Search out jobs and network broadly on LinkedIn. Many currently in roles are willing to chat and mentor because they see the need for more people to join the field.
Use this link to search ESG jobs. There are thousands!
According to this there are four qualities companies are looking for:
Business experience - past roles that will help you quickly ramp-up
Adaptive and critical thinking - the industry is evolving and you have to be able to keep up
A multidisciplinary and systems perspective - diverse experiences and knowledge to complement what you'll learn on the job
Passion - your heart and mind is behind making a better world to live in
Responsible Investor has an excellent article on how the Sustainable Finance field is experiencing greenwashing in its hiring practices.
Many organizations are adding jobs so quickly they don't have the time to train or hire the right talent. Some firms are internally promoting individuals and giving them titles they do not have a background in because there is such a major demand for these services. A basic understanding of sustainability does not make them an "ESG and Sustainability Expert." Likewise, a career in finance does not mean you will have the understanding to address environmental and social issues.
Greenwashing means that individuals with passion, empathy, different backgrounds, and understanding can stand out and have a deeper impact.
Check out this resource from Ibrahim Rashid which specifically highlights how students with non-finance education can counter the greenwashing and break into the field - The Policy Wonk’s Guide to Impact Investing
One way to narrow down your job hunting is by thinking of different sectors of jobs. Some include:
Community Developer Financial Institutions (CDFIs)
Consulting Companies
Institutional Investors
Family Offices
Foundations
Investment Managers (public and private equity, or even debt)
International Organizations (like the UN or World Bank)
Microfinance
Philanthropy
You could also apply to organizations that are signatories to UN PRI, are members of GIIN, or have been certified as B-Corporations.
Asian Venture Philanthropy Network
African Venture Philanthropy Alliance
Cause IQ - you can narrow your search to Foundations
Development Finance (DFi) Group - World Bank
Intentional Endowments Network - for Foundations
Opportunity Finance Network - for CDFIs
There is a boom in interest in Sustainable Finance! Having experience on your resume and speaking the "language" is essential to differentiate yourself.
Major banks, asset managers, consulting companies, and others are adding roles and looking for talent with traditional financial skills, sustainability experience, and ESG knowledge.
There is no one way for you to enter the industry. There are many roles and opportunities and they seem to be constantly evolving. One way to think of it is as either:
Bring your traditional finance skills and learn about sustainable finance on the job
Know a lot about sustainability issues or ESG and learn the finance part as you go
Lead business efforts to become more sustainable
Coordinate teams to adopt sustainability principles
Communicate with clients and investors
Organize, present, and use data
Position reporting in line with new standards
Allocate capital following ESG goals
Sell products to the market and clients
Market business efforts
Some useful articles on job prospects are:
Pension Funds
CalPERS
CalSTRS
Here we share with you some examples of jobs we're seeing in the space but this is in no way a comprehensive subset. There are many different roles that are integrating sustainable finance and there is an opportunity for you to create your own way in your roles.
Some typical job positsions include:
ESG Risk Analyst
Performance
Consulting
Sales, Product Development,
Backoffice and Finance Roles
Marketing and Product Support
Share Your Job - If you would like to share with us an example of a job description please reach out. We can also share with our network interesting roles for the community. Contact - stephen.snider@oikos-international.org