Category Archives: jobs & scholarships

Cool Job in Open Source, Science and Engagement

My friend Rikia S. sent me the link to this cool job posting on the TED website.

Based on astronomer Jill Tarter’s TED Prize wish — to search for signs of intelligent life on other planets – the SETI Institute is hiring a project manager with the experience, qualifications and energy to run the TED Prize wish project for at least two years.

For those interested in Open Source Software, who love science and astronomy and who can engage a large community of citizen-scientists who are contributing to SETI’s efforts, this is a dream job.

The full job description and contact info is on their website:

This is a unique opportunity to work in both open-source software and social media, on a project whose ramifications are literally beyond global.

We are seeking someone with deep experience in managing open-source software projects and the communities that power them to drive a bold and agenda-setting initiative. The initiative will involve managing a traditional open-source software project, as well as a complex public-facing system that will enlist the general/nontechnical public’s assistance in conducting our search. To succeed, a candidate above all needs a history of success in managing major open-source projects. While it’s not essential that this person be a coding engineer, it is essential that s/he be comfortable enough with C++ code to have technically meaningful interactions with committers and the broader open-source community. It’s also essential that s/he be a strong evangelist — able to speak inspiringly in public, and to energize, recruit and maintain engagement with key influencers in the open source coding world.

The other part of the job will be governing a project that will in many ways resemble Galaxy Zoo (an intriguing “citizen scientist” system). This will involve managing a respected Web development company as it creates the site, and thereafter overseeing/”gardening” a large community of nontechnical contributors. We expect this community to be self-policing and self-monitoring, like Wikipedia’s editorial community. But it will need leadership and a baseline architecture, and our hire will be responsible for delivering this.

This is a unique opportunity to work in both open-source software and social media, on a project whose ramifications are literally beyond global.

This will be a full-time role at the SETI Institute for two years, funded by the money TED has allocated toward granting Jill’s wish. However, because this is a TED Prize wish, one in which many people and individuals are giving a lot to make happen, we do hope to find someone who will do this at a reduced rate. We have a large brainstorm taking place on June 1 and would love to have the right person chosen and at the table for that meeting.

Please send a resume and cover letter to tedprize1@ted.com if you are interested in the position.

And please forward this opportunity on to anyone you believe possess the right skills!

Job in public policy and the environment

Hello everyone, highly reliable sources tell me that the Sustainable Prosperity is good people. Looks like they are looking to hire an Research Director and so I wanted to pass the word along…

SP is hiring a Research Director. This is a senior position based at the University of Ottawa’s Institute of the Environment, with the possibility of an academic appointment for qualified candidates. See attached job posting for full details.

As a senior member of the SP team, the Research Director will lead the organization’s research initiatives and oversee the academic research network, working with the network coordinator. The Research Director will work collaboratively with other SP associates, steering committee and staff to identify policy-relevant research priorities, generate the research and reports, and direct their dissemination.

The Research Director will also be responsible for: fostering strong links between academics and research users; overseeing research competitions; and promoting SP concepts across academic and policy communities in Canada. S/he will be expected to establish new links with external partners, and build upon existing relationships in order to establish SP as a leading centre of policy-relevant, evidence based research on the environment and economy. The director will also be carrying out his/her own research, as part of this agenda… more on their webpage.

Walter & Duncan Gordon Foundation’s Global Fellowship

The annual tradition continues! This is a post I always enjoy is putting up.

The Walter and Duncan Gordon Foundation has put out its call for applications for the 2009 Global Fellowship program. The Fellowships are targeted towards emerging Canadian leaders who demonstrate potential to enhance Canada’s role on the world stage. The Fellowships will provide successful candidates with a cash award of $20,000 as well as other forms of support.

To be eligible for consideration, applicants must be Canadian citizens or permanent residents between 24 – 35 years of age with previous international experience – paid or volunteer. They also need to demonstrate a sustained commitment to international issues through studies, career choices and volunteer activities.

Application Deadline: Thursday, April 15th, 2009 by 5:00 p.m. EST

More information about the Fellowship programme, including application forms, guidelines and information on current and past Fellows, can be found on their website.

