Jobs
Sites with careers in the sustainability area
I have collected the most active job-sites for people looking for jobs in the environmental, development and social justice areas. Job postings on these sites change frequently, so check back often. There is also a list of internships and fellowships that you might consider. Finally, there are real jobs posted at the end from organizations that are constantly turning over jobs and almost always looking for good people. This site will be most useful if you come across additional opportunities and send them to Andy or I for posting. Good luck!
Peace Corps
The Peace Corps traces its roots and mission to 1960, when then-Senator John F. Kennedy challenged students at the University of Michigan to serve their country in the cause of peace by living and working in developing countries. From that inspiration grew an agency of the federal government devoted to world peace and friendship.
Since that time, more than 170,000 Peace Corps Volunteers have been invited by 136 host countries to work on issues ranging from AIDS education, information technology, and environmental preservation. Tom served in the Philippines from 1981 – 1983 and was part of a tradition that continues to this day of the University of Wisconsin-Madison providing more volunteers than any other university in the country.
Today’s Peace Corps is more vital than ever, stepping into new countries like East Timor, working in emerging and essential areas such as information technology and business development, and committing more than 1,000 new Volunteers as a part of President Bush’s HIV/AIDS Act of 2003. Peace Corps Volunteers continue to help countless individuals who want to build a better life for themselves, their children, and their communities.
If you are interested, you will need to apply early during your last year in college. The application process generally takes about 9 months, so get started early. A significant number of former participants in the class have gone on to serve in the Peace Corps. You too might enjoy this 2 year experience.
ACDI/VOCA is a private, nonprofit organization that promotes broad-based economic growth and the development of civil society in emerging democracies and developing countries. Offering a comprehensive range of technical assistance services, ACDI/VOCA addresses the most pressing and intractable development problems. ACDI/VOCA is headquartered in Washington D.C. and has regional offices in Ohio and California. The majority of work though is done in the 35+ developing and transitional countries.
ACDI/VOCA identifies and opens economic opportunities for farmers and other entrepreneurs worldwide by promoting democratic principles and market liberalization, building international cooperative partnerships and encouraging the sound management of natural resources.
Driven by the goal of adding value to local enterprise, ACDI/VOCA helps build: businesses, agricultural systems, financial systems and grassroots organizations that underlie prosperous free markets and stable democracies.
The ACDI/VOCA Difference ACDI/VOCA has a proven record of development successes dating back almost 40 years. This experience coupled with strong technical expertise means that clients and partners can always expect high standards of quality from ACDI/VOCA.
In addition to full time employment, if you have the right skills and the time to spare, you could be one of the 600+ volunteer consultants ACDI/VOCA sends overseas each year. Volunteers have played a crucial role in ACDI/VOCA’s international development projects dating back to 1971. With their diverse skills and expertise, volunteers help people help themselves, escape poverty and build successful companies and institutions.
In exchange for your time and energy, ACDI/VOCA pays for travel, lodging and other expenses.
Action Without Borders connects people, organizations and resources to help build a world where all people can live free and dignified lives. Our work is guided by the common desire of our members and supporters to find practical solutions to social and environmental problems, in a spirit of generosity and mutual respect. The jobs listings are generally quite extensive.
DEVJOBS is an Internet service that provides international job announcements on various development fields, including microfinance, poverty alleviation, community development, institution development, good governance, health and population, food security, agriculture, natural resource management, basic education, adult literacy, human resource development, disability rehabilitation, information technology and rural development.
Environmental Careers Organization (ECO) / Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Intern Program provides a unique opportunity for students to work directly with community organizations and experience environmental issues at a grass roots level. ECO accepts applications year-round.
ECP, previously named the EPA Intern Program, is a comprehensive, entry-level, professional, full-time, career development program. It involves an intensive two-year assignment to help college and grad school graduates jump-start their careers and develop their potential for future advancement within the Agency. The ECP seeks graduates with a bachelor’s or higher level degree in a variety of academic disciplines, including physical and life sciences, business, finance, computer sciences, policy and public administration. Participating EPA offices will post their specific ECP job announcements on EPA at USAJobs each fall.
Ethical Performance is a periodical out of the UK that is devoted to Corporate Social Responsibility. They frequently have job postings for positions involving corporate social responsibility, corporate social reporting, socially responsible investing and related areas.
The Foreign Policy Association (FPA) is a national, nonprofit, nonpartisan, nongovernmental, educational organization to educate Americans about the significant international issues that influence their lives. FPA provides impartial publications, programs and a listing of current jobs to increase public awareness of, and foster popular participation in, matters relating to those policy issues.
