Bonsai Assistant

Title: Bonsai Assistant

Exemption Status: Non-Exempt

Department: Plant Collections

Reports to: Bonsai Curator

Seasonal Full-time, approximately 9 months

Seasonal Full-time employees with a six or more month assignment and scheduled to work at least 30 hours per week are eligible for the following Benefits:

• Medical, Dental, Vision, Health Savings Account (HSA), Life & AD&D insurance, Legal Shield, Commuter Reimbursement, Wellness initiative benefit, Employee Assistance Program (EAP), Retirement plan
• Personal days, 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.

The bonsai seasonal assistant position will provide experience in public bonsai collection management. They will help in the day-to-day care of one of the largest bonsai collections in the country, working under the direction of the curator. After a period of training, the assistant will be responsible for independent care of the bonsai collection in both the grow-out facility and display areas.

This opportunity includes a 40-hour work week, five days per week, and does require weekend work. The seasonal position is anticipated to start in March and end in November. The work week will be Sunday through Thursday, 6 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., with some holiday coverage within those days.

• Assisting with the day-to-day care of the bonsai collection to include watering, weeding, repotting, pruning, preparing trees for display, and all other aspects of collections maintenance.
• Assisting with the documentation and inventory of the bonsai collection.
• Daily cleaning and preparing the bonsai on display in the Regenstein Center courtyards.
• Working closely with volunteers to accomplish the developmental goals of the collection.
• Safely move delicate and sometimes heavy trees around the Garden.
• Prepared to work outside in varying weather conditions, including heat, cold, and rain.
• Covering the watering needs of the collection.
• Communicating effectively with curator, volunteers, and visitors.
• Other projects/tasks assigned as needed.