List of Sustainability Jobs and Careers for a Sustainable world

Picking a career can be one of the biggest and most difficult decisions in our modern lives. Understand the focuses and requirements of different careers and jobs can help you to select the right education and skills required to support the development of your career. If you are reading this, very often you have interests in the area of sustainability, or one of the three sustainability pillars: Environmental Sustainability, social sustainability, and economical sustainability.

Many of us believe that sustainability is important to us, our generations, and many more to come. Making careful and well-thought-out decisions regarding your career can increase your chance of success. Choosing the right career can take time and research. In this article, we explore in-depth what a sustainability career is, share different kinds of sustainability career paths, plus offer some tips to help you find the right career.

Scientific Environmental Careers

Acoustical Engineer

Acoustical Engineers design and construct buildings (structural and interiors) and machinery, amongst other things, that are concerned with the science of sound. 

Aerospace Engineer

Aerospace Engineers design aircraft, spacecraft, missiles, and other airborne objects. 

Analytical Chemist

Analytical Chemists perform controlled experiments to explore the exact chemical components of a substance. 

Animal Psychologist

An Animal Psychologist is an expert in the behaviors and social relationships between animals within a community and to external biological entities (other species and relationships with humans).

Biological Anthropologist

Biological anthropology focuses on the physical evolution of humans and human ancestors. 

Cultural Anthropologist

Cultural anthropologists study the languages, music, art, and architecture of communities. 

Archaeologist

Archaeologists conduct field investigations, analyze artifacts, excavate sites, manage the logistics of projects at sites, write reports and recommendations, teach, conduct research, and publish the results of their research in academic journals.

Architectural Historian

Architectural Historians study buildings in their historical context -technical (researching building methods), conservation and preservation, for education or entertainment purposes.

Asbestos Abatement Manager

Asbestos Abatement managers identifies potentially hazardous and toxic waste as they pertain to human health. 

Atmospheric Dispersion Modeler

Atmospheric Dispersion Modelers source massive amounts of data from a large number of sources, from people working in meteorology and other weather-based research roles.

Atmospheric Scientist

Atmospheric Scientists can work in almost any field relating to the atmosphere. They are not simply meteorologists and weather forecasters; their qualifications give them the broadest scope of research and study of the atmosphere – future, present and past from large weather systems to small impacts on other biological life

Biochemist

biochemists study how pharmaceutical drugs and foods affect an organism’s biology. Some also study how environmental toxins are metabolized, and how they may disrupt biological processes.

Bioinformatics Specialist

Bioinformatics specialists help scientists manage, process, and analyze genomic and molecular data. They build and maintain databases to contain the information, and create or select algorithms to process, analyze, visualize, and interpret it. They may also use data mining techniques or statistical software. 

Biological Oceanographer

Biological Oceanographers study life in the world’s oceans. They will look at life distribution, how abundant (or otherwise) certain species are, the production of marine species, predation, the impact of fishing and invasive species.

Biologist

A Biological scientist or Biologist will tend to study the less practical and more “hard science” based ends such as microbiology, genetics and biochemistry. Which you choose will determine your career path, however the lines are blurred so any program of study should open most doors to you.

Biophysicist

A Biophysicist’s main concern is the universal laws of physics – how the complexity of life fits with what we know about the world. They will look at life on the atomic level, study proteins and the nervous system of all living creatures, digestion and sexual reproduction

Biostatistician

Biostatisticians analyze data and statistics on living things collected during medical research studies to draw conclusions or make predications. 

Biotechnologist

Biotechnologists typically work in labs with organic materials. Their work concerns applications such as health and medicine development, agricultural engineering and agritech, developing new green technology and other practical applications of natural science. 

Camp Counselor

Camp Counselors work at summer camps, fulfilling a range of organizational and event activities.

Chemical Oceanographer
Chemist

Chemists study chemicals and work in two major disciplines. Some work with the microscopic, looking at theories, ideas and models about the world around us. This would include the composition of the atmosphere, chemical processes of the past that have come to drive life on the planet, atmospheric disturbances and other natural processes that have made the various ecosystems the way they are.

Climatologist

A climatologist analyzes climate patterns to provide an understanding of the conditions of a particular area, and help the citizens of that area adapt to their surroundings.

Decontamination Technician

A Decontamination Technician or Decommissioning Technician works in the nuclear industry and anywhere else where there may be hazardous materials. 

Ecologist

Ecologists study the interrelationships between organisms and their environments. By increasing our understanding of how nature works, ecologists can help us make better decisions that minimize the effects of our activities on other species and the planet. Since evolution is the ultimate designer, their knowledge is also key to helping us model our products, industries, buildings, institutions, and communities after what we see in nature, making them more efficient and sustainable. 