Global Service Corps (GSC) is a nonprofit international volunteer organization that provides international volunteer opportunities for people worldwide to live and work abroad in developing countries. Two countries of primary focus now are Thailand and Tanzania. Programs in health, environment and/or education year-round – from two weeks to six months.
THAILAND: You may work on international service projects in health or education. Health volunteers work with doctors in health clinics. Education volunteers teach English or environmental studies in schools, colleges, monasteries or health centers. For a Buddhist immersion experience, you can teach English at a monastery and be mentored in Buddhism.
TANZANIA: Volunteers work on a hands-on service project raising awareness of HIV/AIDS or teach methods of sustainable agriculture. A new combination program uses immune-enhancing nutrition to combat HIV/AIDS. Included Swahili lessons help the learning process. Global Service Corps is a project of Earth Island Institute. Information available at
Government Jobs is a website that features public sector jobs. Each listing on the web site includes: a description of the position title, job requirements (education, special skills, etc.), duties and responsibilities, salary if given, closing date, name of agency and any other information pertinent to the position and job applicant. In addition to job listings,this site provides job resource information state by state. Included are links to municipal, city and county government web sites, state leagues and associations, statewide newspapers, etc. This information will help you in pursuing employment opportunities. Local government executive search firms are listed. In addition, several executive search firms are in the business of assisting local governments with recruitment.
These days, the most talented people want to work with environmentally and socially progressive organizations. Green Dream Jobs is only open to employers that clearly embrace sustainable business practices and/or have high quality environmental jobs. Since all our job listings carry our “seal of sustainability” we attract the best candidates and the best employers.
Green Dream Jobs has been operating on the Internet for 12 years. We have, by far, the greatest number of job listings and job seekers (about 275,000 a month) of any “green” job service. Because we carefully choose the employers and job postings on the site, we have a reputation for having the best job listings – and thus attract very highly qualified, dedicated people.
International Career Employment Weekly
For International jobs, see the International Career Employment Weekly posting. You can choose to see jobs in international environmental programs, international development and humanitarian assistance or several other categories. This site is updated regularly, so check back every month or so.
Lifeworth brings together people and organizations with shared values. Their aim is threefold:
- to help organizations find the talent to prosper in a just and sustainable society
- to help people find work in the business world where they can express their values
- to help these people be change agents within their organization
All jobs posted on Lifeworth involve some aspect of sustainability, and thus are perfect for graduates of these classes. However, most jobs are international. None the less, this should be the first site for your job search.
NSF is an independent agency of the U.S. Government, established by the National Science Foundation Act of 1950. They generally have a large number of positions that they are filling.
Check out the Orion Grassroots Network for Internships and job opportunities all over the country. This site is frequently updated, and is a wonderful resource to use.
The United Nations is a central player for many issues involved with Sustainable Development. If you are interested in a job with the UN, be prepared for a cumbersome process. The rewards, however, justify the difficulty in lining up a job. If you are interested, start at the following link and then follow it to either vacancies or internships. Internships are unpaid and only available to grad students. They do, though, represent the best way to get into the organization for a real job.
Atlantic Fellowship in Public Policy
The Atlantic Fellowships in Public Policy provide a unique opportunity for US mid-career professionals to study and gain practical experience in a wide variety of public policy areas in the United Kingdom each year. During the 6 – 10 months of their stay in the UK, Fellows are based at host institutions. They spend a substantial part of their time in contact with relevant external organizations to gain practical experience of their fields. Host institutions vary from a university or research institute to a public agency. These institutions assign leading policy experts as mentors to Fellows. Additionally Fellows are given direct access to British policymakers, including Ministers, where appropriate.
Atlantic Fellowships’ three main goals are:
- To enable US public policy experts to conduct policy research in the UK and benefit from British ideas and best practice,
- To improve the theory and practice of public policy in the UK and the US by sharing ideas and experience in both countries, and
- To create a transatlantic network of public policy experts and practitioners to encourage ongoing collaboration and exchange.
