Where to Find a Job in Public Health

by Jon Scaccia August 14, 2024

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

First and foremost, 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.

Off-the-Beaten-Path 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 set of listings that is pretty expansive. Just dialing it up here for this post, I couldn’t believe some of the salary ranges on this ($300K +). What this tells you is that someone* thinks highly enough of this outlet to put both high and entry-level positions here.

Idealist

Let’s be clear. A lot of us are in this field because we generally want to do good and promote health and wellness (broadly defined) in our communities. Idealist tends to lean toward companies with this social mission (so you get a lot of non-profits). Worth checking out.

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.

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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