Family Assistant with Meal Prep Support

Family Assistant with Meal Prep Support Location: Chicago (Bucktown), IL 60647 Employment Type: Part-Time, 1520 hours per week Schedule: 3 days a week with Fridays as a required day and two additional days per week based on mutual availability. Core hours are 1:006:00 PM. Guaranteed 15 hours per week, with flexibility up to 20 hours for additional childcare or date night support. Compensation: $33$38 per hour, based on experience Start Date: ASAP About Our Family We're a warm, down-to-earth family of four living in a walkable city neighborhood with our energetic fraternal twin boys, who will turn two this fall. Life is entering an exciting new season as one parent begins an intensive medical fellowship and the other prepares to return to a hybrid professional role. We love our community, have wonderful friends nearby, and genuinely enjoy spending time together as a family. Our boys thrive on routine, curiosity, and adventure, and we're looking for someone who can become a trusted partner in helping our household run smoothly during this next chapter. We're not looking for someone to raise our children or become another parent in the home. What we value most is a capable, proactive professional who sees what needs to be done and takes ownership of it. Our family functions best when the details are handled: groceries are stocked, meals are prepped, the children's clothes are organized, toys stay manageable, and the household feels calm and prepared for whatever the week brings. The reality of demanding work schedules means there will be times when both parents are stretched thin, and having reliable support in place will make an enormous difference for our family. We keep a well-run home and already have systems in place that work for us. We maintain regular cleaning services, outsource portions of our laundry and dry cleaning, and appreciate efficiency over perfection. We've learned that having someone living in our space full-time wasn't the right fit for our family, so we're excited to find a professional who can step in, get things done, and help lighten the mental load without creating more work. If you take pride in being dependable, organized, resourceful, and genuinely enjoy supporting a busy family behind the scenes, we think this could be a wonderful long-term fit. Who You Are / What We're Looking For You're genuinely proactive and self-directed. You don't wait for instructions or a daily task list - you notice what needs attention, prioritize appropriately, and take ownership of getting it done. You understand that your role is to make life easier for a busy family. Whether it's meal prep, grocery shopping, managing the children's laundry, organizing clothing that's been outgrown, or tackling household to-dos, you're constantly looking for ways to reduce the family's mental load. You're highly reliable and dependable. In a household without local family support and with demanding professional schedules, follow-through matters. When you say you'll handle something, it gets handled. You enjoy creating and maintaining systems. You like organized closets, stocked refrigerators, orderly toy spaces, and household routines that help everything run more smoothly. You're comfortable balancing household management and childcare support. While the primary focus is helping the household operate efficiently, you're also happy to step in for daycare pickups, occasional date nights, sick days, school closures, or schedule gaps when needed. You're warm, calm, and approachable with young children, but you understand that you're joining the household as a professional. You're confident engaging with toddlers while maintaining appropriate boundaries and structure. You're detail-oriented, especially when it comes to food preparation, kitchen organization, and food safety. You take pride in leaving spaces cleaner, more organized, and better prepared than you found them. You're adaptable and comfortable working around changing schedules. You can confidently navigate weeks when one parent's hospital schedule is particularly demanding or when work travel and other commitments create additional moving pieces. You appreciate working in a home that already has systems in place and support services established. You're not looking to reinvent the wheel - you're looking to step in, plug into the family's rhythm, and make everything work better. Previous experience as a House Manager, Family Assistant, Household Manager, Nanny/Family Assistant, or in a similarly self-directed support role is strongly preferred. However, candidates with exceptional organizational skills, strong initiative, and relevant transferable experience will also be considered. Key Responsibilities Family Support School pickup and drop-off as needed Light supervision and backup childcare when parents are unavailable Date night and occasional overnight support (not expected regularly, but welcomed) Packing and unpacking for family travel (primarily the boys) Meal Support Prepare approximately 4 dinners per week in a ready-to-eat or easy-reheat state, particularly during heavy work weeks Batch-cook breakfast items such as egg bites and breakfast burritos (approximately 2 options per week) Grocery shopping, both in-person and via delivery, based on family preferences Follow and maintain allergy protocols: nut-free for the full family, no sunflower seed butter or sesame for the boys, and awareness of a potential avocado sensitivity for one child Kitchen clean-up and maintenance Laundry & Linens Wash, fold, and organize the boys' laundry approximately twice per week Change and launder the boys' sheets weekly Maintain a tidy and well-stocked laundry area Put away dry cleaning and returned clothing items Household Organization & Maintenance Daily kitchen resets, light tidying, dishes, and surface wipe-downs Manage seasonal clothing swaps and sizing transitions for the boys Coordinate donation drop-offs as needed Replace batteries, light bulbs, and smoke detector batteries as needed Clean and maintain humidifiers and air purifiers in the boys' room during winter months Prepare home for cleaners and support general household flow Inventory & Errands Restock pantry, refrigerator, and household supplies Manage running shopping lists and household Amazon orders and subscriptions Handle returns, pharmacy runs, and other local errands as needed Bring in mail and packages; break down boxes Vendor & Property Oversight Be present on-site for contractors, cleaners, or service providers when parents are unavailable Research vendors and gather quotes for home repairs or projects as needed Assist with outdoor plant care during summer months Administrative Support Maintain visibility into the family calendar to support meal planning and scheduling Deep Cleaning & Special Projects Occasional deep cleans (fridge, oven, baseboards) when time allows Ongoing organizational projects as assigned Holiday decor and closet organization as needed How to Apply Please submit: A short intro letter An updated resume 3 professional references with contact information to be considered for this role. This role requires a background check.