East Asian Foreign Language and Area Studies Graduate Fellowships (FLAS)
The Center for East Asian Studies is again designated as a sponsor for the East Asian Foreign Language and Area Studies Graduate Fellowships (FLAS). Applications are now available for the Summer 2004 and Academic Year 2004-05. FLAS graduate fellowships are funded by the U.S. Department of Education to encourage international study, the development of knowledge and trained personnel, and to stimulate the attainment of foreign language acquisition and fluency. In the past, FLAS fellows have been chosen with varied course study from several University Schools and Departments including, Letters and Science, Law, Engineering, Business and Social Work. The Fellowships offer generous award benefits, including a stipend plus payment of all tuition and fees.
FLAS specifics and applications can be picked up outside the International Institute Fellowships Office (338 Ingraham). Complete East Asian Area Studies applications are due in the CEAS office (326 Ingraham) by Monday, February 9th, 2004. Further info will be available on the CEAS web site, after the week of December 15th. Questions regarding East Asian Area FLAS, should be directed to: Barbara Jenn, Student Advisor/Coordinator, bajenn@wisc.edu.
Geballe Fellowship – Corporate Partnerships Program
The Corporate Partnerships Program of Environmental Defense works with leading U.S. companies to protect human health and the environment by reducing the lifecycle environmental impacts of the products and services they sell, and fully incorporating environmental considerations into their business decision-making methods and culture. Our projects seek to achieve environmentally significant results that also generate business benefits for our corporate partners. Working with our partner companies, we create new environmental Best Practices that other companies can adopt.
The Geballe Fellowship Program seeks recent graduates of advanced degree programs in business or environmental management for a two-year position with Environmental Defense. Working under the guidance of a Corporate Partnerships Project Manager, the fellow will support Environmental Defense’s work in three ways: First, fellows may work on ongoing long-term projects – such as our partnership with DuPont to develop a framework for responsible nanotechnology. Second, fellows could assist on “rapid response” projects to work with leading corporations on short-term projects that may lead to bigger partnerships. Finally, fellows may also support our new project “incubator” to identify and develop new partnership ideas – such as projects we’re currently considering to promote “climate friendly farming” techniques or to reduce the environmental impacts of the airline and shipping industries. At the end of two-year fellowship, the fellow would be expected to “graduate” from Environmental Defense and move on to a position at one of the leading corporations we work with. Environmental Defense would assist the fellow in finding such opportunities.
Ian Axford Fellowship in Public Policy
Established in 1995 by the New Zealand Government the Ian Axford (New Zealand) Fellowships in Public Policy give outstanding American professionals opportunities to research, travel and gain practical experience in public policy in New Zealand, including first-hand knowledge of economic, social, and political reforms and management of the government sector.
The program has three goals:
- to reinforce New Zealand-United States links by enabling Americans of high intellectual ability and leadership potential to come to New Zealand to gain experience and build contacts in the field of public policy development;
- to help improve the practice of public policy in New Zealand and the United States by the cross-fertilization of ideas and experience in the two countries; and
- to build a network of public policy experts on both sides of the Pacific, and encourage ongoing policy exchange between New Zealand and the United States.
Three to four Fellowships per year are awarded for six months of research in New Zealand. Fellowships are offered in all areas of public policy and they welcome applications from a wide range of public policy areas. However, they are particularly interested in the following areas of public policy:
- economic/business development
- education and training
- energy/natural resources
- environmental management/climate change
- indigenous peoples
- innovation in science and technology
- public sector reform/program evaluation in the government sector
Institute of Current World Affairs
ICWA offers post-graduate fellowships in four areas. The Institute awards fellowships for a minimum of two years to women and men under 36 years of age who demonstrate initiative, integrity, outstanding character, good communications skills, seriousness of purpose and enthusiasm for their chosen fields. ICWA invests in people, not projects. The Institute provides a Fellow with sufficient funding to allow the Fellow and his or her family to live in good health and reasonable comfort and to fulfill the purposes of the Fellowship. Fellowships for 2004-2005 include the following:
- John O. Crane Memorial Fellowship. For study of East-Central Europe or the Middle East. The Fellow will spend two years at the site of her/his choice exploring an appropriate fellowship topic of his or her design.
- John Miller Musser Memorial Forest & Society Fellowships. For people with graduate degrees in forestry or forest-related specialties to broaden their understanding of the relationship of forest-resource problems to humans, including policy-makers, environmentalists, peasants, scientists and forest-product industrialists.
- Target-of-Opportunity Fellowship. Issues or areas may be of the candidate’s choice, or for study of the following areas of the world that Members of the Institute feel should be studied. Areas of Interest: Burma, Baltic States, Brazil, Cuba, Iran, Japan, Korea, Mongolia, North Africa, Poland, Russia, South Asia. The Institute is particularly interested in selecting an Iran Fellow with U.S. citizenship in June 2004.
