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Careers Showcase
Having now identified important skills, how are they relevant for different types of jobs? This section aims to introduce you to some of the jobs that our survey respondents work in, to share some more detail about important skills in their line of work, and some valuable tips from them about working in the field.
When planning the kind of job you want to be applying for, use this section to get a sense of what that job might look like.
Feel free to use the below sections as a reference point, but be sure to do further desktop research and conversations with professionals in your geographic area of interest, as job opportunities, experiences, and salaries will differ greatly in different countries.
Disclaimer: Note that the descriptions below are by all means not representative of jobs overall given that there will be specific geographic differences, and even within one organisation, no two jobs are going to be the same. The examples below are meant to be an indicative glimpse of what our respondents’ experiences look like.
We have separated this section into the following
Private Sector
The private sector refers to organisations not owned by the government, such as those owned by shareholders and investors. These are characterised as profit-driven entities. With immense economic power, the private sector is a crucial driver for the sustainability transformation. For example, the private sector is playing a critical role in financing nature-based solutions and scaling new technologies such as electric vehicles. Notable examples of private sector collaboration include the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD), comprised of over 230 leading businesses coming together to tackle a range of sustainability-related topics.
Depending on the size and type of company you work for, sustainability roles can vary immensely. The following subsection explores roles that work in-house (i.e. within specific companies in a specific industry), or sustainability consulting (working with a range of different companies in a specific sustainability field such as finance, energy, or more broadly as a generalist consultant).
Public Sector
The public sector is a catch-all term for organisations operated or owned by government(s) that provide a service for citizens. For the purposes of this toolkit, we have included a feature on both working with/in governments at the international and national level.
Civil Society
Civil society is a broad umbrella term encompassing “a wide array of organisations: community groups, non-governmental organisations [NGOs], labour unions, Indigenous groups, charitable organisations, faith-based organisations, professional associations, and foundations.” In the world of sustainability, civil society plays a key role in advocating for the implementation of new laws, programmes at the international, national and local level and holding the public sector (governments) and private sector (companies) accountable to the sustainability transition.
One area of civil society, the NGO, is dynamic and varied, given the diversity of topic areas that NGOs work on. Working in an NGO provides an opportunity for rewarding and meaningful work alongside colleagues who share the same mission and purpose. Self-growth and initiative is vital, particularly in smaller organisations where individuals may be required to take on numerous roles.
Academia
Academia as a whole is another large institutional stakeholder and profession in the sustainability discourse. Academia plays a key role in bridging the gap between experts and non-experts.
Civil Society
Working at an NGO is a dynamic and varied experience given the diversity of topic areas that NGOs work on. Working in the sector provides an opportunity for rewarding and meaningful work alongside colleagues that share the same mission/purpose. Self-growth and initiative is vital particularly in smaller organisations where individuals may be required to take on numerous roles.
United Nations
The United Nations is an intergovernmental agency that establishes global policies and launches initiatives to promote peace, human rights, and sustainable development. There are numerous entities within the UN with specific focus areas on different sustainability topics, such as Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO), UN Women, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
Consultancy
As companies strive to set sustainability goals, publish annual reports, and identify, assess, and prioritise sustainability-related impacts, risks, and opportunities, sustainability consulting has become an increasingly critical service to support the sustainability transition for businesses. Consultants help to drive this change by working with businesses across a range of industries and sectors to understand and improve corporate sustainability performance.
In-House Sustainability
As sustainability becomes more mainstream, companies are increasingly hiring sustainability professionals to join their in-house teams. To clarify, the phrase “in-house sustainability” is also referred to as “corporate sustainability.” A career in this field is demanding, requiring knowledge of various business functions, effective communication and the ability to see through both the commercial lens and sustainability lens for the business.
Legal Profession
The legal profession is becoming key in addressing the challenges of climate change. For example, the Law Society published its Climate Change Resolution in 2021 outlining the role that solicitors can play in addressing the climate crisis. Importantly, the resolution urged legal professionals to approach matters in a way that regards climate realities and identifies climate change risks, liabilities and ‘greener courses of action’ as a means of future-proofing the profession.