Sustainability Specialization Career Opportunities

80% of people get their job in climate doing the following: They combine skills + sector knowledge to have an edge. Here’s how you crush it 👇 1️⃣ Pick the right climate sector along the Innovation Hype Curve 📈 Don’t pick: → Something that feels cutting edge. → At the peak of the hype curve. → That’s still a lab experiment. Instead, focus on: → Something that most people know about. → Something that can scale. → Building infrastructure. Those places need your company-building skills. Learn how to rank 24 climate solutions in 8 sectors on the climate innovation hype curve: https://lnkd.in/grie_K39 2️⃣ Get smart about your climate sector 🤓 Here are 3 big sectors that all need your skills. Think marketing, sales, project management, communications, analysis, … 👉 Transportation Why choose this sector? → Huge impact (15% of total global CO2 emissions)  → The EV transportation sector is booming. → Record e-bikes are sold every year. → Massive fleets are electrified. What you need to know: → What are the 18 leading transportation solutions? → How scalable are they? → Which ones to pick? Start with Part 1 of the Transportation Sector deep dive here: https://lnkd.in/gZGvDMkc 👉 Solar Energy Why choose this sector? → Solar costs have nosedived over 100%. → Solar is outcompeting fossil fuel. → We know how to deploy solar. → We do it at large scales. → Costs fall even more. What you need to know: → How leading residential solar companies operate. → How startup solar companies are competing. → How Solar got so cheap. Start with Part 1 of the Solar Sector deep dive here: https://lnkd.in/gYkw5mha 👉 Sustainability & Net Zero Programs This is all within big companies and their sustainability programs. One part of almost all net zero strategies are Carbon Offsets. Why choose this sector? > The Carbon Offsetting market is huge ($850B+). > Almost every big company has a use for it. > High demand for skilled people. What you need to know: → How Public and Voluntary Carbon Offsetting Markets work. → How Offsets went wrong & 5 key challenges. → The Future of Offsets and key companies. Start with Part 1 of the Carbon Offset deep dive here: https://lnkd.in/gTRF6yMC It’s a loooong weekend. Use it to recharge, read, and getting smarter! Then crush it next week 🙌 You can do it 💪 — Ps. I’m Marco Morawec. I helped 1,000s of people find new careers in tech. I’m doing the same for climate at Climate Drift [dot] com.

Our #Sustainability Program Coordinator position received ~100 applicants in ~48 hours. This incredible response is a great sign for the sustainability field, and a good moment to offer #advice for those trying to get in. Some of what follows is drawn from recent hiring experience, and some is advice I would give my younger self, if I could. (The picture below is from 2015, just before I made my own pivot into sustainability). 1. Find a focus area. “Sustainability” is an incredibly broad field. Saying you want a job in “sustainability” is like saying you want to work in “business.” Decide what piece of sustainability interests you most. I work in #sustainableagriculture because I like working with farmers; I’m inspired by the impact potential of more sustainable supply chains. On my team, we have people that focus on environmental sustainability which includes emissions, renewable energy, #biodiversity, and packaging. We also have folks working on community engagement, including our non-profit partnerships and employee engagement. And let’s not forget about human rights. Beyond our team, there’s an industry need for people who do sustainability communications and marketing. There are career paths in sustainability advocacy and policy. Sustainability reporting is a rapidly growing field. The list goes on. 2. Network. Once you’ve chosen your focus area, reach out to people who work there. Ask them about their day to day. Reassess: Is this something you actually want to do? If so, ask them for advice. What skills are most important? How did they land their current role? What does the future of this area look like? LinkedIn is critical, use it daily. Follow people in your focus area. Comment on posts. Look for #opendoorclimate. If you can afford it, go to conferences. Introduce yourself to the panelists/ speakers. Ask good questions. ❤️ I landed a screening interview for my current role because someone in my network referred me. 3. Tailor your resume. Read the job description carefully and make sure your resume clearly hits the main points. For example, if you’re applying for a role that lists “data analytics” and “advanced Excel,” make sure your resume contains the words “data analytics” and “Excel.” Bonus points if you can work them into your most recent position. Don’t assume anyone can infer your skills. You may know that your role as “Program Specialist” involves a lot of data analysis, but if you don’t say that explicitly, you may be passed over. 4. Get clear on “why.” At some point in the interview process, someone will ask: “Why are you interested in this position?” Your answer should be compelling. Showcase your passion AND show you did your research. Speak to something specific that matters to the interviewer. Candidates that seem genuinely excited to work with us/our company always standout. 🌱Sustainability professionals: what advice would you give your younger self?

