Custodian (General Interest)

Obama Foundation; United States; Remote; USD 23,000 - 33,000; Full time

Job summary

The Obama Foundation is seeking a Custodian to execute routine and specialized cleaning across the Obama Presidential Center campus in Chicago. You will work under a Custodial Team Lead to ensure a safe, clean, and welcoming environment for guests and staff.

Responsibilities include maintaining public spaces, following safety standards, and using digital work orders to manage tasks and inventory. The role requires flexibility in hours and a commitment to inclusivity.

Qualifications

• Ability to stand and walk for extended periods.
• Work independently and with a team to address problems.
• Experience or interest in facility maintenance at a cultural institution, university, or hotel.
• Commitment to the Obama Presidential Center mission and an inclusive environment.
• Flexible hours including early mornings, late nights, weekends, and holidays.

Responsibilities

• Maintain cleanliness and sanitation in public spaces and staff areas.
• Protect upkeep of campus grounds and surfaces within assigned areas.
• Use the work order system for cleaning schedules, alerts, inventory and equipment status.
• Respond promptly to custodial emergencies with minimal disruption to operations.
• Follow OSHA standards and maintain professional interaction with staff and visitors.
• Contribute to a welcoming environment for guests at the Obama Presidential Center.

Skills

Cleaning operations

Safety compliance

Team collaboration

Problem solving

Facility maintenance

Job description

At The Obama Foundation, our mission is to inspire, empower, and connect people to change their world. We seek to build an active democratic culture where people are equipped and motivated to make change in the communities where they live, work, and play. Right here on the South Side of Chicago, we’re building a home for this vision, a global center for change with a range of opportunities – coordinated programming, community outreach events, educational moments, and more – that invite visitors from down the block or across the globe to turn hope into action. Achieving our ambitious goals starts with an exceptional team built on our Hope to Action Values – Courage, Empathy, Integrity, Accountability, Community, Inclusivity, Pragmatism, Resilience, Imagination, and Hope. A Framework that anyone, anywhere, can use to build trust, activate participation, and expand opportunity in their community.

Purpose of the Role

We're continuously accepting applications for our active openings over the next few months! We can't wait to see how your unique skills and perspective can help our mission thrive as we grow.

The Custodian will be responsible for executing both routine and specialized cleaning plans for the facility and surrounding campus to ensure the safety and well-being of all guests and staff. During each shift, the Custodian will wear a uniform provided by the Obama Presidential Center. This position will be assigned a designated coverage area, though assignments may change based on campus needs and shift requirements. As a Custodian for the Obama Presidential Center, you will be reporting directly to a Custodial Team Lead, who will also provide day-to-day support.

Core Job Responsibilities

• Ensure Obama Presidential Center public spaces uphold cleanliness and sanitation standards as a direct representation of the Center’s mission.
• Actively protect upkeep of Obama Presidential Center grounds and surfaces within assigned campus area, including floors, counters, walls, and high‑touch surfaces.
• Utilize the work order system to efficiently carry out cleaning schedules, receive real‑time alerts for urgent cleaning tasks, manage inventory, and equipment status; ensuring complete transparency and accountability.
• Respond promptly to custodial emergencies (e.g., spills.), minimizing disruption to museum operations and visitor experiences.
• Uphold industry standards and operating procedures for safe work environments, including OSHA compliance while maintaining professional interaction with staff and visitors.
• Contribute to a welcoming and inclusive environment for Obama Presidential Center guests.

Key Deliverables / Outcomes

• Sanitize all assigned public and staff spaces; including but not limited to museum exhibits, classrooms, programming rooms, performance spaces, and presidential rooms.
• Ensure that practices adhere to APPA Level 1 cleanliness standards and sanitation practices as well as the Center’s mission and sustainability practices.
• Clean and maintain restrooms and other facilities within the assigned campus area, ensuring restocking of supplies and timely waste disposal, while adhering to the museum's sustainability guidelines.
• Assist in the setup and breakdown of special events, ensuring custodial and sanitation duties are completed efficiently.
• Perform routine checks on custodial equipment, promptly reporting damages or malfunctions to supervisors for repair or replacement.
• Participate in ongoing training and certification programs to continuously improve cleaning techniques, safety protocols, and sustainability practices, ensuring alignment with the Center’s goals for health, safety, and environmental stewardship.
• Utilize digital work order and asset management systems to manage tasks, track inventory, and complete assignments efficiently and on time.
• Replace or replenish supplies across public spaces including restrooms and refuse receptacles.

Required Qualifications

• Ability to stand and walk on foot for extended periods of time.
• Able to work independently and as part of a team, addressing problems appropriately and elevating to team leads as needed.
• Experience or interest in facility maintenance, particularly at a cultural institution, university, or hotel.
• Commitment to the Obama Presidential Center mission and an inclusive environment.
• Flexibility of hours including but not limited to early morning, late night, weekends, and holidays across campus in both indoor and outdoor environments.
• Ability to work out of the Obama Presidential Center in Jackson Park and/or other Obama Foundation locations in Chicago.

The pay rate for this role is $20.50/hour. For an overview of our benefits package, including insurance, paid time off, retirement & more, please visit https://www.obama.org/careers/.

Equal Opportunity Employer The Foundation is committed to creating a diverse work environment and is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. The Foundation does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, gender identity, religion, sexual orientation, age, disability, parental status, veteran status, or any other protected status under applicable laws. We encourage individuals of all backgrounds to apply. If you are a qualified candidate with a disability, please e-mail us at [e-mail] if you require a reasonable accommodation to complete this application.

At the Obama Foundation, we are guided by a core belief: that ordinary people working together can change history. Our mission is to inspire those people to take action, empower them to change their world for the better, and connect them so they can achieve more together than they can alone. We were founded by community organizers, so when we seek change, we do it by bringing people together. That approach begins at home, on the South Side of Chicago, where we are building the Obama Presidential Center. The Center represents a historic opportunity for Chicago: a chance to build a world‑class museum and public gathering space that celebrates our nation’s first African American President and First Lady, steps away from where he began his career, where she was raised, and where—together—they made their home. But that approach extends to all our work, whether it’s holding leadership training sessions in communities throughout the U.S., bringing local leaders together in countries around the world, working to support the global education of girls, or ensuring young men of color have pathways to opportunity. As President Obama has said, “we cannot solve the challenges of our time unless we solve them together.” So join us. For more information, please visit www.obama.org.