Become a 2009 Sauve Scholar

For those who are interested, applications for Sauve Scholarships have been open for a few weeks now. The deadline is December 31st.

For those not in the know, the Sauve Program, now in its 6th year:

…exists for young leaders under the age of 30 from across the globe who want to change the world. The Scholars are chosen above all on the basis of criteria laid out by the Right Honourable Jeanne Sauvé:

Initiative

Motivation

Vision

Imagination

Demonstrated communication skills

Awareness of international and domestic issues

A strong desire to effect change

Each year, up to 14 remarkable young leaders are invited to come to Montreal for the academic calendar year. They live together in a beautifully restored mansion, enjoy unlimited access to McGill University’s academic programs and other resources – including lectures, conferences and events suited to the advancement of their individual professional and intellectual goals – while benefiting from the communal life and multi-faceted exchanges with their fellow Scholars.

The Sauvé experience, a period of personal and professional growth, is founded on:

Intense exchange of ideas and experience, supported by communal life

Extensive intellectual freedom, allowing each participant to develop according to his or her needs and aspirations

Focus on action accompanied by a clear commitment to the community —including the host community

Commitment to dialogue among cultures, which allows participants to understand and assimilate viewpoints built within multiple frames of reference

You can learn more about the program here and check out past scholars here.

Job op: President – Canada World Youth

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Someone just emailed me this job posting. Strikes me as something some of the readers of this blog might find as an interesting challenge. Full disclosure, I know next to nothing about Canada World Youth other than the fact that its mission is one that is hard to disagree with. My hope is that it is one of these Canadian international focused organizations that has been or is ready to be severely shaken up (a la CIIA) Again, I don’t know, but what a great challenge.

President

Canada World Youth is Canada’s leading organization in international volunteer and education programs for young people from Canada and from over 67 countries on all continents. With its international and Canadian partners, CWY strengthens the capacity of youth to participate actively in the development of just, harmonious and sustainable societies.

Reporting to the Board of Directors, the President, who is the Chief Executive Officer of the organization, will provide strategic leadership in the management and development of this national institution. The President will ensure excellence in program delivery and effective partnerships at the national and international levels.

A dynamic individual with superior management, leadership, entrepreneurial and communication skills, the candidate will lead CWY in a new period of development and growth. She or he will be recognized for vision, strategic leadership skills and a team-oriented leadership style. She or he will bring a commitment to diversity and to equitable cross-cultural partnerships as well as experience in international organizations, programs or exchanges.

A university degree in an appropriate discipline or the equivalent, as well as a broad experience in management, whether in not-for-profit organizations, educational and governmental institutions, or the private sector are required, as is a working knowledge of French and English. Location: Montreal, Canada. The Selection Committee will begin screening candidates from October 15, 2008 and will continue until an appointment is made. Please forward your curriculum vitae by mail to Manon Vennat & Associates, 3554 du Musée, Montreal, QC, H3G 2C7, fax: 514 282-8681, or e-mail: mvennat@sympatico.ca.

Canada’s World seeks bloggers

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Canada’s World, a citizen-led initiative inspiring conversations on Canada’s role in the world, is looking for some politically savvy, wonderfully geeky yet hip types who understand blogging culture and are eager to write about different aspects of Canada’s role in the world. As a member of our group blog, you’ll receive the following:

Money – We’ll be paying our bloggers $20 per post under 200 words, $30 per post over 200 words, to a maximum of $60 per month. It’s not a huge sum, but it might cover your phone bill.
Exposure – The blog itself will be a great way to get your perspective or your research out to a popular audience. In addition, Canada’s World has ties to many more traditional media outlets. For example, we partnered with the Globe and Mail last month for an online feature (still visible here: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20080215.wqacanadaworld16/BNStory/Front) When we’re asked to recommend commentators on particular issues to the media outlets we partner with, our bloggers will obviously be top of mind.
Good Karma – If you’re at all familiar with the blogging culture in Canada, you’ll know that the vast majority of blogging on politics here is deeply partisan. We’re going to contribute something that transcends those divides — that is fresh, clear-minded and engaging — to the online environment in Canada. You’ll be part of a movement to get people thinking about Canada’s role in the world in a new, more active and more constructive way.

