Internship: Human Resources
Season: Summer 2025 (Approx June-August)
Location: Onsite
Application Deadline: March 31 at 4pm CST
 
Shedd Internship Program
Shedd Aquarium's Internship Program aims to provide meaningful career exploration for those seeking professions in non-profits, animal care, conservation, research, and beyond.  We hope to inspire and develop future professionals as diverse as the aquatic world we care for.

These opportunities are geared toward those that are new to the field and just starting to establish a career. They have the skills and knowledge, but not necessarily the real-world application.

We welcome applications from all levels of experience, including those seeking career exploration or changes, gap year students, freshmen, sophomores, and those seeking first internships.

Department Overview: 
The Human Resources (HR) department supports Shedd Aquarium’s staff, volunteers, and interns by developing and maintaining systems and programs that attract, engage, and retain a diverse workforce. Through talent acquisition, onboarding, compliance, and employee engagement, HR fosters a workplace that enables Shedd to fulfill its mission. 

This internship will focus on the administrative aspects of HR, providing hands-on experience in: 

• HR compliance and policy assistance: Supporting audits, document management, and regulatory processes.  
• Recruiting support: Assisting with job postings, applicant tracking, interview coordination. 
• Employee engagement and communications: Assisting with events and recognition programs. 

Interns will gain exposure to general HR functions in a nonprofit setting, developing key skills in organization, communication, and problem-solving while contributing to Shedd’s mission-driven workforce. 
 
Learning Objectives: 

• Maintain and manage HR records, ensuring accuracy, organization, and compliance with document retention policies. 
• Assist in coordinating HR-related events, meetings, and training sessions. 
• Gain experience using HR systems and databases for tracking and reporting. 
• Learn how HR supports employee development, training, and retention strategies. 

Responsibilities & Projects: 

• Demonstrate commitment to Shedd’s vision, mission and values 
• Partner with staff across the aquarium to gather information on programs that Human Resources supports, detailing operational impacts and recommending process improvements  
• Learn to navigate an HRIS to assist with new employee on-boarding, reporting and other functions   
• Ideate ways to share knowledge of hiring needs and processes internally and externally; this may include intranet updates, website updates, content for internal and external newsletters, and internal communication to department leaders.  
• Assisting with scheduling interviews  
• Communicating status updates to applicants and hiring managers.  
• Assist with day to day office operations, which may include filing, research on various topics, tracking policy completion, and responding to inquiries  
• Other projects as assigned 

Qualifications: 

Fields of Interest: Candidates should have a sincere interest in pursuing a career in Human Resources.  
 
Skills/Characteristics: 

• Ability to multitask and problem solve  
• Strong attention to detail  
• Able to maintain confidentiality  
• Ability to establish strong relationships  
• Comfortable working as part of a team and independently  
• Values people of all backgrounds and experience  
• Must be at least 18 years old.
• Have a high school diploma or GED. 

On-boarding
All interns attend one full day orientation. These are held in person on select Mondays from 9am-5pm. This is required, even if you will not normally be scheduled on Mondays.

Time & Compensation: 

• This is a non-exempt, temporary position that pays $17 per hour
• We anticipate this position will be scheduled for 20-30 hours per week for 12 weeks, pending business needs and individual performance.
• Preferred schedule: Flexible within normal business hours, Monday-Friday from 9am-5pm.
• Set schedule based on intern availability. 

Reasonable Accommodations:
Shedd Aquarium is committed to working with and providing reasonable accommodations to individuals with disabilities. If you need reasonable accommodations for any part of the employment process, please email us at internship@sheddaquarium.org.
 
We strongly encourage people of color, LGBTQ+ community, Veterans and active duty military, parents, individuals with disabilities, and individuals from all cultural backgrounds to apply. Shedd Aquarium is an equal opportunity employer and welcomes everyone to our team.