Jose worked as a researcher, community organizer, network builder, organizer for several non-government organizations and cooperative federation in Mindanao in various capacities such as Project Officer and Trainer. At 30 years old, he was elected in 2006 as the youngest Chairperson of Oro Integrated Cooperative-one of the oldest and biggest savings and credit cooperative organized in 1966 with 155,000 members and assets 100M US Dollars. He sat at the National Anti-Poverty Commission (NAPC) an agency attached to the Office of the President in 2008-2010 representing the informal sector.
He also previously as Chief of Staff of a party list organization in the Philippine parliament. He is highly engaged in agriculture and have managed his own farm planted with rice, sweet potato and vegetables. A passionate coop organizer and leader he is the founding Chairperson of Golden Grains Marketing Cooperative, Mountain View Dairy Cooperative, and founding officer of the Philippine Family Farmers Agriculture Fishery Forestry Cooperatives Federation (AgriCoopPh). Currently, he is Cooperatives Development Program Manager of the Asian Farmers Association for Sustainable Rural Development (AFA).