Recently, C4FCM sent out a job posting looking for a new outreach coordinator. As the current outreach coordinator, I’d like to share some insider secrets about how awesome working here is. (Spoiler: very!)
You would join a tight-knit crew of researchers and staff united around creating technology that can actually make a difference in struggling communities. But this isn’t your average group of nerds: C4 researchers apply their considerable mettle to not just math and code, but also to thinking critically about the social contexts and implications of their technologies. The conversations here are friendly and full of laughs but also hard-hitting and honest. People aren’t afraid to ask tough questions of their colleagues (and friends!) to help everyone’s projects improve. There is a shared dedication to working closely and humbly with communities that is incredibly refreshing in a world full of problematic projects, and I can’t imagine a better group of coworkers to have spent the last few years with. Beyond the core staff, the wider C4 community is an impressive assembly as well: some of the brightest and most insightful minds in the field sit on our email list and frequently attend our events and meetings.
As the Outreach Coordinator, your main responsibility would be to make sure that the wonderful work being done at the Center reaches those who would find it useful. This means traveling to conferences to present, identifying new groups to collaborate with, and developing outreach strategies with C4 researchers.
You’ll get all the perks that come with the Center’s Media Lab location: beautiful spaces to work in, an atmosphere brimming with creativity, roving robots, your very own inflatable elephant, ping pong, and, my favorite, the Media Lab Free Food Camera.
As for me, I’m moving on after 3 years of being affiliated with the Center to learn about other perspectives in the tech for good field. I’ve learned an incredible amount in my time at the Center about the technical and operational needs of communities and nonprofits, and I’m taking that knowledge to help grow Breadpig, a wacky little company started by my friend Alexis that seeks to collect resources (profit + tech savvy) and give them to great nonprofits that need them. It’ll be an interesting change of pace, but I certainly plan on staying a close friend of the Center.
If you are looking for a fun job with great coworkers where you can make a difference at the intersection of technology and social impact, and if you’re awesome, I highly recommend you apply for my job. I’ll miss it a lot.
