Careers and Job Opportunities
There is a lot of interest among new graduates and young professionals around careers prefixed with "social"... social finance, social entrepreneurship, social innovation, etc. Many of these smart, educated young people want to change the world, make some money, save the environment and have a balance in their lives. And more.
However, there seems to be a dearth of jobs that can allow young professionals to engage in these areas as part of their "day job". Volunteer opportunities exist, and increasingly so, but there are still big questions around career prospects in this space. I've been there: before landing my (awesome) current gig at Social Capital Partners, I've worked in strategy and business planning, community economic development, social finance, social entrepreneurship, microfinance, and human rights.
DreamNow, an organization founded by Dev Aujla, has done some really good work around some of these questions. They've pulled these findings together in a highly-recommended (and free) e-book called Occupation: Change The World. If you're interested in working in this sector, or are currently doing so, you'll find some valuable insights (and possibly comfort) within!
That said, this post is also about current opportunities related to social finance. Yes, there are prospects in this area, despite the economic downturn. Some of these are focused on Canada, while others are international - I would even argue that this is an artificial distinction since most of these opportunities require a keen awareness of both local and global issues, and how they are linked. And they all illustrate, I think, that there are career opportunities in this "hybrid" space that allow for multi-disciplinary approaches to addressing social issues.
Renewal2 is hiring for an Investment Fund Associate based in Vancouver
The Canadian Business Ethics Research Network (CBERN) seeks a Project Coordinator in Toronto
The Acumen Fund is hiring for 4 positions in New York
- Senior Portfolio Fellow
- Capital Markets Manager
- Pakistan Portfolio Manager
- Agriculture Portfolio Associate or Manager
REDF has a position open for an Impact Assessment Manager in San Francisco
Aga Khan Foundation Canada's Fellowship in International Microfinance and Microenterprise (IMM) program is recruiting for international placements (I'm an alumni of the program so contact me if you have any questions)
PS. I'll continue to posts up opportunities as I come across them, but if I've missed any current opportunities, please leave a note in the comments below - there are quite a few people who are looking atm!
