What do you do if you want to work in a “Green” Career? Where do you start if working in sustainability is your passion (or your student’s passion if you work in education)? How do you navigate the various options out there? Well, with over a quarter of working adults in Great Britain claiming that at least part of their role is a “Green Job” according to the Office for National Statistics, there might be more options out there than you think. But how do you get started?

Over the past year, I have seen an explosion of interest from students in the field of sustainability. So, during this academic year, I have been trialling a very simple framework to help postgraduate students at Newcastle University Business School navigate their career choices in the field of sustainability by giving them a simple tool I call the ‘Specialist vs Conscious Framework’.

What is the ‘Specialist vs Conscious Framework?

When you look at the roles in the green sector, you will begin to see a broad range of roles available in an even broader range of industries. The ‘Specialist vs Conscious’ framework breaks the options into four categories. It asks the job seeker if they are looking for a specialist role in sustainability or not, while also examining if they want to work in a company specialising in a particular part of the sustainability conversation or whether they would rather make an impact in helping an organisation that is green-conscious achieve its stated sustainability goals. The four categories are then used as a starting point to guide job seekers to help them identify where in the green/sustainability space they might be most interested. The four categories are:

• Specialist “Green” Roles

• Green-Conscious Roles

• Specialist “Green” Organisations

• Green-Conscious Organisations

What is a Specialist “Green” Role?

A specialist “Green” role would be a specific role with some sort of specialised “Green” or “Sustainable” remit. Roles might include, but are not limited to, Sustainability Consultant, Sustainability Strategy Manager, Sustainability Lead, Net Zero Analyst, Net Zero Carbon Consultant, or Knowledge Analyst. A broad category, the one common trait with these roles is that they need specialist experience, education, or training for candidates to realistically be able to undertake this role.

What is a Green-Conscious Role?

A Green-Conscious Role would be a role in a company that isn’t designated as leading in a “Green” or “Sustainable” part of the business. Instead, it would hope to attract a candidate that is sustainability-conscious and aware, with the hope of the role contributing towards its sustainability-related goals. I have found these roles to be most clear when they are specialists in other areas, e.g., procurement or supply chain, with a clear line into supporting the company’s sustainability-related goals.

But what if I don’t know what role I want to work in?

A very common opening statement with job seekers interested in the field of sustainability, in my experience, is that they want to work in a “Green” or “Sustainability” role but do not know what type of role they want. In which case, I would recommend they start using the same framework to decide if they want to work in a “Specialist Green Organisation” or a “Green-Conscious Organisation”.

What is a Specialist “Green” Organisation?

A Specialist “Green” Organisation would be aiming to solve at least one sustainable issue facing the world. Their Unique Selling Point is something relating to sustainability. They are often a disruptor in their field. Examples might be: · FoodCloud · Jiminy Eco Toys · Local Energy Systems

If a jobseeker doesn’t know what role they can or want to do, examining Specialist “Green” Organisations can be a great starting point to examine what roles are available and to help them find a realistic right fit for them. I have found this especially useful if the job seeker has a specific sustainability-related cause they are passionate about.

What is a Green-Conscious Organisation?

Green-Conscious Organisations could literally be any organisation that is legitimately working on sustainability-related goals. They tend to vary in the level of their investment, interest, and action in the sustainability field and may be tackling sustainability issues from different starting points. Yes, some may be greenwashing, while others might be well-intentioned but not living up to their promises, but many are trying and need staff who are educated and motivated on this topic. So, joining a Green-Conscious Organisation can be a good career move if you choose the right company. They can also be a great place for entry-level job seekers to gain experience in this sector.

Final thoughts and disclaimers

I have found this framework useful for helping those I work with, but I recognise it isn’t perfect. For some people, the terms might be debatable. For example, they might use other terms such as “Sustainable” rather than “Green”, and that’s fine. I did not write this because I am a sustainability-related expert. I wrote it as a Careers Consultant who wants to see change in the world. It is purposefully simple and aimed at helping those who are interested in sustainability understand where they might fit in the world of work, what next step they might take in their careers, and where they could possibly make the best impact to save our planet.