Plants of Concern Research Assistant, Midewin

Seasonal Full-time, approximately 25 weeks starting late April

Seasonal Full-time employees scheduled to work at least 30 hours per week are eligible for the following Benefits:

• Wellness initiative benefit, Employee Assistance Program (EAP), Retirement plan
• Holidays, Holiday Thank you pay
• Garden membership - free to employees at Household Plus level
• Discounts to Garden Shop, Cafe, Garden-sponsored educational classes
• Employee events such as Orchid show, Night of 1,000 Jack-o'-Lanterns, Lightscape employee & friends preview night

Compensation Philosophy:

At the Chicago Botanic Garden, our compensation philosophy is rooted in our core values: Growth, Understanding, Resilience, and Trust through Transparency. We are committed to creating a workplace where everyone feels respected, valued, and appreciated.

Our objective is to create compensation and growth opportunities for our employees that are highly competitive, internally equitable and transparent. The foundation of our efforts is a straightforward approach that can be easily communicated by managers with defined pay ranges for all positions. When posting job openings, we share the minimum salary up to the budgeted amount.

The starting salary for new staff members is determined by considering the salary range assigned to the position and by reviewing the candidate's qualifications for the job as compared with job responsibilities. Prior work experience should be considered in determining the salary offer, provided that it is relevant to the job. Additional factors such as secondary language proficiency or advanced degrees that enhance performance may also be considered. A candidate's salary may exceed the minimum amount based on factors such as experience, additional skills (e.g., secondary language proficiency), or pertinent degrees that enhance the individual's contribution to the role but are not required. Opportunities for increased compensation are provided through referral bonuses, shift differentials, Thank You Pay, promotions, and periodic pay increases based on the Garden's overall performance and financial budgets. Our total compensation and benefits package is people centric. We prioritize employee wellness across three pillars: physical, mental, and financial. Our goal is to offer innovative total rewards that support continuous professional growth, personal development, and provide the flexibility needed to balance personal and professional commitments.

Position Overview:

As part of a cooperative program with Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie, Plants of Concern is recruiting for a seasonal research assistant.

This approximately 25-week, 40-hour/week position beginning in late April involves a suite of studies on rare plants at Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie, including those restricted to the unique dolomite prairie habitat. The Midewin program is part of a broader Plants of Concern regional rare plant monitoring program. The research assistant will travel to Midewin, near Joliet, Illinois, and nearby sites for approximately 30 days of field work. The remaining time will be spent working at the Chicago Botanic Garden and remotely.

Field duties involve recruiting, training, coordinating, and working with volunteers to monitor selected species through demographic study, censusing, sampling, and photo points. Office duties include data entry and statistical analysis, report writing, and GIS applications. The research assistant will have the opportunity to present accomplished work at Plants of Concern volunteer and stakeholder events. Two to three days of weekend work possible.

Responsibilities

In this role you will be responsible for the following:

• Get trained in Plants of Concern protocol for rare plant monitoring through online and field training.
• Develop or modify field datasheets for species-specific data collection.
• Become oriented to Midewin monitoring sites and familiar with data to be collected.
• Develop schedule for fieldwork.
• Engage, train, organize, and support community science volunteers.
• Conduct rare plant monitoring field work with volunteers and assist with other Midewin data collection, as necessary.
• Organize and enter data.
• Complete data entry and analysis on multi-year dataset (using R statistical software).
• Organize and catalog monitoring and other photos (digital format).
• Work with supervisor on annual report to submit to granting agency.

Qualifications

Our ideal candidate will have the following:

• Bachelor of science degree in ecology, botany, biological sciences, or related background
• Plant ID skills, including use of a dichotomous key
• Field experience in plant monitoring or field research
• Love of outdoor work
• Experience with Microsoft Office suite, particularly Excel, Word, and PowerPoint
• Basic statistical and GIS software experience (R & ArcGIS experience a plus)
• Excellent organizational skills
• Interest in working with community science volunteers
• Ability to work well independently as well as on a team
• Ability to communicate effectively with a large, diverse group of volunteers and staff
• A driver's license and access to a personal vehicle
• Availability for occasional weekend work

Why Apply?
Come work in a setting that is like no other as you support our mission: We cultivate the power of plants to sustain and enrich life. Take the first step toward being one of the employees who make the Garden one of the treasures of the Forest Preserves of Cook County. Apply today. Please note that applicants who do not meet the required qualifications will not be considered.

We are an Equal Opportunity Employer and do not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment because of race, color, sex, age, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, status as a veteran, or basis of disability, or any other federal, state, or local protected class.

Disclaimer: The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by people assigned to this classification. They are not intended to be an exhaustive list of all responsibilities and qualifications required of personnel so classified.

In accordance with Title IX of the Education Amendments Act of 1972, the Chicago Botanic Garden does not discriminate on the basis of sex in its programs or activities, including in employment or admissions. Please call (847) 835-8264 to contact our Title IX Coordinator should you have questions or concerns. Please do not call this number to inquire about job postings or the status of your application, or with solicitations from companies or third-party recruiters.