One of the signs that there’s more activity around social finance in the last few months is that there are more jobs available in this line of work. Three great organizations – the MasterCard Foundation, the Community Power Fund, and the Centre for Sustainability and Social Innovation at UBC – are all hiring for a number of exciting positions.

The MasterCard Foundation is an independent, private foundation with over $3 billion in assets, and based in Toronto. The Foundation’s global mandate is to enable people living in poverty to improve their lives – and the lives of their families and communities – by expanding their access to microfinance and education. It is hiring for several positions:

• Senior Program Manager and Program Manager, Microfinance Program: Reporting to the Director of the Microfinance Program and working closely with the Foundation’s senior management, the Senior Program Manager and Program Manager will identify, build and manage relationships with organizations with which the Foundation can work to fulfill its strategies. The Senior Program Manager should have at least ten years of experience with microfinance in developing countries with experience in Sub-Saharan Africa a plus. Similarly, the Program Manager should have seven years of experience with microfinance in developing countries with experience in Sub-Saharan Africa a plus. In addition, experience in grant making and program management is desirable. The successful candidates in these newly created positions will play an important role in building the MasterCard Foundation as a transparent and leading organization that works to expand financial inclusion and helps to alleviate poverty on a global scale.
• Senior Program Manager, Youth Learning Program: Reporting to the Director of Youth Learning, the Senior Program Manager, Youth Learning will work with the youth learning program team to implement their strategy for enabling young people in developing countries, particularly in Africa, to successfully negotiate the school-to-work transition. The goal is to prepare youth to engage in the economy and lead change in their communities. The successful candidate will have significant program management experience in youth learning or a relevant area. In addition, he/she will bring an entrepreneurial spirit and a results-driven approach.
• Communications Intern: The Communications Intern will work directly with, and report to, the Communications Coordinator with frequent interactions with the CEO and other Foundation staff.

Each of these positions are a great opportunity to work for a prominent funder with an international focus in the exciting areas of microfinance and youth entrepreneurship. The MCF has recently made significant investments towards young students in Kenya, building microfinance information infrastructure at the MIX Market, and a program to find ways to scale financial service delivery to youth. They note that the “next few years will be a period of tremendous growth for the Foundation… (and) the  Foundation expects to commit approximately $100 million to its programs annually”. Definitely an organization to keep an eye on for future opportunities as they continue to grow.

The Community Power Fund is a $3 million Fund that will support project development activities of Ontario-based community organizations pursuing local renewable energy projects. The Fund will disburse $2.5 million in grants and spend $500,000 on operations, capacity building and management. Catalyzed by the recent activity resulting from the Green Energy Act, it has posted three new opportunities:

• Investment Manager: The Investment Manager reports directly to the Executive Director of CP Fund. The primary role of the Investment Manager would be to develop a capitalization strategy for the CP sector based on preliminary work undertaken to date, as well as to put in place the appropriate relationships, governance and investment structures according to the values and objectives of the community power sector.
• Program Director: The Program Director is accountable to the Executive Director of the Community Power Fund. He/she will work principally with fund staff to achieve the program objectives. The Program Director will be required to provide critical support for the development and implementation of the grant program, including program implementation and development, extensive reporting on progress of the program, working with grant applicants and day?to?day operational management.
• Office Administrator: The Office Manager is accountable to the Executive Director of CP Fund. The Office Administrator will be responsible for providing administrative support and managing daily office tasks.

If you’re interested in the intersection between environmental and finance issues, the CPF is an exciting place to work. It combines the best of grassroots advocacy and operations with innovative finance, and backed by an excellent Board and staff. At the recent Green Energy Act Finance Forum, it was gratifying to hear several European speakers commend Ontario on its legislative developments – let’s face it, it’s not often that we hear that government action towards fostering an “enabling environment” actually caused us to become a world-class leader in a relatively short time.

One of the more intriguing jobs that I’ve come across recently is Social Finance Manager at the Centre for Sustainability and Social Innovation based at the Sauder School of Business at the University of British Columbia.

The CSSI is seeking a highly qualified candidate to apply emerging research and practice in the field of social finance to the development of novel interventions that reduce the burden of disease among vulnerable populations in developing and developed countries. This involves a detailed examination of the financial incentives that support the development of conventional pharmaceutical commercial products. The candidate will also work as part of a wider team examining novel intellectual property mechanisms and innovative solutions to the problems associated with the distribution of treatments for neglected diseases.

 The deadline for application is February 15, 2010.

And finally, if none of the jobs above appeal to you, keep checking this site or Charity Village for the latest opportunities.

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