Dear community,
For the past year, I've been sharing job opportunities in education, philanthropy, and evidence-based programming. What started as occasional posts has grown into a bi-weekly newsletter reaching over 3,700 engaged professionals. Today, I'm excited to announce the next evolution of this journey: PurposePhil Career – a dedicated job and consultancy platform for our sector!
The Problem I Experienced Firsthand
My motivation for creating this platform stems from frustrations I've experienced on both sides of the hiring process.
As an employer, I observed how we struggled with finding qualified candidates for mid to senior-level positions. Program officers in foundations require a unique blend of skills – there's no standard training program for these roles, yet they're critical to organizational success. Opening applications on traditional job boards would flood us with thousands of unsuitable applications, creating an administrative nightmare. Meanwhile, executive search firms considered these positions "too small" for their fee structure, despite the specialized expertise required.
Later, as a job seeker and consultant myself, I discovered a different set of challenges. Finding meaningful roles in our niche meant manually searching through countless platforms daily. Standard filtering functions on LinkedIn and generic job boards simply couldn't capture the specific intersection of education, evidence, and philanthropy I was looking for. The search for flexible, remote, or part-time opportunities was even more challenging – despite growing demand for these arrangements in our sector.
The Community Confirmed the Need
What convinced me to build this platform was the overwhelming response to my job postings. The messages flooded in:
"Your job lists have been a lifeline during my career transition."
"I'm so grateful for the work you do – it's genuinely helping me find opportunities and don't loose hope."
"Finally, someone who understands the specific expertise I bring to the table."
These messages confirmed what I suspected: our sector needs a dedicated space where organizations and talent can connect efficiently.
A Changing Landscape: The USAID Closure
The recent closure of USAID has created a significant shift in our sector. This major funder in global education and international development has suddenly released a wave of highly qualified professionals into the job market. These experts bring specialized knowledge in program management, monitoring and evaluation, and evidence-based approaches – exactly the talent our sector values.
Many of these professionals are now exploring consultancy and portfolio careers as they navigate this unexpected transition. This political change has inadvertently created both a talent opportunity for organizations and an urgent need for a platform that understands both permanent roles and project-based work in our sector. While I had planned to set up this platform before the dismantling of the funding agency, I see now more than ever the need for community-driven career platforms like PurposePhil Career.
Introducing PurposePhil Career
The platform serves both sides of the hiring equation:
For Hiring Organizations:
- Post job openings and consultancy opportunities in one place
- Reach a pre-qualified audience who understands the sector
- Find mid-senior talent without breaking your recruitment budget
- Access a growing pool of vetted professionals (forthcoming)
For Job Seekers and Consultants:
- Discover opportunities specifically in education, philanthropy, and evidence-based programming
- Find flexible, remote, and part-time roles alongside traditional positions
- Access consultancy or internship opportunities in the field without endless searching
- Join our talent pool to be discovered by hiring organizations (currently in development)
Special Launch Offers & Flexible Options
I'm committed to making the platform accessible to all stakeholders in the education and philanthropy space:
- Completely FREE for job seekers and consultants – always
- FREE job posting for small hiring organizations – supporting grassroots initiatives in the global South
- FREE internship and consultancy postings – helping develop the next generation of talent and a more dynamic consultancy market
- 50% discount for all hiring organizations during our first 6 months (until August 31st, 2025)
- Customized enterprise packages available for organizations with regular hiring needs: Bulk pricing for multiple postings, targeted recruitment support and tailored organization profiles
Career Transition Support
Understanding that career transitions in our sector can be challenging, I've developed specialized support that I and a set of trusted coaches and mentors offer:
- Career coaching packages tailored to education and philanthropy professionals
- Expert mentoring delivered by seasoned professionals with long-term experience in our field
- Portfolio career guidance for those shifting between permanent roles and consultancy work
- CV and profile optimization specifically for education and philanthropy positions
The Vision for The Talent Pool
The envisaged talent pool goes beyond typical resume databases. It's designed as a specialized community of pre-vetted professionals in the education and philanthropy sector. Here's how it will work:
- Targeted Access: Hiring organizations can request access to the talent pool for specific jobs or consultancy needs
- Community Support: Potential peer exchange forums on key topics for education consultants, including business management, marketing strategies, portfolio careers, and work-life balance
- Collaborative Opportunities: The platform could potentially facilitate knowledge-sharing and collaboration between professionals in different parts of the sector (FLN, SEL, EiE, EdTech, etc.)
- Career Mentoring: Access to resources specifically designed for our sector
Coming Soon: Enhanced Newsletter & Spotlight Features
I'm excited to share some upcoming changes to the #EdPhil newsletter that will complement the platform:
- Top Jobs Spotlight: Each edition will highlight the top 3 opportunities in different categories (management, M&E, consultancy, etc.)
- "Wisdom & Vision: Women Leaders in Global Education" Series: Showcasing inspiring female leaders who are making a difference in education around the world (DM me for suggestions)
- Talent Showcase: Featuring selected professionals from our talent pool, highlighting their expertise and and unique talent (DM me if interested)
- New Name: To align the newsletter with the platform, I will rename it to "The PurposePhil Pulse: Opportunities & Insights in Education and Philanthropy"
These additions will hopefully provide even more value to both job seekers and employers, creating visibility for outstanding talent and opportunities and diving into key aspects of the evolving global education sector.
Ready to Join? Here's How:
For Job Seekers & Consultants in Education/MEL/EdTech/Philanthropy:
👉 Visit www.purposephilcareer.com today
👉 Create your profile and upload your resume if you have expertise in education, evidence-based programming, MEL and EdTech (https://www.purposephilcareer.com/registration)
👉 Join our talent pool to be discovered by leading organizations
👉 Access all job and consultancy listings completely FREE
👉 Get your preferred jobs directly into your inbox by subscribing to the job updates
For Employers:
👉 Register now at www.purposephilcareer.com/registration
👉 Secure your 50% discount – available only until August 31th, 2025
👉 Post your first job or consultancy opportunity
👉 Small NGOs: Claim your FREE job posting by contacting us directly
👉 Do you have an internship to offer? Post it for FREE
This platform isn't just a business venture – it's my response to challenges I've lived, and a resource I wish had existed throughout my career. I'm excited to take this next step with all of you who have supported the newsletter and job listings so far.
The future of education deserves the right people in the right roles. Let's make those connections happen – starting today!
With gratitude, Nora