By Emily Ford
eford@salisburypost.com

KANNAPOLIS — A new online job board for the N.C. Research Campus already has 1,200 subscribers, even though the city quietly launched it just a few weeks ago.
The Web site, www.jobsatncrc.com, lists job openings at the biotechnology complex and sends an email alert to people who have signed up for a free subscription.

The city created the job board after Irene Sacks, director of business and community affairs, discovered there was no central location to post job openings for the Research Campus.

Until now, job seekers had to visit each employer’s Web site.

“That is not a great way to get information,” she said. “You lose a lot of potentially very qualified candidates that way.” The city invested about $5,000 to get the site up and running, Sacks said.

The site was designed to require little intervention, and employers manage their own postings, she said.

So far, three universities, a company and the city have posted nine jobs.

They require a wide range of skills and credentials, from holding a doctorate in life sciences to the ability to climb a ladder and lift 50 pounds.

The postings give a brief description of each job and a closing date, along with other information. They also link to each employer for more information and an application.

The site attempts to clarify an issue that has caused some confusion for people who want to work on the campus.

“NCRC is not an employer,” it states. “There is no front desk, mailing center, switchboard, or human resources department for the North Carolina Research Campus.” The universities and businesses at the Research Campus manage their own offices and hire their own employees. Job seekers with questions about positions must contact each employer directly.

The city plans to advertise the job board and has partnered with campus developer Castle & Cooke North Carolina to spread the word among employers.

In the meantime, 1,200 people have already discovered the service and are waiting for more job postings to appear.

“I’m very excited about this resource being available,” Sacks said. “Once we are able to get the word out there, we’ll certainly see that number go up.”