Where to Find a Job in Public Health
by Jon Scaccia August 14, 2024Updated: March 11, 2025, 1:58 PM.
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Whenever I see a colleague or friend is open to work on Linkedin, I tend to give the exact same advice. So, let’s put it into a blog post.
Listserves
You should sign up for the Public Health Awakened Listserve. Nearly every day, I see email postings about new positions, RFP opportunities, and sometimes spirited debate. What I like about the postings here, though, is that you know that there is some urgency in the job listed and that the people behind them are plugged into a community of public health practitioners.
Job Boards
Yes, you could go to Indeed, but sometimes, you may need a greater degree of specificity.
NACCHO
The National Association of City and County Health Officials maintains a pretty expansive set of listings. I’m just dialing it up here for this post; I couldn’t believe some of the salary ranges ($300K +). What this tells you is that someone thinks highly enough of this outlet to put both high- and entry-level positions here.
American Association of Public Health
APHA is being very forward with their values and advocacy efforts. They also report their job board has over 33,000 entries, so that hopefully* is comprehensive.
State-Level
Pennsylvania just announced an expansion of our state-level workforce, specifically appealing to fired federal workers. It’s nice to know one state is getting ahead of the curve in recruiting highly qualified and intelligent people.
Minnesota: ditto
Non-Profit focused job boards.
Idealist tends to lean toward companies with this social mission (so you get a lot of non-profits).
National Council of Non-Profits.
Movement Opportunities: This search firm seems to focus on positions that “advance social, economic, racial, gender, and environmental justice in the US.”
Candid. In addition to job openings, they also list RFPs, though these tend to be in the under 100K range.
Foundation List: “A National Job Board For Nonprofit Organizations, Foundations, Associations, Healthcare & Medical Organizations, and Educational Institutions (Universities, Private Schools, Public Schools).”
Net Impact: Seems super sparse right now
Impact Opportunity. Also, may be a little sparse?
Fast Forward. Tech-related non-profit jobs.
Plantizen: Focused primarily on urban planning.
Just for Colorado positions. Look, we love our mile-high folks. But, as the link says, this is Colorado-only positions.
Charity Village — for our Canadian peeps. (pour nos amis canadiens)
Conservation-focused
Yes, climate is a social determinant of health so that you may find some adjacent stuff below.
Higher-Ed Jobs
We may also intersect with academia from time to time. Even if you’re not looking for the tenure track, universities can be a hub of teaching, research, and advocacy. Higher-Ed Jobs has these all listed there.
Research Opportunities.
Edge for Scholars. This board is for those who are specifically involved in research projects or could otherwise develop supportive infrastructure.
Corporate:
Some for-profit businesses have sustainability arms. Reconsidered appears to update weekly but has a nice list.
Ask your network
Leveraging relationships within public health networks can open doors to a wide array of opportunities, often in unexpected ways. While strong connections with close colleagues and mentors are invaluable, the concept of “weak ties” is equally important. These are the more casual, less frequent connections you have with people outside your immediate circle—perhaps someone you met at a conference, a former classmate, or a colleague from a different department. Research has shown that these weak ties can be surprisingly powerful in uncovering new opportunities. They often have access to different networks and information, providing unique perspectives and opportunities that you might not find within your immediate connections.
Summing Up.
What ideas and sources do you use? Let us know so we can develop an ongoing list in this blog post!
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