Compliance Coordinator Zoological Operations

The Compliance Coordinator is a full-time, hourly, non-union position grade 06H with an expected hiring range of $26.66 to $29.33 per hour.  Please follow the below link or copy and paste it in your internet browser to see Compensation and Benefits Summary.  

Benefits Overview Non-union Full-time

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The Compliance Coordinator ensures Brookfield Zoo Chicago (“BZC”) maintains continuous compliance with all applicable animal welfare regulatory and accreditation standards. This role is responsible for ensuring the Zoo remains inspection‑ready at all times and that all operational practices align with requirements of the USDA Animal Welfare Act (AWA), Association of Zoos & Aquariums (AZA), American Humane Society’s Humane Certification, and the Alliance of Marine Mammal Parks & Aquariums (AMMPA) accreditation standards. This position also supports IACUC operations and compliance with Office of Laboratory Animal Welfare/ Public Health Services assurance.

This position partners closely with animal care & programs, veterinary services, plant & facilities, life safety & risk management to monitor compliance, coordinate inspections, maintain documentation, and drive a culture of proactive readiness and accountability.

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. *  Regulatory & Accreditation Oversight

• Serve as a subject‑matter expert for USDA AWA, AZA standards, Humane Certification criteria, and AMMPA guidelines.
• Maintain a current understanding of all regulatory updates, interpret changes, and communicate implications to leadership and staff.
• Develop and maintain compliance calendars, ensuring all deadlines, reports, renewals, and inspections are met.
• Coordinate and lead preparations for scheduled and unscheduled regulatory and IACUC inspections.

2. *  Inspection Readiness & Documentation

• Conduct routine internal inspections of animal areas, behind‑the‑scenes spaces, and public habitats to ensure standards are consistently met.
• Maintain organized, audit‑ready documentation including records of training, daily logs, environmental monitoring, facility maintenance reports, veterinary documentation, and corrective actions.
• Develop and oversee standardized processes for documentation retention, including digital records systems.
• Track and close out all corrective actions resulting from inspections, audits, and internal assessments.

3. *  Cross‑Department Collaboration

• Work closely with animal care directors and lead ACS supervisors, veterinary staff, nutrition, facilities, and safety teams to ensure compliance is embedded into daily operations.
• Facilitate monthly compliance review meetings with group leadership.
• Supports initiatives to ensure animal welfare regulations are incorporated into new habitats and renovations.

4. *  Training & Staff Development

• Create and deliver training for animal care and operations staff on compliance‑related requirements, including AWA regulations, AZA policies, and accreditation expectations.
• Ensure staff understand and follow all protocols for documentation, sanitation, husbandry, emergency response, and animal transport as required by each accrediting body.
• Develop onboarding modules for new employees regarding compliance fundamentals.

5. *  Continuous Improvement & Risk Mitigation

• Analyze compliance trends and identify systemic issues; recommend solutions to improve animal welfare and reduce regulatory risk.
• Lead root‑cause analyses for any identified deficiencies or non‑compliance events.
• Support the development and refinement of SOPs to enhance safety, welfare, and regulatory alignment.
• Plays role on the EMRT for safety/emergency response to ensure required emergency drills, documentation, and response plans meet accreditation expectations.

6. *  Research Program Administration

• Tracking and processing protocol submissions and approvals.
• Coordinating committee communications with Primary Investigators and BZC staff.
• Preparing and maintaining meeting minutes and records.
• Monitoring and communicating animal welfare concerns or protocol-related issues to the Chair and Committee.
• Supporting institutional reporting and documentation requirements.
• Coordination with Veterinary Technician staff to complete biological sample requests for approved research projects.

* Denotes Essential Job Function(s)

POSITION REQUIREMENTS:

• Bachelor’s degree in Animal Science, Biology, Zoology, Environmental Health, Public Administration, or related field required. 
• Minimum two (2) years of experience in zoo, aquarium, wildlife care, research compliance, lab animal compliance, or accreditation management.
• Must possess a current, valid driver’s license and pass a motor vehicle record check, as an essential function of this role involves safely operating motorized utility carts to transport personnel, equipment, and/or supplies across Zoo grounds. 

DESIRABLE/PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:

• Experience working with USDA AWA regulations and/or AZA accreditation processes strongly preferred.
• Multilingual ability, Spanish fluency a plus.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES:

• Strong working knowledge of animal welfare legislation, accreditation standards, and inspection protocols.
• Exceptional organizational and documentation skills; ability to maintain detailed, audit‑ready records.  Ensures accuracy and completeness in documentation and inspections. 
• Capability to coordinate prompt, accurate responses to unannounced regulatory audits and site visits minimizing operational disruption and mitigating risk.
• Strong communication skills, with the ability to collaborate across departments and deliver effective training.
• Skilled in problem‑solving, root‑cause analysis, and managing corrective action plans.
• Ability to maintain highly confidential information and adherence to ethical standards in animal care and welfare.
• Ability to work in animal environments, including indoor/outdoor habitats, and around diverse species.
• Proficiency in digital recordkeeping systems and strong computer literacy (such as Microsoft 365 applications or similar.)
• English fluency at a working professional proficiency.
• Cultural competency; experience and/or ability to work and interact effectively with a diverse, multicultural audience.

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 be able to work within a very fast-paced environment with rapidly shifting priorities.  Work is conducted across a large, multi-facility park like setting requiring regular physical mobility.  Tasks will involve access to behind-the-scenes animal areas requiring the ability to bend, stoop, and climb to perform audits and inspections and will involve walking long distances across Zoo grounds.  Must be comfortable working around all taxa including large carnivore and marine mammals.  Brookfield Zoo Chicago may require an employee to take and pass a physical examination to determine the employee’s ability to meet the essential functions of the job.  This may include vaccinations, blood tests, hearing tests, or other such medical testing or procedures as deemed reasonably necessary for the job and/or required by law.

OCCUPATIONAL REQUIREMENTS: See Occupational Requirements Form.

001395/06H/081326