President Obama Invites Chicagoans to Apply for 150 New Full-Time Career Opportunities at the Presidential Center

President Obama Invites Chicagoans to Apply for 150 New Full-Time Career Opportunities at the Presidential Center

In Partnership with Four Community-Based Organizations, The Obama Foundation Will Prioritize Hiring Local Residents to Welcome Visitors from Around the World to the South Side of Chicago

CHICAGO — As the Obama Presidential Center prepares to open its doors in 2026, President Obama personally invited Chicago residents to apply for 150 new full-time career opportunities at the center. See his video here.

With a focus on creating a visitor experience that celebrates and reflects the community in which the Center is built, the 150 new employees will play different roles across the campus. They will collectively serve as the public face of the Center, helping support the visitor experience for the hundreds of thousands of visitors expected each year.

The 150 opportunities will include work in visitor experience, visitor facility management and security, among others.

Interested applicants can apply at obama.org/careers.

President Obama says: “As the Center gets ready to open its doors to the world, we’re looking for folks to join our team — people who understand that every job here matters: people who’ll keep this place safe and welcoming as security officers, who’ll keep it shining as custodians, and who’ll greet visitors from around the world as visitor associates — our ambassadors of hope.

“Because when people come here, we want them to feel what makes the South Side so special — that 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 church, every family reunion.

“So if you’re ready to be part of something bigger — to help us tell the story of hope and possibility that began right here — we’d love for you to apply. Because the Obama Presidential Center won’t just be ours — it’ll be yours, too.”

In addition to the online hiring portal, The Obama Foundation has partnered with four community-based organizations to prioritize hiring local residents.

To help identify and recruit local residents for the new roles, the Foundation has launched a partnership with four community-based organizations (CBOs):

Cara Collective

North Lawndale Employment Network (NLEN)

Skills for Chicago

St. Sabina Employment Resource Center

“From a South Side gardener planting our gardens, to a local foodie in our restaurant, or a history buff caring for the building, each role will shape the visitor experience,” said Valerie Jarrett, Chief Executive Officer of The Obama Foundation. “By hiring from our local community, we will ensure the Center reflects the spirit of the South Side. Our partners’ experience and community ties will help us identify talent, unlock opportunities, and power the Center with people who know and love this city.”

The CBO partners, which largely focus on serving Chicago’s South and West Sides, are dedicated to preparing candidates with the tools and training needed to thrive in these careers and beyond. To support hiring at the Center, Foundation staff have attended a number of general job fairs hosted by the CBOs. The CBOs operate regular resume workshops and spread the word through their networks to connect local talent to meaningful careers at the Center.

The Foundation anticipates this latest cohort of new staff will start work in late March, joining more than 325 staff currently working at the Foundation. Going forward, the Foundation will continue to expand its network by attending job fairs and other local events.


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