Emergency Disaster Response Technician

An Emergency and Disaster Response Technician works on the ground in disaster and accident zones, terror attacks and disasters

Emt Paramedic

EMT Paramedics are medical first responders anywhere emergency medical treatment is required. Where environmental factors are concerned, they will work at sites of oil spills, chemical leaks, toxic waste accidents and treatment of patients exposed to these substances.

Entomologist

Entomologists study insects, such as ants, bees, and beetles. They also study arthropods, a related group of species that includes spiders and scorpions. Most entomologists specialize in a particular type of insect.

Environmental Biologist

Environmental biologists are mainly responsible for monitoring environmental conditions and conducting environmental impact assessments for development projects.  Environmental biologists may also determine the impacts of wastewater discharge, agricultural and urban runoff, and other conditions. 

Environmental Biotechnology

Environmental biotechnologists apply biological processes to technology to create more sustainable societies. Environmental biotechnologists combine biology and engineering to develop and use processes that remediate contaminated sites. For example, there are a variety of microbes, fungi, and bacteria capable of consuming pollutants and breaking them down into harmless components over time. 

Environmental Chemist

Environmental chemists advise on the movement and outcome of contaminants in soil and groundwater, assess long-term risks to ecological and human health, apply for environmental permits to undertake corrective strategies, classify contaminated soils as hazardous waste and manage their disposal, and supervise onsite remediation.

Environmental Data Analyst

Environmental Data Analysts are, essentially, Data Analysts that work with environmental information. They work with statistics and other raw data to produce digestible reports.

Environmental Engineer

Environmental engineers are experts who help minimize and manage waste and pollution, protecting the air, water, soil, and ourselves from harmful chemicals.

Environmental Geologist

Environmental geologists help prevent contamination of soil and groundwater by determining geologically safe locations for new landfills, coal ash disposal sites, and nuclear power plants. 

Environmental Health Safety Manager

Environmental Health and Safety Managers work with and for organizations (private and public sector) to promote good working practices for employees. Mostly, they observe these organizations to ensure that they comply with environmental legislation regarding safety in the workplace.

Environmental Health Safety Technician

The environmental health & safety technician is on the front line of implementing policy and equipment that contribute towards general environmental quality. While not responsible for deciding on organizational policy

Environmental Health Safety Trainer

Environmental Health and Safety Trainers occupy a unique position in the world of environmental health and safety. They will often work for external organizations as a contractor and be called in to train the health and safety managers or update them on current legislation.

Environmental Monitor

Environmental Monitoring is a vital role in determining health and safety issues for the purpose of public health or environmental health. Their main job is sampling – soil, atmospheric and water but they will also take air samples inside buildings to ensure workplace regulations are met. Environmental Monitors take environmental samples of the elements around us to examine its composition.

Environmental Psychologist

A environmental psychology places more of a focus on the built environment, its two sub-disciplines, conservation psychology and ecopsychology, center on the relationships between people and the natural world. For example, they may study the psychology of climate change, or incentives for changing behaviors that degrades the environment. Environmental psychologists study the relationship between human behavior and the environment, from both directions – how the environment affects behavior, and how people’s behaviors and attitudes affect the environment.

Environmental Sampling Technician

Environmental Sampling Technicians are employed to take samples from soil, water and the atmosphere. they may look for pollutants and signs of elevated radiation, dust and asbestos in the workplace. In terms of climate science, they may be interested in changes over time – looking for signs of the change in makeup of life forms over time

Environmental Writer

An environmental writer is a person who writes about environmental topics. He or she may specialize in a particular area such as energy policy or a particular type of writing, such as news articles, magazine articles, or press releases.

Ethnoarchaeologist

Ethnoarchaeology makes contemporary social comparisons between the past of the developed world and the least technologically developed today. Ethnoarchaeologists study technologically primitive people in today’s world to better understand the past.

Fire Fuel Manager

Fire and Fuel Managers maintain healthy growth of our wilderness and woodlands by controlling natural and artificial fires and using fire to promote ecological health.

Fire Protection Engineer

A Fire Protection Engineer covers the design and implementation of prevention (active and passive), mitigation and control, training, risk assessment, health & safety, purchasing, the design and layout of hardware and material acquisition. They work in Federal, state and local government bodies. Where they work for the government, they will typically work for National Parks and state parks, particularly in areas prone to wildfire.

Fire Safety Specialist

Fire Safety Specialists are employed to promote and enhance fire safety in the environment(s) where they work. They will understand active and passive equipment and use them effectively. They will keep up to date with legal requirements on health and safety, be engaged in public health and possibly legal cases of neglect or arson, depending on their area of knowledge

Forensic Biologist

Forensic Biologists are biology specialists who mostly work compiling evidence for prospective or actual criminal cases. They build a picture from the “freeze frame” evidence. How did this creature live? How did it die? What are the circumstances of its death? What is the likely sequence of its final days or hours? This detective work is unsurprising that they will often end up in law enforcement or in scientific services. 