In exchange, we’ll need you to do the following things for us:

Write in an accessible (read: not academic) way – We want to engage the public – not by dumbing anything down, but by considering the ways that we can communicate what we know and believe to people from very diverse backgrounds. This means we can discuss things like “the diaspora” and “transnationalism” but first we need to explain what those things are. Part of our mission is to open up conversations about Canada’s role in the world to a broader audience, and the blog is motivated by that same concern.
Post once a month – That’s the minimum.
Write about Canada’s role in the world – Posts about any international issue are welcome – but only if they are examined through the lens of Canada’s role in the world. That means always paying some attention to Canada’s position on/contribution to the issue up for discussion.
Be reasonable and interesting. As stated above, we’re looking for work that is clear-minded and above the fray of political debates. Our Online Community Facilitator Reilly will be vetting posts, and will let bloggers know if anything they’ve said seems to advance a partisan agenda or be generally unconstructive.
Submit a sample post by April 30th 2008. The sample post should be 200-400 words long and should touch on one of our nine theme areas (http://www.igloo.org/canadasworld/learnmor/ninenewr) broadly interpreted. Send sample posts to reilly@canadasworld.ca with the subject line Sample blog post. We’ll be getting back to potential bloggers to let them know if they’re been selected by the end of May at the latest.

Questions? Email Reilly Yeo, Canada’s World Online Community Facilitator

giving

Engineers Without Borders Job Opportunity (March 7, 2008)

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Hello everyone. One of my favourite organizations – Engineers Without Borders – is looking to hire. Wanted to pass along the good news in case any readers are looking for some fun, interesting and rewarding work.

Up to three positions are on offer including

Overall team management,
fundraising – small individual donors, foundations and major gifts
strategic communications/writing

If you are interested you can get more information at the EWB website.To apply, forward your resume and a letter of interest to George Roter. You’ll likely want to move quickly as they will be reviewing applications on a rolling basis.

Gordon Foundation Global Youth Fellowship

Great job postings

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For those interested in the social sector, two great job postings come across my email yesterday

Online Organizer Job with ForestEthics

ForestEthics is seeking a creative and talented individual to be our Online Organizer who has at least 3 years experience in cutting edge online organizing campaigns. The successful candidate will play a key role in developing and implementing strategies to effectively use online organizing to help protect endangered forests and strengthen ForestEthics.

Since 1994, ForestEthics has played a leadership role in defining sustainable environmental practices for corporations and industry and has stopped the logging of more than seven million acres of Endangered Forests, including five million acres in Canada’s Great Bear Rainforest; 1.2 million acres in the Inland Rainforests of British Columbia and a million acres in Chile

ForestEthics flagship public campaigns against industry giants Staples, Office Depot and Victoria’s Secret have resulted in dramatic new industry standards, as have the environmental commitments it has procured from some of the largest corporations on the planet, including Staples, Home Depot and Dell computers.

ForestEthics is an organization that engages people in North America in our campaigns to protect endangered forests. Without our volunteers, allies, activists, and our donors we would not be able to protect millions of acres of forests. We realize that effective online organizing is the key to increasing our impact by engaging more people in our campaigns and our organization. We are looking to find the person who can maximize our impact through online organizing.

Major responsibilities:

Develop the strategy and implementation plans for online organizing for ForestEthics and all of our winning campaigns that build our impact over the long term
Write and edit compelling, concise, and engaging pieces that translate our complex issues into something that can be easily understood and acted on
Develop a strategy and manage ForestEthics blog and social network presence which includes reaching out to other blogs and online communities to promote our campaigns
Develop and Implement strategies to use our online organizing to increase the recruit offline volunteers, to develop new leaders, to create new donors and increase existing donors, and create offline pressure on our campaign targets
Develop strategies to integrate online organizing with each campaign and initiative
Train staff members on best practices for online organizing
Work with the development team to create and implement strategies to raise funds online
Establish specific goals and benchmarks for online activist growth, leader create, and funds raised
Work with people from our campaign department, communications department, development department, and other members of the organizing department
Produce reports on recruitment, fundraising, and advocacy campaigns
Participate in ForestEthics staff meetings, organizational planning and training sessions as necessary

