Impactfully No. 57: Keeping social impact impactful
This week, B Lab sets the standard for responsible business, Trove finds new homes for unwanted garments to create a more sustainable supply chain, and Good Party helps independent candidates find their way in a two-party system.
We feature job opportunities from social enterprises each week, and a number of them are Certified B Corps. But what does it mean, and who makes the decision of which companies make the cut?
With that in mind, we've opted to feature B Lab this week – they're the nonprofit organization that sets the B Corp standards and audits companies to show they meet the highest standards of social and environmental impact. If you're familiar with marks like Energy Star or Fair Trade, it's a similar premise, just applied to companies instead of products.
Given their track record as social enterprises, you probably won't be surprised to find that B Corps hire a bit differently. First and foremost, they want to hire people who share their values and are passionate about making a positive impact on the world. They often place more emphasis on soft skills and values alignment than on traditional qualifications – you may find that they require a cover letter because they want to learn more about you and why you want to contribute to their mission.
Of course, the differences don't stop there. Once you've been hired, B Corps tend to offer more opportunities for you to get involved in social impact initiatives like community engagement and giveback programs. They are usually more open to employee feedback and see improving the business and its associated impact as a collaborative effort.
If you are looking for a job with a company that is committed to social and environmental responsibility, then you should consider applying for a job at a Certified B Corp. We have more than a few of them in the newsletter this week, and you can expect more to come! The number of Certified B Corps has exploded in recent years and now tops 7,000 companies – a great sign that being a values-driven business is becoming table stakes.
Here are this week's job opportunities:
B Lab is the nonprofit organization that confers the Certified B Corp designation – it's one of the marks that we look for when scouting for social impact opportunities at companies we know you'll love. They audit companies applying for B Corp certification, but sometimes they receive feedback about a Certified B Corp and need to investigate; that's what this role is responsible for. You'd help keep the social impact community honest in their efforts to make the world a better place, and that benefits all of us.
- Complaints & Investigation Manager – Denver, CO, New York, NY or Philadelphia, PA at start of employment, then remote.
StellarFi is a financial technology company that helps people build credit for paying their bills on time. They do this by reporting payments to all three major credit bureaus, even if the payments are not made on a credit card or loan. Access to credit is crucial for major financial events, like buying a home or getting a business loan. Working here helps extend those opportunities to more people.
- Senior Accountant – Remote
- IT Lead Specialist – Remote
Good Party builds tools to help independent candidates get traction in the two-party system and connect voters to candidates that better represent their values. If political activism is your thing, you'll find a number of opportunities here to get involved.
- Senior Product Designer – Remote
- Social Media Marketing Freelancer – Remote
- Field & Politics Intern – Remote
New Sun Road is a Certified B Corp accelerating the adoption of solar energy in rural and underserved communities through the use of microgrids. Part of why the Program Manager opportunity caught my eye was that you didn't need prior clean energy experience – you can simply be a rock star program manager and make the switch to social impact.
- Program Manager – Richmond, CA
Fors Marsh is a behavioral science and strategy consultancy (fancy!) that partners with clients to drive positive change management programs. Joining Fors Marsh Group means tackling some of the toughest problems to make the world a better place.
- Head of Creative Strategy – Remote
- Senior Finance Manager – Remote
- Managing Researcher, Program Evaluation and Policy Analysis – Remote
Atticus is a law firm that offers free legal advice about disability benefit, workers' compensation, and injury cases then refers those cases to the law firms in their network based on best fit. Instead of selling advertising space on their website, they receive a portion of the proceeds from a successful case – that way, their incentives are aligned with the needs of the sick and injured people they support.
- Client Experience Associate – Remote
- Director, Engineering – Remote
- Senior Product Designer – Remote
- Senior Software Engineer, Backend – Remote
- Content Marketing Lead – Remote
- Growth Lead – Remote
- Senior Content Marketing Strategist – Remote
- Executive Assistant / Office Manager – Remote
Terradot is a climate tech company that's driving the adoption of soil carbon sequestration as a climate solution. Based out of California and backed by major names in tech, this is a great opportunity to merge social impact and startup life if the idea of working with a founding team excites you.
- AI+Remote Sensing Engineer – San Francisco, CA
- Full Stack Software Engineer – San Francisco, CA
Trove is a recommerce platform, which means it helps brands support resale of used products. Many of their partners include Certified B Corps like Patagonia, Cotopaxi, and Eileen Fisher – the premise is that lightly worn items can find new life, helping reduce the impact of these products on the planet.
- Senior Fullstack Software Engineer – Remote
- Senior Software Architect – Remote
- Business Development Director – Remote
- CX Partnership Manager – Remote
- Strategic Partnerships Manager – Remote
- Senior Product Manager – Remote
Novata makes it easier for private companies to manage their environmental, social, and governance (ESG) data so they can make better decisions to support their social impact goals. In addition to the usual benefits, they have a number of groups you can join to connect with other employees – especially appreciated in a remote work environment.
- Sales Development Representative – Remote
Jaro is a technology company helping drive the adoption of electric semi-trucks, no pun intended. Their charging technology allows fleets to charge their electric semi-trucks quickly and easily. Although electric vehicles are great for reducing emissions in general, trucking contributes a significant amount to overall transportation emissions. If you work in business development and want to put a dent in that figure, Jaro is worth a look.
- Business Development Manager – Oakland, CA
The next time you're at the store, check the packaging for the B Corp logo. Who knows? Maybe they're hiring and could be the next step on your career path.