Applications were open Tuesday to work at the Obama Presidential Center, which is looking for 150 new full-time employees to be ready when it opens later this year.

The jobs are in visitor experience, visitor facility management, and security, among other fields.

The Obama Foundation is prioritizing hiring Chicagoans, and working with community-based groups to find employees. This includes the Cara Collective, the North Lawndale Employment Network, Skills for Chicago, and the St. Sabina Employment Resource Center.

Former President Barack Obama issued a video personally inviting people to apply.

"When people come here, we want them to feel what makes the South Side so special — 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 on every block," former President Obama said in the video.

Anyone who is interested can apply at obama.org/careers.

The sprawling 20-acre Obama Presidential Center campus in Jackson Park, just blocks from the lake and just south of the Griffin Museum of Science and Industry, includes buildings, gardens, playgrounds, and a 225-foot museum tower.

While renowned architects designed the buildings, the community's input was equally important. Team members from the Obama Center visited all 77 Chicago neighborhoods, providing updates, answering questions, and responding to concerns.

In December, Obama Foundation chief executive officer Valerie Jarrett and deputy director Kim Patterson said they couldn't wait to open the center in June of this year.