Admissions - Associate (Seasonal)

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This position contributes to the success of Brookfield Zoo Chicago ("BZC") by courteously and efficiently accommodating guests' admission needs and ensuring that all transactions are accurate to assure guests have a quality and enjoyable experience, thus contributing to BZC's goals of providing an extraordinary guest experience and generating revenue to contribute to the BZC's overall revenue goals.

This is a seasonal non-union hourly position, grade GS002 with a pay rate of $17.10 per hour. Please see Benefits Summary section below the job description information.

Brookfield Zoo is open 365 days a year, the work schedule involves working various shifts, including weekdays, weekends, and holidays. We especially appreciate candidates who can commit to consistent weekday availability throughout the year. To ensure that BZC can provide reliable service and maintain a consistent quality experience for our guests, availability of a minimum of four days per week including one day on the weekend is strongly desired. Shifts typically range from 4 to 8 hours, with work schedules starting as early as 8:00 AM and ending as late as 7:00 PM (and 10:00 PM on weekends or for special events). Work schedules are based on the needs of the operation. This position requires the ability to move across Zoo grounds, remain stationary for long periods of time and perform work in a variety of weather conditions. Minimum age of 16.

Primary Job Duties and Responsibilities:

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

1. Greet and assist guests in a warm and professional manner. Familiarize oneself with the zoo and its attractions and enthusiastically and accurately relay information to guests. Ensure all guests have a positive and seamless experience from the moment they arrive at the zoo or attraction entrance.
2. Obtain product knowledge and demonstrate effective selling skills to provide guests with essential information to assist them in purchasing the best value for their visit, maximizing their experience, and generating revenue. Collect revenue for and up-sell admissions, parking, internal attractions, packages, rentals, membership sales and other initiatives as instructed.
3. Operate a point-of-sale (POS) cash register system with accuracy and efficiency including basic data entry for onsite membership fulfillment. Accurately handle cash, credit, and debit card transactions, ensuring all monetary exchanges are processed securely and efficiently.
4. Follow established access control procedures to validate tickets sold online or at the admissions & attractions booths for guest admittance for zoo admission and internal attractions. Collect and record exact counts for each non-paying attendance categories, e.g., adults, children, members, etc., in order to report daily attendance for the census report.
5. Follow and enforce all applicable institutional policies and departmental procedures. Follow all safety procedures and guidelines to ensure the well-being of guests and staff.
6. Maintain assigned area to ensure it is clean and presentable to guests and in accordance with department standards.
7. Verify all employees entering the Zoo have a current BZC employee photo ID badge. Verify guests, business appointments, and deliveries against the gate list. Obtain proper authorization for admittance.
8. Maintain and clean wheelchairs, wagons, strollers, and ECV rentals.
9. Board buses or walk traffic lanes in order to obtain attendance counts and/or collect parking fees.
10. Other related duties as assigned.

* Denotes Essential Job Function(s)

Position Requirements and Specifications:

• Accurate basic math skills.
• Demonstrated strong customer service skills.
• Demonstrated ability to work effectively under pressure and meet deadlines.
• Ability to communicate with the public. Cultural competency; experience and/or ability to work and interact effectively with a diverse, multicultural audience.

Desirable/Preferred Qualifications:

• High School graduate or (GED) equivalent.
• Ability to operate a point-of-sales (POS) system.
• 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 represent Brookfield Zoo Chicago in a professional manner at all times. Must have the ability to work non-standard hours including evenings, holidays, and weekends. Incumbent must have ability to learn and follow BZC policies and departmental procedures and standards.

Occupational Requirements: See Occupational Requirements Form.

000159/021125

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 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.