Green Dream Jobs and green workforce development consultant Jim Cassio, recently released data that shows the top green job titles posted by employers and in which cities over the past year – during the recession. Despite the fact that there are scores of studies that show the potential for green jobs going forward, many note the dearth of data on current green jobs in the U.S. economy. Green Dream Jobs has collected concrete historical and current data on the job titles employers are actually looking to fill.
“The leading job tiles show the breadth of green positions across the economy,” says Rona Fried, Ph.D., CEO of SustainableBusiness.com, which runs Green Dream Jobs. “Most people think of energy auditing and renewable energy as green jobs, but leading non-profit organizations are major employers, and people needed to run projects and analyze data are in demand, as well as those in sales and business development. Engineers are also in demand for renewable energy operations and even in this economy, we’re still seeing many job openings in green building.”
“The data also point to the variety of skill levels employers seek – from executive skills as Executive Director of green non-profits (NGOs), to mid-level skills associated with analysis, project development and managerial positions, to entry level skills for positions like Administrative Assistant,” notes Jim Cassio.
Interestingly, the most frequently keywords used by job seekers to find job openings on Green Dream Jobs match many of the available positions: sustainability; climate change; wind, solar, construction manager, architectural designer, executive director, naturalist.
The top city for green employment over the past year is Washington DC, reflecting the many executive director positions at green NGOs. Other top 10 cities are those with aggressive green business incentives and policies: the San Francisco Bay area, New York, Seattle, Boston, Chicago, Portland, Oregon and Burlington, Vermont. The top 20 cities include Houston, Madison, Wisconsin, San Jose, Los Angeles and San Diego in California, and Philadelphia.
They conclude that although there have been fewer green job openings over the past year, there are a wide variety of employment opportunities in many fields and for people of all skill levels. As the economy recovers, we expect a surge in openings in the various renewable energies, as we saw in previous years.
Top 20 Green Job Titles
- Executive Director, Nonprofit
- Project Leader/Manager
- Sustainability Program Director/Manager
- Sales/Business Development Associate or Manager
- Marketing Manager/Coordinator
- Community Crew Leaders/Supervisors, Conservation Associations
- Business/Data Analyst
- Research Analyst/Manager
- Environmental Educator/Naturalist
- Account Executive/Manager, Sales
- Professor (various academic fields)
- Sustainability Analyst/Consultant
- Operations Manager
- Wind Energy Engineer
- Administrative Assistant
- Trainer, Training Specialist or Training Coordinator
- Electrical/Design Engineer
- Green Architect
- Green Building Project Manager
- Solar Process Engineer/Process Integration Engineer
Recommended Green Career Resources:
SIX STRATEGIES TO FIND YOUR GREEN CAREER – This free ebook by Carol McClelland PhD is a step-by-step process helping green career seekers use their passions, interests, experience, and training to plug into the green economy.
THE COMPLETE GREEN JOB GUIDE 2009: SECRETS FOR GETTING THE JOB YOUR WANT – Discover How To Unlock The Booming Green Economy For Your Job Search And Future Financial Security with the 10 Breakthrough Steps You Need To Know To Find And Land A Green Job Quickly.
CLEANTECHIES RESUME AND COVER LETTER WRITING SERVICE – Cleantechies help job seekers ease the transition from mainstream to Cleantech. Learn More!