Qualifications:

Excellent analytical and strategic thinking capabilities as well as the ability to communicate clearly and compellingly to a wide range of audiences in writing.
Demonstrated expertise as a leader in online organizing and advocacy campaigns
Results oriented and strong strategic planning skills.
3 years of relevant work experience.
Excellent project management skills
Excellent interpersonal skills
Must have strong skills using online advocacy systems and databases. (ForestEthics uses Democracy in Action and Salesforce)
Demonstrated track record in collaboration in a multidepartmental organization .

Other Qualifications:

Passionate commitment to environmental issues, knowledge of forest issues and markets campaigns an asset.
Innovative entrepreneurial attitude
Self-starter capable of working both independently and in groups
Comfortable working in an ever-changing environment …

ForestEthics is an equal opportunity employer

Salary Range: DOE with competitive benefits package.

Application Process

Send a cover letter and resume to onlineorganiser@forestethics.org. Please include your name in the subject line and include a sample piece that you have written.

No phone calls, please. Only those who will be interviewed will be contacted.
—–

Ashoka Canada Director

Ashoka Canada is looking for senior social entrepreneurs willing to take the challenge to build an
entrepreneurial, competent and globally integrated citizen sector.

Challenge description:

Find and engage leading social entrepreneurs in Canada

Build diverse cutting-edge nominator network
Engage Fellows and nominators to grow the program
Draw on media as a source of nominations and to source journalists who will be interested in social change
Help innovations grow and expand globally
Connect Fellows with Fellows and support group entrepreneurship initiatives
Connect Fellows with decision makers in the private and public sectors and with social investors
Link Fellows with media
Link Fellows with our partners and other Ashoka initiatives (Changemakers, Youth Venture, CBI, FEC)
Place individual innovations into larger whole
Dialog with Fellows to analyze social change trends
Map social change ecosystem in Canada
Catalyze global collaborations
Build Business Social Bridges
Take every opportunity to create new bridges between Entrepreneurs and Social Entrepreneurs
Design and manage a streamlined operation
Mobilize resources needed to support the operation

About Ashoka:

Ashoka Canada is membership in something global.

Ashoka: Innovators for the Public, is an international community of business and social entrepreneurs who are actively changing the fields in which they work. Ashoka lays claim to over 2,000 Fellows across 60 countries. Using a cutting edge nominator network, Ashoka chooses its applicants, locating the most innovative entrepreneurs with the strongest prospects for impact locally, nationally, and globally. Candidates are asked to stand for a rigorous qualification review addressing accomplishments, impact, creativity, personality and ethical fibre. In Canada, an exemplary Fellowship has emerged, made up of award-winning social entrepreneurs affecting change from Newfoundland to Victoria. This strategic selection process makes Ashoka an excellent
resource for Canadian policymakers, private funders and social investors interested in investing in massive, positive change.

Ashoka’s lifetime fellowship supports individuals, their ideas, and their organizations through the full cycle of social innovation. A three-year living stipend sanctions full-time devotion to projects, driving innovation evaluation and evolution. Strategic partnerships provide free training and consulting services for our Fellows to increase awareness and implementation of their innovative programs through McKinsey & Co., Hill & Knowlton, and the International Senior Lawyers Project. An international Fellowship network links citizen sector projects nationally and facilitates the export of proven models across continents and around the globe.

Our recruiting team looks for people who are entrepreneurial and collegial; who have a conscious dedication to ethical fiber, self-scrutiny, and empathy; and a strong self-image to effect positive change on a big scale. We also look for people who are broadly and passionately interested in the questions Ashoka addresses, and the historical change it seeks.

Applicants must have experience founding and leading organizations that have gone to scale.

Interested please send CV and presentation letter to canadainfo@ashoka.org before Sep 30th.

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