- Phillips Talbot Fellowship for South Asia. This continuous two-year fellowship should be considered an early segment of a career aimed at improving U.S. understanding of South Asia through public service, teaching, or journalism, and is restricted to U.S. citizens. Language is important, and we will expect the Fellow to have, or be willing to get, solid working knowledge of at least one South Asian language. Pre-fellowship seasoning in some aspect of South Asian culture or life would be desirable. The Fellow will be chosen to live, study, work and write in any nation in South Asia.
Marshall Scholarship/Fellowship in the United Kingdom
The Marshall Scholarship provides a superb opportunity for US students to not only advance their career goals with a prestigious degree at a UK university, but also to foster lifelong leadership skills, international understanding and incredible personal growth.
Every year, Marshall Scholarships allow up to 40 young Americans to study in the United Kingdom for two, and occasionally three, years. The scholarships have strengthened the bonds between the two countries since 1953 when they were first established by the British government to celebrate the implementation of the European Recovery Program (Marshall Plan).
“The Marshall Scholarships provide a wonderful opportunity for talented young Americans to live and study in the United Kingdom. The life-long ties that result have played a major part in enhancing the special relationship between the United Kingdom and the United States.” Tony Blair, British Prime Minister
The scholarships are open to American undergraduate and graduate students from all walks of life. In appointing Scholars, Marshall selectors look for candidates who demonstrate maturity, self-reliance and self-discipline. Scholars usually demonstrate a high level of academic and personal achievement and must:
CERES (one of the leading organizations promoting sustainable corporate governance) is continually looking for interns to work on one of the following program areas:
- Investor Network on Climate Risk (INCR), which promotes better understanding of the risks of climate change among institutional investors
- Industry programs, which seek to create positive change in specific industries such as insurance, oil and gas, and electric power.
- Corporate accountability and coalition programs, which build Ceres’ capacity as a force for change and includes corporate reporting oversight and performance reviews of companies Ceres’ annual conference and other significant programmatic meetings.
- Development, which focuses on working with individual, corporate, and foundation donors.
- Communications, which deals with press relations and print, web, and email communications.
Internship positions will last one or two semesters, exact start and end dates are flexible. We request an 8-16 hour commitment per week in our office in downtown Boston.
“The highly selective Oregon Performance Internship is a unique opportunity for the nation’s best graduate students in public affairs, public policy, and public administration to spend a summer in Oregon working on projects aimed at improving the performance of public and not-for-profit enterprises.”
OPI is keen to enlist the talented students from your great universities! George K Beard, Director, Oregon Performance Internship, PO Box 820103, Portland, Oregon 97282-1103, (503) 772-0222, gbeard@pdx.edu
The National Park Service and the Student Conservation Association are seeking graduate business and policy students to work as consultants for the National Parks Business Plan Initiative. The Business Plan Initiative (BPI) is a public-private partnership between the Park Service and the Student Conservation Association. Over the last six summers, it has placed more than 100 students from top business and public policy schools at national parks around the country to develop park business plans. This year BPI anticipates hiring up to 25 summer consultants.
U.S. Department of Labor Internship Program
Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao and the U.S. Department of Labor have welcomed students across the nation to participate in the Student Internship Program. The Student Internship Program provides students with the opportunity to learn about how federal government agencies operate and to interact with the leaders of various agencies within the U.S. Department of Labor. Students participate in weekly brown bag lunch discussions, attend agency presentations, and work on projects assigned to them by their agency. Previous interns have had opportunities to work in a variety of areas, including public affairs, speechwriting, and outreach programs. Students will also be delegated general administrative duties and should have strong writing and research skills.
White House Internship Program
If getting involved in politics sounds fun, then check out the White House Internship Program. The White House Internship Program provides a unique opportunity for interns to observe government officials and gain practical knowledge about the daily operations of the White House. Interns learn how the federal government functions and how they can become a part of it.
American Civil Liberties Union
ACLU has permanent positions, fellowships and summer positions in its national headquarters in NY, its national offices in DC and in its affiliate offices nationally.
The Red Cross affects the lives of people around the world. We are looking for the best and brightest professionals who want to make a difference. Now is your opportunity to help build the systems that help save lives. Employees worldwide = 30,000.
