We now have a job board for designers and PMs

We created a job board with hundreds of design jobs related to climate change, healthcare, education, and public services.

In the classic Japanese Ikigai framework, the ideal job must possess at least four key qualities:

As might already be blindingly obvious to you, finding even a single opportunity that ticks all of these boxes can be a tall order. That’s why, earlier this month, we launched the Hard Problems job board.

Hard Problems job board →

Curated roles

Today, the board comprises hundreds of full-time design, product, user research, and copywriting roles at organizations that are solving the world’s most pressing issues. We search the web and track open job opportunities from a wide range of sources (you can find a full list on this page), including corners of the internet that are easy to overlook.

We use a scoring algorithm to rank each organization according to how well it aligns with the values of our community. This scoring is based on frameworks like the Effective Altruism framework for comparing global problems in terms of expected impact and is weighted toward nonprofits, the public sector, and companies with explicit goals to make the world better. The ranking also takes into account the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals.

Jobs that score highest are labeled with a “Hard Problems Pick” badge. Typically, these are roles at charities and government agencies (or government-adjacent organizations) that we respect. For-good, for-profit companies like Cradle (healthcare), Watershed (climate change), and Scale to Win (good government) also feature.

We’ve built this board to reduce the time it takes for you to find an exciting opportunity that combines good work with positive social outcomes.

“This board feels trustworthy and is well curated.”

— Naomi Owolabi, a product specialist based in London

More full-time, senior roles

Currently, roles suited to senior and mid-level talent are overrepresented on our board. Incidentally, this reflects broader labor market trends: Figma recently reported that over half (56%) of hiring managers noted increasing demand for senior design hires, compared to 25% for more junior roles. We’ve also chosen to start with full-time, permanent opportunities, rather than contract or part-time positions. In time, we hope to bring more balance to the board so that it reflects a fuller range of seniorities and working patterns.

We hope that senior designers can establish a culture of design that helps recruit and develop more entry-level design roles. More often, organizations hire junior designers first (because they’re cheaper and very motivated) and risk junior designers leaving over time because they don’t have the support they need to drive real lasting impact on complex global challenges.

Tackle your next hard problem

We believe solid, thoughtful design can change the world, and that the Hard Problems job board can play a vital role in connecting the best design talent with the most ambitious organizations on the planet. We’ve already received some promising early feedback for what we’ve built, but we’d love to hear your thoughts. You can check out the board here and send any feedback you might have to contact@hardproblems.com.