Junior Software Developer with 2 years of experience looking to move into pro-animal welfare organization / spaces and happy for any advice Animal Advocacy Careers or other advisors can provide.
First, a little background:
Who I am: 2-year (currently employed) Software Developer / IT Professional (Python, Kubernetes, Cloud, for example) living in Berlin
Why I’m here: Currently highly motivated to find a more fulfilling role for an animal-focused nonprofit or project
Constraints: Must remain Germany-based, open to hybrid or remote
I love my job as a software developer. However, I am currently at a point where I am looking for a next step and challenge in my career, and at the same time, working on a project that is impactful and pro-animal, as this is the cause that I am truly passionate about. I’ve taken a look at various job boards, including that of Animal Advocacy Careers, and it seems though that this is a EA-Focus Area which is harder to find roles and impact as a software developer, or potential application/start-up ideas are also limited (I am not super creative in this sense though).
My questions would be:
Am I correct in this assessment, that it is harder to find roles in this sector as a software developer?
What recommendations would you have in terms of networking and potentially partnering with similarly ambitious people in this field, so that I get in contact with others that are using tech to improve animal welfare?
What would be some recommendations in terms of how I should develop my skillset in tech, in order to best align with the needs of pro-animal companies/non-profits/projects?
I think it’s admirable that you want to apply your tech skills to help animals. In general, from my experience having now advised 138 people I can say that very few have strong IT backgrounds, although charities do need them. In fact, as AI, data, and online tools grow in importance, animal‑protection groups (especially those linked to Effective Altruism) are keen to hire people like you. I will answer your questions one at a time.
Am I correct in this assessment, that it is harder to find roles in this sector as a software developer?
Yes, mostly because most animal advocacy non-profits run on tight budgets and keep their tech teams small. This in turn means that openings appear less often than in mainstream industry. This doesn’t mean however that these roles don’t exist. For example, The Good Food Institute employs full‑time engineers like Patrick Landy to maintain and extend its web properties (https://gfi.org/team/patrick-landy/). Also, there are entire charities built around IT skills and their use to help animals, such as Vegan Hacktivists. So yes, the pipeline is narrower but not empty, and you simply have to monitor the right channels and be ready when vacancies surface.
What recommendations would you have in terms of networking and potentially partnering with similarly ambitious people in this field, so that I get in contact with others that are using tech to improve animal welfare?
I would bring up Vegan Hacktivists and their community again: they connect many volunteer engineers and designers that build tools for the movement, and several paid hires have come through that route. I would suggest you have a look at the community run by The Good Food Institute, which hosts many scientists and technologists and runs monthly online meet‑ups. Finally, follow careers pages at Berlin‑based organisations such as ProVeg International and the Albert‑Schweitzer‑Stiftung (I think they’re looking for someone with a background in IT right now); they advertise remote‑friendly digital roles when funding allows.
What would be some recommendations in terms of how I should develop my skillset in tech, in order to best align with the needs of pro-animal companies/non-profits/projects?
I would say that non-profits most often seek developers who can run and secure cloud infrastructure (e.g. manage public sites and internal tools), build data dashboards and automation (to track progress and mobilise supporters), and handle privacy‑sensitive content (such as undercover footage, so familiarity with secure upload portals and basic infosec practices).
I think that if you sharpen those areas and contribute to an open‑source project at Vegan Hacktivists, you’ll automatically have movement‑specific code to show when a role in Berlin/Germany appears. Good luck!
Junior Software Developer with 2 years of experience looking to move into pro-animal welfare organization / spaces and happy for any advice Animal Advocacy Careers or other advisors can provide.
First, a little background:
Who I am: 2-year (currently employed) Software Developer / IT Professional (Python, Kubernetes, Cloud, for example) living in Berlin
Why I’m here: Currently highly motivated to find a more fulfilling role for an animal-focused nonprofit or project
Constraints: Must remain Germany-based, open to hybrid or remote
I love my job as a software developer. However, I am currently at a point where I am looking for a next step and challenge in my career, and at the same time, working on a project that is impactful and pro-animal, as this is the cause that I am truly passionate about. I’ve taken a look at various job boards, including that of Animal Advocacy Careers, and it seems though that this is a EA-Focus Area which is harder to find roles and impact as a software developer, or potential application/start-up ideas are also limited (I am not super creative in this sense though).
My questions would be:
Am I correct in this assessment, that it is harder to find roles in this sector as a software developer?
What recommendations would you have in terms of networking and potentially partnering with similarly ambitious people in this field, so that I get in contact with others that are using tech to improve animal welfare?
What would be some recommendations in terms of how I should develop my skillset in tech, in order to best align with the needs of pro-animal companies/non-profits/projects?
Thank you so much for taking the time!
Hi Paul,
I think it’s admirable that you want to apply your tech skills to help animals. In general, from my experience having now advised 138 people I can say that very few have strong IT backgrounds, although charities do need them. In fact, as AI, data, and online tools grow in importance, animal‑protection groups (especially those linked to Effective Altruism) are keen to hire people like you. I will answer your questions one at a time.
Am I correct in this assessment, that it is harder to find roles in this sector as a software developer?
Yes, mostly because most animal advocacy non-profits run on tight budgets and keep their tech teams small. This in turn means that openings appear less often than in mainstream industry. This doesn’t mean however that these roles don’t exist. For example, The Good Food Institute employs full‑time engineers like Patrick Landy to maintain and extend its web properties (https://gfi.org/team/patrick-landy/). Also, there are entire charities built around IT skills and their use to help animals, such as Vegan Hacktivists. So yes, the pipeline is narrower but not empty, and you simply have to monitor the right channels and be ready when vacancies surface.
What recommendations would you have in terms of networking and potentially partnering with similarly ambitious people in this field, so that I get in contact with others that are using tech to improve animal welfare?
I would bring up Vegan Hacktivists and their community again: they connect many volunteer engineers and designers that build tools for the movement, and several paid hires have come through that route. I would suggest you have a look at the community run by The Good Food Institute, which hosts many scientists and technologists and runs monthly online meet‑ups. Finally, follow careers pages at Berlin‑based organisations such as ProVeg International and the Albert‑Schweitzer‑Stiftung (I think they’re looking for someone with a background in IT right now); they advertise remote‑friendly digital roles when funding allows.
What would be some recommendations in terms of how I should develop my skillset in tech, in order to best align with the needs of pro-animal companies/non-profits/projects?
I would say that non-profits most often seek developers who can run and secure cloud infrastructure (e.g. manage public sites and internal tools), build data dashboards and automation (to track progress and mobilise supporters), and handle privacy‑sensitive content (such as undercover footage, so familiarity with secure upload portals and basic infosec practices).
I think that if you sharpen those areas and contribute to an open‑source project at Vegan Hacktivists, you’ll automatically have movement‑specific code to show when a role in Berlin/Germany appears. Good luck!