Futureye Consultants (Australia)
Futureye is a strategy and communications house that develops solutions for organizations to meet the challenges of sustainable development. Futureye works with clients to protect corporate reputations, develop proactive approaches to meeting increasing stakeholder expectations – and then to build sustainable businesses focused on new growth opportunities.
Services include strategy development as well as training and coaching, benchmarking and community consultation. They are a small, dynamic organization, looking for articulate, creative, highly motivated individuals, with exceptional analytical and interpersonal skills, and a commitment to challenging established practices.
To work with Futureye you need to:
- Understand sustainable development, communication theory and practice
- Be self-motivated, extremely flexible and organized, with good problem solving abilities, and not too serious!
Green Corps: Training the Next Generation of Environmental Leaders
Green Corps is a non-profit Field School for Environmental Organizing, founded by leading environmentalists in 1992 to identify and train the next generation of environmental leaders. Our program includes intensive classroom training, hands-on experience running urgent environmental and public health campaigns, and placement in permanent leadership positions with leading environmental groups.
Training. The Introductory Classroom Training, held in Boston, MA, exposes you to the environmental movement and teaches you to mobilize grassroots support, train community leaders, and work with the media. You will learn about issues you care about including global warming, corporate accountability, toxic threats, and sustainable development.
Locations & Dates: We place Field Organizers in cities across the nation, which may include Washington, D.C., and cities in California, Colorado, Connecticut, Georgia, Florida, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Washington and Wisconsin.
Responsibilities. As a Green Corps Field Organizer, you’ll plan and implement a series of environmental campaigns conducted on behalf of groups like Rainforest Action Network, Sierra Club and World Wildlife Fund. Your responsibilities will include recruiting, training, and supervising volunteers, interns, and staff; working with the media; fundraising; and mobilizing grassroots support.
Job Placement. Our graduates are in high demand and quickly find jobs working on issues they care about. After you complete the training program, Green Corps will connect you to organizations with open positions and other opportunities for full-time social change work.
Qualifications. We will invite 25 people to participate in the Environmental Leadership Training Program. We are looking for people who are serious about saving the planet, have experience working with environment or social change issues, and have demonstrated leadership experience.
Since our inception in 1958 (when we were known as Research Triangle Institute), RTI professionals have secured a solid reputation as a leading, independent research institute. We have established and maintain many successful relationships with diverse business customers, government agencies, academic institutions, and foundations. But as we gather information, conduct laboratory research, and report findings, we don’t want to learn something new about our world and then shelve the results. We want ideas to become actions. We want our knowledge to make a difference.
For example, our research provides information for local, state, and national decision makers. Health policy … environmental regulations … education reform … they have all seen the stamp of RTI’s professional efforts and prove the sum and substance of our mission.
With over 2,000 employees worldwide, RTI International fosters a dynamic flow of ideas and turns knowledge into practice in the following key areas:
- Environment – RTI excels at setting environmental standards, and has done so for decades, through multidisciplinary research that provides scientific, technical, and policy analysis for government and industry.
- Education and training – From early childhood through schooling to adult employment and learning, RTI studies pressing issues in education and training that impact both individuals and societies. RTI also develops, implements, and evaluates processes for education reform and for technology-assisted learning.
- Advanced technology – RTI not only innovates in the lab but also helps to move research into the practical world of energy technologies, materials and devices, virtual reality, and aerospace. In addition, RTI helps government, industry, and academia manage their intellectual assets.
- Economic and social development – At home and abroad, RTI social research has helped struggling regions and cultures improve the access that individuals have to services, develop their human capital, reduce poverty, and apply modern information technologies where needed.
You’ll get a chance to make a difference because making a difference is central to our culture. And there is no better way to make a difference than by improving the human condition, which is at the heart of the RTI mission. At RTI, you’ll learn to think independently and act collaboratively — your particular field of research will demand the former and our multidisciplinary environment will foster the latter. We are dedicated to turning your knowledge into practice so that you may bring your ideas to bear on a world that needs your drive and your enthusiasm.
Winrock is a nonprofit organization that works with people around the world to increase economic opportunity, sustain natural resources, and protect the environment. They are continuously recruiting for responsible candidates to fill international positions for Winrock proposals and projects.
The Wisconsin Energy Connection list a wide variety of green jobs in the Wisconsin area. They also produce a FREE bi-weekly email newsletter that can keep you up to date with the latest job postings. This geographically-focused job posting is designed to help people easily network within Wisconsin’s energy/green job sector. For a list of current jobs in the energy/green jobs sector, see http://wisconsinenergyconnection.com/jobs/
