Behavioral Husbandry - Animal Welfare Design Coordinator (Seasonal)

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The Animal Welfare Design Coordinator is a seasonal/hourly position grade SEA06 with an expected hiring range of $28.79 - $30.38 per hour. Please see Compensation and Benefits Summary section below the job description information.

This position contributes to the success of Brookfield Zoo Chicago ("BZC") serving as a creative and technical contributor to the integration of industrial design principles, technology, and innovation into BZC's habitat design, enrichment programming, animal management, and welfare practices to engage animals in natural behavior, enhancing animal welfare and the guest experience.

Using a foundation in industrial design (BFA required), this position champions forward‑thinking, welfare‑driven design solutions that enhance animal choice and control, environmental complexity, and guest engagement. The role supports the Zoo's Next Century Plan, helping develop immersive, future-ready environments and experiences that promote exceptional animal care, positive welfare outcomes, and dynamic animal visibility.

PRIMARY JOB DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

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

• *Apply industrial design methodology to create or improve habitats, furnishings, enrichment systems, and environmental features.
• *Design solutions that enhance animal choice, agency, complexity, and natural behavior expression.
• *Work alongside ACP leadership and animal care & welfare staff during all phases of habitat, welfare, and visibility assessments.
• *Monitor and analyze behavioral, activity, or operational data to identify trends and actionable insights.
• *Develop prototypes and functional models to introduce smart habitats, digital enrichment tools, or dynamic environmental features.
• *Identify, test, and implement new technologies such as interactive enrichment systems, automatic sensors, environmental controls, and animal driven choices.
• *Maintain design documentation, material specifications, and performance notes to support scaling successful designs Zoo wide.
• *Develop processes for collecting, validating, and reporting data from automated monitoring systems. Create and maintain dashboards, reports, and visualizations to communicate key findings and performance metrics.
• Other related duties as assigned.
• Denotes Essential Job Function(s)

POSITION REQUIREMENTS:

• Bachelor's degree in Industrial Design required.
• Minimum of two years of experience in product design, industrial design, UX/physical interaction design, or related creative technical fields.
• Experience with fabrication, prototyping, and material selection.
• Strong proficiency in industrial design tools such as CAD (Rhino, SolidWorks, Fusion 360), Adobe Creative Suite, and prototyping technologies.
• Strong proficiency with Microsoft 365 (Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, SharePoint, Teams, Dynamics) with ability to learn new systems.
• Knowledge of design for durability, safety, environmental conditions, and functional use by non-human users.
• High level of professionalism, discretion, emotional intelligence, and customer service.
• Cultural competency; experience and/or ability to work and interact effectively with a diverse, multicultural audience.
• English fluency at a professional working proficiency.

DESIRABLE/PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:

• Experience working with or designing for animals (zoo, sanctuary, lab animal, or companion animal environments) is highly desirable.
• Multilingual ability, Spanish fluency a plus.
• A current, valid driver's license and pass a motor vehicle record check is preferred for the safe operation of motorized utility carts for transportation across Zoo grounds including to transport personnel, equipment, supplies and/or live animals.

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.

OCCUPATIONAL REQUIREMENTS: See Occupational Requirements Form.

001407/SEA06/082826

Benefits Summary

Non-Union Seasonal Employees

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 matching contributions of up to 3%. The employer match for Seasonal employees is vested on a 6-year graded vesting schedule based on Years of Service.

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.