You’re just a service provider - you’re not making meaningful changes on the ground. This inner voice is NOT true. I’m constantly thinking about how to step up as a strategic partner for climate action, not just as a vendor. 🤝 I know that storytelling and design play a crucial role to amplify these efforts and attract multi-disciplinary partnerships. But, how can we play a bigger role in this transition? Here are 3 organizations that have combined a core service + capital + other resources to step up their role and impact: 🌿 Sustainable Ventures ↳ Work solely with the climate community  ↳ Offer: Advice, co-working spaces, networking events, capital, and connections so founders can focus on their core technology and growth. ↳ They go beyond investment and play a role in strategy, branding, and all facets of design as well. Portfolio: ✦ Lowr- sustainability platform for organizations to log and lower their users’ emissions ✦ Sunswap - solar-powered thermal refrigeration unit for lower carbon transport 🌿 Designer Fund ↳ Offers $500K and comprehensive design support to early-stage companies, initially focussing on health, prosperity, and sustainability-related ventures. ↳ Provide design advice, build design teams, and connect founders to experts and potential angel investors. This enables climate startups to get the branding, UX, and fundraising support they desperately need. ↳ Goal: Transfer the best of traditional tech SaaS and apply those lessons to our climate challenges, build new alternatives for products rooted in unsustainable supply chains, and work toward a circular economy. Portfolio: ✦  Zero Acre Farms - sustainable urban farming technology ✦  Lumen Energy - helping buildings transition to clean energy 🌿 VSC Ventures ↳ Using media strategy and storytelling as their superpower, VSC helps climate solutions resonate with the mainstream. ↳ Their Climb communications program helps climate tech startups access the best capital, the smartest talent, and the most strategic partners. ↳ At a time when there are more climate tech companies than ever before, robust storytelling is what truly helps founders stand out and influence policymakers, investors, and partners. Portfolio: ✦ Glacier - an AI-based recycling robotics startup that is significantly less expensive than the competition ✦ concrete.ai - an AI platform that prevents unnecessary waste and effort during concrete mixing and production 💚 Climate enablers are more important than ever and there are so many ways to accelerate the transition. Firms that can play a strategic role will provide the foundation for the interventions that mitigate climate change. Who are other service providers are you seeing move beyond their core service for larger impact? Tag other climate-enablers+ service partners doing amazing climate work in the comments! ⬇️

On #EarthDay2024 , are you considering changing careers or continuing with a career change into #climateaction? It’s more doable than you may realize. Here are some great resources and people to follow to help you on your journey: 🌎 There are more than 1,700 professionals willing to talk with you, no strings attached, on #opendoorclimate. Daniel Hill founded this movement when he could no longer keep up with the flood of demand generated by his own open door policy (he directs innovation at Environmental Defense Fund). So he began recruiting others happy to offer informational interviews to jobseekers. To say this network has grown quickly is to say the space shuttle takes a leisurely ride into the atmosphere. Search the hashtag or visit the directory 👉 opendoorclimate.com. (Professionals, add your name!) 🌍 Follow Daniel Hill. Helping more people find or create climate-saving jobs is his passion. 🌏 Follow Yesh Pavlik Slenk, director of EDF’s Climate Corps fellowship and host of Degrees: Real talk about planet-saving careers. A font of wisdom on climate careers. 🌍 Follow Amy Morse, also at EDF. She’s a role model for anyone interested in saving the planet and in activism for causes she believes in. 🌎 Follow Mike Hower, a top expert in sustainability communication and one of the most generous people I know. Listen to his podcast, The Sustainability Communicator, and read his newsletter by the same name 👉https://bit.ly/3w47sDm 🌏 Follow Andrea Learned 🚲 Ⓥ 🎙️ She’s a climate influencer working with local and national leaders to help them communicate more effectively about on-the-ground climate change efforts. Listen to: 🌎 Degrees, Real talk about planet-saving careers. This green careers podcast highlights people working in climate careers or who have greened their “regular” job. Hosted by Yesh Pavlik Slenk. Season 5 offers practical steps toward getting a climate job, hosted by Daniel Hill. (Full disclosure: Podcast Allies has produced this show for six seasons, with gratitude to a phenomenal team including Tina Bassir, Mia Lobel, Stephanie Wolf, Tressa Versteeg, Andrew Parrella and many more.) 👉 https://lnkd.in/gFiGT2xz 🌍 Mountain & Prairie, a delightful and informative indie podcast produced by Ed Roberson. It’s eight years old and not to be missed. 👉https://lnkd.in/gw-KmER9 Good luck on your job hunt or on greening your career! P.S. I feel about Earth Day the same way I do about Black History Month and Women’s History Month — that we shouldn’t need them, because we should be giving the same “air time” to the planet, Black history, and women’s history all year as we do for so-called “mainstream” topics. But in the meantime, here we are. (Photo taken at sunrise from a houseboat in Kerala, India, January 2024.)

Skill sets for jobs around the world are projected to shift by 65% by 2030, according to new LinkedIn data. This sea change in skilling is being accelerated by generative artificial intelligence, presenting both challenges and new opportunities for workers and organizations to help address some of our planet’s most pressing problems. More than two-thirds of this year’s Jobs on the Rise didn’t even exist 20 years ago, including key roles focused on the transition to a more sustainable economy. Evaluating and organization’s environmental impact, responsible use of resources and compliance with emerging regulations have become critical roles and transferable positions for professionals to have an even greater impact. Emerging opportunities driving environmental change aren’t limited to roles solely focused on sustainability. While Sustainability Analyst and Environment Health Safety Manager are among this year’s top five, roles ranging from Grants Program Manager (#14) to Director of Land Acquisition (#15) are critical parts of the progress toward a more sustainable future. As the need for these types of positions continue to grow, the demand for green talent is starting to outstrip supply. For companies aiming to reach key sustainability targets, which impact everything from business resilience to consumer reputation, there will be a critical need to upskill workers to take on this work. Check out the Jobs on the Rise driving toward a more sustainable future, as well as LinkedIn’s Sustainability Resource Hub (https://lnkd.in/eHTTztNw), to learn more about how you can make an impact with your career. Huge congrats to Juliette Faraut, Sarah McGrath and Ashley (Peterson) Botarelli on producing such a comprehensive and insightful report! #JobsOnTheRise #futureofwork #sustainability #sustainabilityjobs #esg