Need a job? This week's top 10 intriguing openings.

The news on the employment front is perking up, just slowly — the US lost fewer jobs in July than in June, and the unemployment rate dropped slightly.

But we know more progress needs to be made. That’s why each week Monitor staffers comb the job listings in search of interesting places to work. The most intriguing jobs we found this week are in Cedar Rapids, Neb.; Atlanta; Fairbanks, Alaska; Los Angeles; New York; Cranston, R.I.; Twin Falls, Idaho; and Tampa, Fla.

Got good taste? We have a job for you.

1. Head cowboy
Employer: Big Drive Cattle
Wages/salary: $40,000 to $50,000
Details: Have total control of cowboy side of the feed yard. (For more information click here.)
Location: Cedar Rapids, Neb., (pop. 348, median family income $32,708) frustrated when letters, salesmen, and cattle kept ending up in a town with the same name in Iowa, made caps and shirts that read, “Yes – There is a Cedar Rapids, Nebraska.”

2. Country music college marketing representative
Employer: Sony Music Entertainment
Wages/salary: Not listed.
Details: Organize listening events and interact closely with record stores. Must include in cover letter most recent music purchased and concerts attended. (For more information click here.)
Location: Atlanta (pop. 416,474, median family income $37,231) has 32 streets with the name “Peachtree.”

3. Dog sweaters pattern designer
Employer: Freelance
Wages/salary: Not listed.
Details: Design novel and stylish dog sweaters for an e-book on how to knit dog sweaters. (For more information click here.)
Location: N/A

4. Candy insights manager
Employer: Cadbury
Wages/salary: Not listed.
Details: Develop an ongoing program of market research to inform, develop, and support the brand. (For more information click here.)
Location: Not listed.

5. Insect collection manager
Employer: University of Alaska
Wages/salary: Not listed.
Details: Manage rapidly growing collection of non-marine arthropods from northwestern North America, which has one of the United States' most poorly documented, geographically widespread, and bio-geographically complex arthropod faunas. (For more information click here.)
Location: Fairbanks, Alaska, (pop. 30,224, median family income $46,785) lies between two mountain ranges, which causes near-desert conditions – it gets less than 10 inches of precipitation per year.

6. Fashion club leader
Employer: Woodcraft Rangers
Wages/salary: $20 to $30 an hour
Details: Develop curriculum for teaching deconstruction, hip-hop, and urban teen wear for high school after-school program. (For more information click here.)
Location: Los Angeles (pop. 3,694,820, median family income $39,942) is the only North American city to host the summer Olympics twice.

7. Taste panelist
Employer: Nestlé
Wages/salary: Not listed
Details: Test products for texture and flavor; must have discerning palate, be articulate, and pass two assessment stages for prospective panelists. (For more information click here.)
Location: New York City (pop. 8,008,278, median family income $41,887) has more completed skyscrapers than any city in the world except Hong Kong.

8. Artistic pet groomer
Employer: Artistic Pet Salon
Wages/salary: Not listed
Details: Use experience in pet grooming and own tools to service growing clientele. (For more information click here.)
Location: Cranston, R.I., (pop. 79,269, median family income $55,241) is the model for the fictional town “Quahog” in the Fox animated sitcom “Family Guy.”

9. Wild horse and burro specialist
Employer: US Department of the Interior – Bureau of Land Management
Wages/salary: $38,117 to $56,411
Details: Manages grazing allotments; duties associated with range management, general vegetation management, and unusual plant assemblages. (For more information click here.)
Location: Twin Falls, Idaho, (pop. 42,197, median family income $46,189) has become more multicultural in the last decade, in part due to a refugee center that has brought in residents from Bosnia, Iran, Vietnam, and Russia.

10. Experienced matchmaker
Employer: Romance Pros
Wages/salary: Base plus commission.
Details: Must be honest and ethical, make friends easily and enjoy meeting with singles face-to-face. (For more information click here.)
Location: Tampa, Fla., (pop. 303,447, median family income $40,517) was the site of the filming of “Edward Scissorhands” in 1990, which injected $4 million into the local economy.

For last week’s offbeat listings click here.