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Congratulations!! You have taken the first step towards volunteering for this incredible organization. As CouchSurfing grows at an astronomical rate, we are making our best efforts to put the right people and processes in place to not only maintain the site, but improve it in new and exciting ways. This page will help you determine what positions are currently being staffed, both immediately and future state, and whether they align with your skill-sets. It will also hopefully bring more clarity to the staffing process and how we can best serve all of the outstanding members who are taking their time to give back to CouchSurfing. So then.... here are a few things to keep in mind:
Past vs Present Staffing Needs: In the past, new volunteers were hired to fill the staffing needs created by individual Collectives. With the advent of the CouchSurfing BaseCamp in the California Bay Area, there are no longer Collective-specific positions to be filled. However, we have an ongoing need for more on-site full-time volunteers, all of whom have the ability to attend Collectives after their training period. For a more in depth explanation of this transition, please see the following News Story.
Process: Up until now we have had every position posted for application, whether it was a past, present or future staffing need. This was beneficial at first because it allowed everyone to express their interest in a position at any time. What we have discovered though, with our amazing growth, is that we have many more incredible people applying than we have the bandwidth(currently) to give the appropriate attention to. This is truly a wonderful problem to have, but at the same time we DO want to give every ones enthusiasm the proper attention and for that reason are redesigning the application system and staffing process. We are in the process of building this system, but in the meantime, are narrowing down the application choices to those which are business critical. This will be an ever changing landscape as we continue to grow, so please check back frequently to see if a position you are interested in has risen to a "currently staffing" status. Below you will find the list of all positions and their current status, ie "currently staffing" and "future need".
Information: To increase transparency and improve our performance through more open and frequently used lines of communication, several new tools have been implemented. The first is the CouchSurfing Careers Information page. In this page various topics pertaining to the current state of volunteerism at CouchSurfing will be discussed, from position specific information such as the scope of a unique "currently staffing" positions to priorities and time-lines of staffing needs for specific initiatives. It is highly recommended that every potential applicant join this group and subscribe to instant updates. This will be especially helpful to you if the position you would like to apply for is not "currently staffing", as you will then receive notifications as to any changes in the staffing priority. The second is the Contact CouchSurfing Human Resources page. This contact page is for obtaining information that is not located within the careers links which pertains to CouchSurfing team members (past, present and future) and how we can better serve them as they devote their time and energy to the ongoing growth of the organization.
Long-term, Full-time, On-site Roles
Short-term, Full-time, On-site Roles
Remote, Part-Time, Team Member Roles
Administrative Coordinator
Purpose:
- Ensures the day-to-day efficiency of the CS office and home.
Responsibilities:
- Provide support for internal and external meetings:
- coordinate meeting space and equipment
- correspondence with attendants
- prepare agendas and materials
- prepare meeting notes
- coordinating all follow-up
- Coordinate office and house logistics:
- answer phones & greet visitors
- maintain office & house supplies, and make purchases
- enforce house rules & guest policies
- create and enforce office & house chores list
- Assist with the creation of presentations and other communications for internal and external audience
- Process payments, receipts, reimbursements, and purchase orders
- Manage travel schedules and travel logistics for members of the staff
- Data entry
Requirements:
- One to four years of experience providing administrative support, office reception, or related role
- Excellent written and oral communication
- Excellent organizational skills and meticulous attention to detail
- Demonstrated ability to work independently in a fast-paced environment, lead projects, meet deadlines, organize time and priorities, and work well as a member of a team
- Friendly, flexible, confident, and energetic personality with a professional demeanor
- Proficiency with office software including email, word-processing, and presentation (e.g. Outlook, Word & PowerPoint)
- Proficiency with spreadsheet software (e.g. Excel), including formulas
- Familiarity with accounting basics preferred
- Be legally allowed to drive in the US
Apply Now
Fundraising Coordinator
Purpose:
- Ensure that the organization is well funded to meet current and future financial needs by overseeing and executing the evolving fundraising strategy.
Responsibilities:
- Assess organizational funding needs based on current and long-term budgets
- Recruit, train, and manage a volunteer team to implement fundraising strategies
- Build and implement fundraising strategies that support significant growth
- Design and deliver reports that engage and inform team members on the work and progress of fundraising initiatives
- Lead team to implement the fundraising strategies, which include:
- member donation drives
- large gifts from individuals
- grants from foundations and individuals
- public events
- corporate sponsorships
- merchandising
- etc...
