Plants of Concern Research Assistant, Midewin

Position Overview

Title: Plants of Concern Research Assistant - Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie

Exemption Status: Non-exempt

Department: Plant Science and Conservation

Reports to: Manager, Plants of Concern

Seasonal Status: Seasonal Full-time, approximately 25 weeks starting late April

• 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

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.

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.

Our ideal candidate will have the following:

• Bachelor of science degree in ecology, botany, biological sciences, or related background
• Plant s, 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 Power Point
• 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

Fieldwork involves walking over uneven terrain, or traversing distances of up to 2 miles while carrying equipment. Bending, stooping, and kneeling are often necessary. Fieldwork may occur during hot weather when insects are active. Office work involves sitting, standing, typing, using computers and copy machines.

Final date to receive applications: Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis until March 6, 2026.

How to Apply: In addition to the Chicago Botanic Garden application materials, please submit (1) a cover letter that includes why you are interested in this position and briefly outlines relevant experience and (2) a resume including contact information for three references.

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…