Business
Applications Open for 150 Full-Time Jobs at Obama Presidential Center
The Obama Presidential Center under construction in 2025. (Courtesy of Angie McMongial / Obama Foundation)
The Obama Foundation is looking to hire for 150 new full-time positions as the Obama Presidential Center prepares to open its doors this summer, the foundation announced Tuesday.
“When people come here, we want them to feel what makes the South Side so special,” former President Barack Obama said in a social media video announcing the opening of applications. “The mix of warmth and grit, the sense of humor that can brighten any day, the creativity that turns challenges into opportunities, and the joy that shows up in every block, every place of worship and every family reunion.”
Opportunities include work in facility management, guest services, security and groundskeeping.
The employees will serve as the public face of the Obama Presidential Center, located in Jackson Park, helping to support the visitor experience for the hundreds of thousands of visitors expected each year, according to a news release.
The foundation is partnering with four community-based organizations to prioritize hiring local residents for the positions. The organizations — which largely focus on serving the city’s South and West Sides — are Cara Collective, North Lawndale Employment Network, Skills for Chicago and St. Sabina Employment Resource Center.
Applicants do not need to apply through the organizations, according to a news release.
Those interested can apply at obama.org/careers. Applications are open until Jan. 31.
The new staff is expected to start work in late winter, joining more than 325 staff members currently working at the Obama Foundation, according to a news release.
The Obama Presidential Center is expected to open in June. The campus, spanning 19 acres, will feature a garden, a museum, a branch of the Chicago Public Library and an athletic, programs and events facility.
Contact Eunice Alpasan: [email protected]