- Create specific goals for each fundraising initiative including revenue targets within a specific time-frame
- Write persuasive materials including solicitations, proposals, applications and website content
- Create and maintain database of potential funds sources
- Create a grant application template as a starting point for all grant applications
- Evaluate cost-effectiveness, profitability, and community impact of fundraising initiatives
- Develop donor communications strategy
- Develop donor recognition and incentives programs
- Write policy and project specification documents
Requirements:
- Minimum of 3 years direct fundraising experience with demonstrated success
- Experience recruiting, training, and managing volunteers
- Strong communication skills including ability to write and speak persuasively
- Direct experience writing grant applications
- Direct experience speaking with individuals from funding sources
- Direct experience interacting with senior level business executives and civic community leaders
- Experience designing and implementing comprehensive fundraising strategies
- Experience raising funds specifically for community based non-profits and/or charities
- Knowledge of government funding and capital campaigns is a plus
Apply Now
Marketing Coordinator
Purpose:
- Ensures that the organization's services and tools are aligned with the reasons people are drawn to become active CouchSurfers.
Responsibilities:
- Recruit, manage, and mentor volunteer the Marketing team
- Develop and implement strategic international marketing plan
- Drive clarification of organizational identity
- Maintain CouchSurfing's "brand" image and it's positive reputation around the world
- Develop external communications strategies in conjunction with the Public Relations team
- Keep abreast of the playing field in the travel and social networking industries
- Lead brainstorming sessions for new products & services that further the CS mission
Requirements:
- 2-5 years experience in Marketing related fields
- Excellent written and verbal communications skills
- Strong portfolio of successful marketing campaigns
- Strong creative abilities combined with egoless detachment from those ideas
- Ability to seek compromise and unity between many organizational perspectives
Apply Now
Public Relations Coordinator
Purpose:
- Lead CouchSurfing's communications with potential members and potential donors via press and media. Attract new members and donors who support the CS mission and spirit. Contribute to the worldwide positive image of home-stay hospitality.
Responsibilities:
- Develop public relations strategies to potential members and donors in targeted demographies and geographies
- Coordinate the volunteer Public Relations Team
- Write and distribute press releases
- Establish and maintain relationships with press and major media outlets
- Coordinate interview requests and provide media training
- Evaluate crisis situations and lead external communications efforts
Requirements:
Apply Now
Quantitative Research Coordinator
Purpose:
- Lead CouchSurfing's inter-cultural and behavioral research mission by designing, conducting, and analyzing quantitative research. Allow CouchSurfers to share their experiences in bridging cultural and ideological differences with scientific and academic communities. Please note, those interested in marketing and user-experience research, should apply for the marketing team.
Responsibilities:
- Initiation and coordination of all research projects
- Defining the types of research needed
- Designing and conducting quantitative research projects
- Recruiting and coordinating an exemplary volunteer research team
- Creating online surveys and other research tools
- Collecting, tabulating, and interpreting quantitative and qualitative data
- Making recommendations based on the research findings
- Quickly producing and communicating research findings (executive summary style)
- Helping to produce research/usability reports and presentations of research findings
- Liaise with the CS Marketing Team
Requirements:
- 3+ years experience in initiating, leading, and completing quantitative research projects
- Background in the behavioral sciences (e.g. cognitive/behavioral/social psychology, anthropology)
- Expert knowledge of basic research principles and methodologies used in psychology/anthropology
- Expert knowledge and hands-on experience in various qualitative and quantitative research methods
- Effective managerial and coordination skills, and ability teach and coach team members
- High proficiency in the use of statistics
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills and ability to explain things in ways that can be easily understood.
