I decided to write this post after bouncing across search engines and from site to site seeking a job with a social enterprise.  A number of different sites feature jobs related to social change, but so far as I know no resource exists putting them all in one place.  That is the aim of this post – to facilitate an easier job search for the socially-conscious individual interested in engaging in social good.

While amazing opportunities are indeed available on these various sites, as a social enterprise job-seeker I would appreciate increased usability.  For instance, a number of the sites I list here do not have a specific feature for search by location.  As the social enterprise field grows, it is my hope that the infrastructure related to job opportunities improves to better facilitate a successful link between social change organization and interested job-seekers.

With that said, please peruse this list, and please send me a tweet (to @socentex) if I have missed an important resource.  Without further adieu…

1.  SocialEdge Jobs Board. This list is international, and regularly updated with opportunities from social enterprises from across the world.  A recognized leader in finding social enterprise jobs.

Favorite job post:  Director of US Operations for the One Acre Fund.  This job is open from anywhere, as the organization is based in Kenya.  They invest in farm families to generate a permanent increase in income, and they have successfully raised incomes 50-100% with nearly 12,000 farm families.

2.  NextBillion.net Career Center. Once again we see job opportunities that span the globe.  Proof?  The first three listings are Massachussetts, Egypt, and China.  Few US opportunities are listed but the work mentioned is with social enterprises of exceptional caliber.

Favorite job post:  Innovation Associate with Source for Change.  This internship, located in rural India, is a do-everything internships, and includes business development, market research, development of IT solutions, and skills-training.  Source for Change is a startup social enterprise sourcing data entry and technology-based work for women in rural India.

3.  Idealist.org.  This jobs-board is a must, and contains over 4,000 job opportunities for those interested in engaging in social good.  It is also far easier to search, and will likely have jobs available in your area.  Their focus is non-profit and government jobs.

Favorite job post:  Director, Social Enterprise and Economic Innovation with the Corporation for Enterprise Development (CFED).  CFED both manages and funds a number of social enterprises.  As Director, your position would focus on managing the growth of these enterprises while exploring new revenue-generating opportunities.  The position is based in Washington, DC.

4.  JustMeans.com.  This job search engine might have the most user-friendly interface of the bunch, and boasts a wide selection of both for-profit and non-profit opportunities oriented towards social change.

Favorite job post:  Global Marketing and Communications Director, World Pulse.  World Pulse is a global media enterprise communicating world issues through the eyes of women, and they aim to broadcast both women’s unheard voices and their innovative solutions to problems they have confronted.  The position entails overseeing World Pulse’s communication strategy, and is ideal for someone with extensive marketing experience.

5.  Jobs For Change.  Like the jobs boards of both SocialEdge and NextBillion.net, opportunities are listed in an as-they-arise format.  However, you can structure your search by job type, work experience, or cause.  There is no location search function once again, an unfortunate commonality this jobs board shares with a few others on this list.

Favorite job post:  Director of Marketing, Alter Eco Fair Trade.  AEFT is a natural foods importer that focuses on the work of fair-trade farmers and producers in developing countries.  As Director of Marketing, you would work closely with the co-founders in significantly shaping AEFT’s marketing strategy.  This is an extremely hands-on position.

Other Sources

6. Common Good Careers.  This board is again specific to non-profits, and there are few jobs available.  But, this is another resource and it only takes one job to change your life.

7. BusinessWeek Exchange.  This board is harder to navigate.  No search capabilities, so you have to scroll through the pages to find a job with a location that’s right for you.

Ultimately, we see that opportunities abound, but the locations of these opportunities are disparate.  What would be really great is a resource that consolidates all of the social enterprise jobs boards, and creates the opportunity to job-seek with highly powerful targeting and post jobs to an audience with a wide reach.  I think there should be a site that handles all social enterprise jobs.  I contemplated dedicating my time towards building it – ultimately I have too many projects on my hands – but I did buy a domain – SocentJobs.com.  If someone is interested in developing this let me know; I would be glad to collaborate.

(photo credit to michaelkphoto)