FOSS, Internet Policy and Governance Jobs

This page is a guide to discovering work in free and open-source software (FOSS), Internet policy, digital rights, Internet governance and related areas of public-interest technology. Relevant opportunities are often advertised under different names, so relying on one job board or a single hashtag will miss many of them.

The aim is to develop a useful, maintainable directory of discovery sources and search methods. This page is a starting guide, not a live vacancy feed: listings on external platforms change, and each opportunity should be checked at its original source before applying.

Areas to search

• FOSS and open technology: open-source software, free software, open standards, digital public goods, open infrastructure, developer communities, documentation and community management.
• Internet policy and digital rights: technology policy, privacy, data protection, surveillance, freedom of expression, platform regulation and digital rights advocacy.
• Internet governance: Internet governance, ICANN, the Internet Governance Forum (IGF), digital cooperation, telecommunications policy, cybersecurity governance and technical standards.
• Digital public infrastructure and emerging policy: public-interest technology, digital public infrastructure, AI governance, digital identity, competition policy and responsible technology.

Search beyond technical roles. Relevant work may be advertised as research, policy analysis, advocacy, programme management, communications, community management, technical writing, fellowships or consultancy.

Job boards and direct sources

Start with specialist boards and official career pages. These are useful discovery points, but their coverage and current vacancies will vary.

FOSS and open technology

• FOSS Jobs — opportunities connected with free and open-source software.
• OpenSSF Job Board — open-source security and related opportunities.
• Mozilla Careers — roles across open technology, products, policy and advocacy.

Internet policy and governance

• Internet Society Careers — work related to an open, globally connected Internet.
• ICANN Careers — Internet names, numbers and coordination.
• Internet Governance Forum vacancies — opportunities published by the IGF.
• UN Careers — search for digital policy, telecommunications, governance, human rights and technology-related roles.

These sources are examples rather than an exhaustive list. Also check digital-rights organisations, public-interest technology groups, universities, research centres, foundations, civil-society organisations and relevant government or regulatory bodies. When an organisation is particularly relevant, its own careers page should take precedence over a copied listing elsewhere.

Search across platforms

LinkedIn

Use LinkedIn Jobs to search individual phrases rather than only broad categories. Useful starting terms include:

• “Internet Policy”
• “Digital Rights”
• “Technology Policy”
• “Internet Governance”
• “Open Source” and “FOSS”
• “Digital Public Infrastructure”
• “AI Governance” and “Data Protection”

Try related job titles such as researcher, policy analyst, programme officer, advocacy officer, fellow, consultant, community manager and technical writer. Where available, configure job alerts for the searches that matter to you. Review location, remote-work eligibility and seniority separately.

X (formerly Twitter)

Use X search to find announcements from organisations, recruiters and people working in these fields. Search combinations of a subject and hiring language, for example:

• "digital rights" (job OR hiring OR vacancy)
• "Internet governance" (fellowship OR vacancy)
• "open source" (jobs OR careers)
• "technology policy" hiring
• #TechPolicy, #OpenSourceJobs and relevant organisation names

Hashtags are optional discovery aids, not a complete or authoritative index. Many employers announce roles without hashtags, and a post may be old, reposted or no longer accepting applications. Check the original vacancy notice.

Web search and alerts

Use Google Search to search exact phrases alongside words such as jobs, careers, vacancy, hiring, fellowship, internship or consultant. You can narrow a search to an organisation or domain, for example site:example.org careers "digital policy".

Google Alerts can send updates for recurring searches. Useful alert phrases include:

• "digital rights" jobs
• "Internet governance" vacancy
• "open source" careers
• "technology policy" hiring
• "digital public goods" jobs

Alerts may return irrelevant, duplicated or expired results. Treat them as leads to review, not as verified vacancies.

Mailing lists, newsletters and RSS

Subscribe to relevant organisation newsletters and specialist mailing lists. Where an employer or job board provides an RSS feed, it can be used for repeatable discovery. Do not assume that every platform offers a feed or permits automated collection.

Fellowships and short-term opportunities

Search separately for fellowships, internships, research placements, paid consultancies, grants for work and short-term assignments. These can be important entry points into Internet governance and public-interest technology.

Check the eligibility criteria carefully. Some programmes are limited by country, age, career stage, professional background or affiliation. Distinguish paid work from unpaid opportunities and grants; do not describe an opportunity as paid unless the source confirms this.

How to evaluate a listing

Before relying on a vacancy, check:

1. Original source: Prefer the employer’s official vacancy page or the programme’s own announcement.
2. Deadline: Record the closing date and time zone when provided. If no deadline is stated, say so rather than inventing one.
3. Status: Confirm that applications are still open. Remove or clearly mark expired listings.
4. Location and eligibility: Distinguish remote work from work that is restricted to a particular country or time zone.
5. Opportunity type: Identify whether it is employment, an internship, a fellowship, a consultancy, a grant or voluntary work.
6. Compensation: Record salary or stipend only when the source provides it.
7. Last checked: Note when the source was last reviewed. A recent check is not a guarantee that a vacancy remains open.

Avoid reposting personal contact details or unnecessary personal information. Be cautious of requests for application fees, sensitive documents before a legitimate recruitment process, or communications that do not match the employer’s official domain.

Towards a maintained jobs dashboard

A future dashboard could bring together selected opportunities and discovery sources in one searchable page. Useful filters would include:

• Subject area: FOSS, digital rights, Internet policy, Internet governance or digital public infrastructure.
• Location: India and South Asia, other locations, or remote opportunities.
• Type: employment, fellowship, internship, consultancy or other paid assignment.
• Career stage: early-career, experienced or all levels.
• Deadline and date last checked.

Each listing should link to the original announcement and show the organisation, title, location, opportunity type, deadline where available, and last-checked date. Duplicate listings should be consolidated.

A sensible first version would use curated listings and a directory of reliable sources. Later, RSS feeds, permitted APIs and scheduled scripts could help discover new candidates and flag expired opportunities. Automated discoveries should be reviewed before publication: scraping restrictions vary across platforms, and search results alone cannot establish that a job is genuine or still open.

Community members could also suggest opportunities for review. A published editorial policy should explain the inclusion criteria, how corrections are handled and when listings are removed.

Scope and limitations

This guide does not guarantee that any particular vacancy is open, that an employer is recruiting, or that a role is available to applicants in every country. External platforms may require an account, restrict access or change their search features. Always verify details with the organisation offering the opportunity.

The long-term goal is to make relevant opportunities easier to find without implying that the directory is exhaustive or that every listing has been independently endorsed.

📄 This page was created on 19 October 2026. You can view its history on GitHub, preview the fileTip: Press Alt+Shift+G, or inspect the underlying source.