- Ability to stay completely unbiased
- Experience writing MySQL database queries a plus
Apply Now
System Administrator
Responsibilities:
- Support in the design of back-end systems that are scalable to the future needs of our users
- Respond to emergency downtime
- Setup, configure, manage, and maintain servers (web, database, smtp, load balancers, backup)
- Actively document systems in the tech wiki
- Automate repetitive sysadmin and developer tasks
- Recommend and establish policies for systems and services
- Maintain up to date backups (database and others)
- Manage Unix user accounts
- Keep server systems secure
- Troubleshoot and fix sysadmin related bugs
Requirements:
- Expert knowledge of Unix, MySQL, Apache, Lighttpd and PHP
- Good experience administrating 10+ servers
- Knowledge of configuration management systems
Apply Now
Web Developer
Purpose:
- Turns ideas into reality by translating user wish-lists into logical requirements, then translating those requirements into online tools and systems.
Responsibilities:
- Debug, optimize, and update existing PHP code
- Architect and develop new PHP code
- Administer programs, code, code libraries, routines, & instruction sets
- Create code documentation
- Design tools and systems based on user requirements documents
Requirements:
- Extensive experience architecting entire applications
- 2-5 years experience developing in PHP
- familiarity with MySQL
- team-player attitude
- love of coding - no project is too boring
Apply Now
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Short-term, On-site Roles |
Carpenter & Handy-person
Purpose:
- Constructs functional and aesthetic working spaces that maximise efficiency.
Responsibilities:
- Build furniture and cabinetry
- Construct walls and doorways
- General home improvement
Requirements:
- Relevant training and experience
- Needed power tools a big plus
Apply Now
Gardener / Landscaper
Purpose:
- Creates beautiful outdoor spaces for the well-being of CS volunteers, personnel, and guests.
Responsibilities:
- Create flower and vegetable gardens from scratch
- Build any needed irrigation systems
- Build bushes, vines, or related plant-based privacy screens
- Establish house plants
- Train residents how to maintain landscaping
Requirements:
- Extensive knowledge of local weather and its effects on landscaping
- Extensive knowledge of appropriate indoor and outdoor plants for various uses
Apply Now
IT Assistant
Purpose:
- Ensures that all personal computing equipment serves the needs of volunteers and personnel.
Responsibilities:
- Maintain local computer equipment, networks, routers, shared servers, printers, and peripherals
- Troubleshoot connectivity problems
- Support and give light training to non-techies
Requirements:
- Experience with Windows, Mac, and Unix operating systems
- Light-hearted attitude and an ample supply of patience
- Ability to translate computer-speak in to every-day language
Apply Now
Trainer, Educator, Coach, or Expert
Purpose:
- Ensures the continuous personal development of CS volunteers and personnel.
Responsibilities:
- Share your unique, professional expert training with CouchSurfing in person. Based on your expertise, define your own position in which you create documentation, teach courses, provide one-on-one training, and/or consultation.
Requirements:
- Demonstrate high degree of proficiency, training, and expertise in your field
- Present a clear and concise plan for your role
- Demonstrate excellent written or verbal educational materials
- Serious and professional applicants only
Apply Now
Video Artist & Producer
Purpose:
- Produce visually stunning and captivating video shorts for the CS website. This position can be either on-site or remote.
Responsibilities:
- Create video shorts independently from pre-production, through production, and post-production.
- Ability to work with scripts co-created with the Member Communications team and with graphics created by the Design team.
- Ability to recruit and motivate volunteer production assistants when needed
Requirements:
- An excellently produced and highly creative online portfolio of past your video productions
- You most have your own camera, sound, editing, and other needed equipment
- Pre-production experience: storyboarding, set-up, etc.
- Production experience: videography, mic & sound recording, directing actors, etc.
- Post-production experience: editing, dubbing, music, graphics & effects, etc.
- Serious and professional applicants only
Apply Now
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Remote, Part-time Team Member Roles |
Please Note: As the remote team member roles are not selected as frequently as the on-site roles, it is imperative that those interested in remote volunteerism join the Remote Volunteer Information sub-group of the CouchSurfing Careers Information page after filling out their application. By subscribing to the instant updates of this group, they will be informed of the specific needs for remote volunteers as the need arises within functional groups. The following teams have openings for skilled part-time team members who wish to work from home in their spare time:
- Events & Outreach
- Fundraising
- Human Resources
- Marketing
- Member Communications
- Member Disputes and Safety Team
- Project Management
- Public Relations
- Research
- Safety Systems
- Tech Developers
- Tech System Administrators
- User Interface
- Volunteer Coordination
Apply Now
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