monitoring and organizing student applications. Assist with scheduling rotations and coordination of on-site visits. Coordinate logistics related to student rotations and shadowing participants.
• • Provide dedicated support to the animal shipment transaction program by working closely with the Animal Care and Programs division and the Registrar to gather, organize, and process medical records and generate certificates of veterinary inspection. Communicate with various regulatory agencies to obtain accurate testing and permitting requirements and relay those requirements to the appropriate parties in a timely manner.
• • Provide support to the Animal Welfare and Research committees by gathering and organizing application proposal materials, maintaining spreadsheets, scheduling meetings, and recording meeting minutes.
• • Liaise with hospital volunteers assigned to AHWS projects to ensure understanding and accurate completion of assignments.
• • Assist with departmental purchase order creation, order placement, invoice acquisition and processing, expense reports, staff reimbursements, and account monitoring.
• • Ensure all hospital common areas are maintained in a clean, organized manner and are professional in appearance. Assist with management and maintenance of the physical facility (interior and exterior). Communicate with the Plant & Facilities department as needed with regards to open work orders.
• • Interact with zoo guests, staff, and visitors as requested, including general reception functions and basic abilities to give guided tours through the facility.
• • Serve as the safety representative for the Animal Hospital and perform routine fire extinguisher and safety equipment inspections; attend safety meetings to ensure department compliance and preparedness.
• Other related duties as assigned.
• Denotes Essential Job Function(s)

POSITION REQUIREMENTS AND SPECIFICATIONS:

• Associates Degree in Business, Communications, Secretarial Science, or other directly relevant field or four years of equivalent experience. High school diploma or educational equivalent (e.g., GED) required.
• Three years comparable administrative and clerical experience providing support for multiple managers required.
• Computer proficiency with Microsoft Outlook, Word, and Excel.

Excellent prioritization skills and strong attention to detail and accuracy.

• Excellent customer services skills and ability to effectively work with the others, including the public.
• Effective problem-solving skills and the ability to make sound decisions.
• English fluency at a professional working proficiency level. Strong verbal and written communication skills required. Excellent telephone etiquette and effective listening skills.
• Strong interpersonal skills and professionalism. Ability to establish strong working relationships.
• Ability to remain calm and work effectively in high-pressure situations and meet critical deadlines.
• Cultural competency; experience and/or ability to work and interact effectively with a diverse, multicultural audience.

DESIRABLE/PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:

• Non-profit experience desirable.
• Previous veterinary or medical related experience preferred.
• Database skills strongly preferred.
• Valid Illinois driver's license preferred.
• Multilingual ability, Spanish fluency a plus.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: This position description summarizes the primary duties and functions of this position, but should not be considered a complete listing of every duty the incumbent may ever be called upon to perform. Must be proactive, persistent, and helpful, able to identify tasks to be completed and move forward without prompting. Must be resourceful and display initiative. Incumbent is required to gain a solid understanding of the individual departments and their operations, the organization and its mission, vision, values, and operating philosophies, and how the Animal Health and Welfare department impacts the organization and interacts with individual departments. Must be highly flexible and adaptable, have a strong work ethic, and be professional at all times.

PHYSICAL-MENTAL REQUIREMENTS: See Physical-Mental Requirements Form.

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Benefits Summary

We are pleased that you are considering joining our team at Brookfield Zoo Chicago (BZC). Below is a summary of the benefits we offer.

Non-Union Full-Time Employees

Time Away from Work:

Paid Time Off (PTO): PTO is accrued based on Years of Service and pay grade on a per-pay-period basis starting on the date of hire.

Years of Service

Positions in Grades 01H-06

Positions in Grades

07H-14-14MT-15MT

Positions in Grades

16H-17MT

Positions in Grades

07H1-081 (10hr/day)

New hire- 5 years

21 days

26 days

31 days

18 days

Holidays: Non-union employees are eligible for eight paid holidays per year.

Employee Benefits: Coverage begins on the date of hire.

Medical Insurance: Employees may choose from one of two medical plans: Blue Cross-Blue Shield HMO or PPO Plan.

Benefit

Coverage Tiers Available

HMO Employee Cost (biweekly)

PPO Employee Cost (biweekly)

Medical Insurance

Employee, Employee + Spouse, Employee + Child(ren), Family

$48.82- $199.53

$75.12- $296.58

Common Medical Event

HMO

PPO

Annual Deductible

$250 Individual/ $500 Family

In-Network: $750 Individual / $1,500 Family

Out-of-Network: $1,500 Individual / $3,000 Family

Out-of-pocket-maximum

$1,500 Individual / $3,000 Family

Prescription drug expense limit: $1,000 Individual / $2,000 Family

In-Network: $2,000 Individual / $4,000 Family

Out-of-Network: $4,000 Individual / $8,000 Family

Doctors Visits

$40/ PCP visit

$60/ Specialist visit

No Charge: Preventive care/screening/

immunization

$30/ PCP visit; deductible does not apply

$50/ Specialist visit; deductible does not apply

No Charge: Preventive care/screening/

immunization; deductible does not apply.

Hospitalization

Facility Fee: $250/admission plus 20% coinsurance

Physician/surgeon fees: No charge

Facility Fee: 20% co-insurance

Physician/surgeon fee: 20% co-insurance

Dental Insurance & Vision Care Coverage: A PPO dental plan and an employee-paid vision care plan are available.

Mental Health: Support, counseling, and resources for life issues at no cost to you. Eligible employees and their immediate family have access to Perspectives, a dynamic Employee Assistance Plan (EAP) which provides 24/7, confidential care and resources to address work and life stressors.

Retirement Savings: Eligible employees are automatically enrolled at 6% on a pre-tax basis as soon as administratively feasible following date of hire. Employee Pre-tax and/or Roth after-tax contributions available. First of the quarter following one year of service, eligible employees receive regular matching contributions of up to 3%. The employer match for full-time employees is immediately vested.

Employer-Paid Income Protection: Eligible employees are automatically enrolled in Short-Term Disability benefits, Long-Term Disability benefits, Basic Term Life insurance and Basic AD&D insurance.

Pre-tax Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA): Eligible employees may set aside pre-tax dollars from their paychecks to save for pre-tax reimbursement of qualified healthcare and/or dependent care expenses.

Voluntary Benefits:

• Supplemental Term Life Insurance - Group Accident Insurance
• Supplemental Accidental Death & Dismemberment Insurance - Group Critical Illness Insurance
• Supplemental Dependent Life Insurance - Identity Theft Protection

Brookfield Zoo Chicago is open 363 days each year. Work schedules vary with each position. This position may require the ability to work a non-traditional schedule on-site that may include holidays, weekends, mornings and/or evenings.

The mission of Brookfield Zoo Chicago is to inspire conservation leadership by connecting people to wildlife and nature. Accredited by the Association of Zoos & Aquariums, American Humane, and the Alliance of Marine Mammal Parks and Aquariums. Brookfield Zoo Chicago is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

Please note that portions of our recruitment and selection process may involve the support of AI tools to help ensure efficiency and consistency.