Top 5 Green jobs sites: How to find a role in the environment/sustainability sector

Looking for a career that benefits the planet? With sustainability top on the agenda right now for every kind of organisation – from national governments to global corporations – there are more and more opportunities to find a career that aligns with your values.

The Green Economy has hit £122bn, according to The Department for Business Innovation and Skills (BIS) and, in 2013 employed more than a million people. And that’s just for specialist companies that make up what the government has called the Low Carbon and Environmental Goods and Services industry, and so doesn’t appear to account for the many opportunities to work in sustainability roles in charities, NGOs or companies that are trying to reduce their carbon footprint.

So where can you find these ‘green jobs’? Well, as well as attending UCL’s Environment and Sustainability Week, which starts on the 8^th February and gives you the chance to meet professionals from a whole range of organisations, from Carbon Plan to the Department for Energy and Climate Change (DECC), you might want to check out these job sites and recruitment agencies:

• Acre Recruitment: The most established sustainability recruitment agency covering corporate responsibility, environment, health & safety, sustainability and energy. Current opportunities include:
  • Environmental Consultant, Due Diligence
  • Sustainability Officer, UK Green Building Council (UK-GBC)
• Elevator Cafe: A “marketplace for good jobs”, this job site will only post “ethical jobs” with social enterprises, charities and purpose driven companies. Current opportunities include:
  • Real Choices, Real Lives Cohort Intern – London – £16,415
  • Environmental Sustainability Intern – London – £16,864 Circa
• co.uk: Specialist job site with a wide range of openings right across the sector, from conservation and ecology, to organic food and sustainable transport. Currently there are over 70 openings listed as ‘entry level and graduate’ including:
  • Hedgehog Officer, Warwickshire Wildlife Trust
  • Visitor Experience Officer, RSPB
• GreenJobs: Calling itself ‘The Job Board for Green Experts’, this specialist site has some interesting roles to suit graduates including:
  • Energy Analyst, The Carbon Trust
  • Trainee Sustainability Consultant
• Guardian Jobs: With a dedicated section for Environment jobs, this newspaper jobsite is one of the primary places to go for exciting green roles, such as:
  • Communications Manager, CDP Driving Sustainable Economies
  • Energy and Sustainability Intern, Unite Students

The University of London’s Jobonline also has lots of environmental type roles that are aimed at students and graduates, in it’s ‘Natural resources and Environment’ sector. To keep updated, sign up for UCLAlert!

Here are some of the current roles:

• Research fellow in Global Climate Interactions
• Food Team Intern, Forum for the Future
• Marketing and Communications Intern, The Carbon Trust
• Intern – Forests (legal and policy), Client Earth

UCL Careers’s Environment & Sustainability Themed Week takes place from February 8th – 11th.