Environmental Forensic Scientist

Environmental forensic scientists are valuable professionals who help protect public health and the environment. Unfortunately, the environment is subject to the “tragedy of the commons”, and contamination is often seen as “collateral damage” – the price paid for civilization. Forensic scientists help ensure that those who contaminate the environment illegally are discovered and brought to justice. They may also save taxpayers cleanup dollars by identifying who should be legally responsible for cleanup costs.

Geneticist

A geneticist is a science who studies genes, including how they are inherited, mutated, activated, or inactivated. They often study the role that genes play in disease and health. Environmental geneticists specialize in studying the interactions between genes and environmental factors that lead to adverse health effects, disease, and aging.

Geochemist

Geochemists use applied tools and methods of chemistry in a geoscience context. Their expert knowledge is required anywhere that combines geology, chemistry and sometimes other associated geosciences such as ecology and geography. 

Geodesist

Geodesists measure such things as gravitational fluctuation, distances between multiple points (this includes planetary bodies and those on Earth or those between Earth and other planetary bodies) and erratic processes such as the motion of the Earth’s crust and polar activity.

Geographer

Geographers study the earth, its land and systems, and its animal and human inhabitants. While this may sound quite broad, geography itself is a very broad field, encompassing both the natural and social sciences. 

Geographic Information Systems Specialist

A GIS Specialist works on GIS Systems. Geographic Information Systems (GIS) is a computer-based method for collecting, managing, analyzing, modeling, and presenting geographic or spatial data. 

Geological Oceanographer

In environmental science, it takes vital measurements of ecological features and changes. Geological Oceanographers use geophysical technologies to examine the makeup of the ocean bedrock and the natural processes of rock movement. 

Geologist

Geologists work in one of the most important (and oldest) Earth Sciences. Most people are aware that they study rocks in the environment. Geologists are specialist Earth scientists that work with rocks and the natural processes associated with rocks.

Geomagnetist

Geomagnetists are specialist type of geologist, one of the oldest physical sciences. Where geologists study rocks and the physical processes of the Earth, geomagnetists study that which cannot be seen – the magnetic processes of geological features and the Earth as a whole. Studying the magnetic fields of the Earth can help us look for certain resources and predict where they might be. They will work alongside other professionals in a team, studying one small aspect of the geosciences in a larger project.

Geomorphologist

Geomorphology is the study of individual features and the processes that create them. These can be physical (such as weather), environmental (glaciers), chemical (rock erosion due to acidity) or biological (the biological evidence left by certain plants, trees or animals that shape the ground). Geomorphologists study individual natural topographical features to attempt to understand the processes that shape the world.

Geophysicist

Geophysicists take readings and measurements of features and anomalies and finds at various elevations in order to create a 3D map for use by researchers and decision makers.

Geotechnical Lab Technician

A geotechnical lab technician works in this type of role, but they will hand samples from geographic data including but not limited to: geology, soils, silt, plant matter and mineral deposits. They will not only study these matter, but also inclusions – for example, looking for evidence of pollution or long-term climate change, or such subtle variations as soil acidity, trends in pollen types and volcanic eruptions.

Gis Technician

A GIS Technician uploads data and ensures its accuracy, relevance and that it is up to date.

Groundwater Sampling Technician

Groundwater Sampling Technicians specifically examine bodies of standing water for much the same information. They work alongside environmental technicians such as hydrologists, biotechnologists and others to examine problems with bodies of groundwater.

Habitat Restoration Engineer

Habitat Specialist

Hazmat Specialist

Health Safety Engineer

Herpetologist

Historian

Hydrogeologist

Hydrologist

Ichthyologist

Immunologist

Industrial Hygienist

Instrumentation Calibration Technician

Integrated Water Resources Manager

Invertebrate Biologist

Lab Technician

Land Acquisition Manager

Land Management Specialist

Lead Abatement Technician

Mammalogist

Marine Biologist

Marine Geologist

Marine Science Educator

Metallurgical Engineer

Metallurgist

Meteorologist

Microbiologist

Mineralogist

Mining Engineer

Mining Surveyor

Modeling Specialist

Mold Remediation Technician

Molecular Biologist

Naturalist

Nepa Ceqa Manager

Noise Expert

Noise Impact Modeling Specialist

Oceanographer

Open Space Planner

Ornithologist

Paleobiologist

Paleobotanist

Paleoclimatologist

Paleoecologist

Paleoethnobotanist

Paleomagnetist

Paleontologist

Paleozoologist

Palynologist

Parasitologist

Petroleum Geologist

Petroleum Technician

Physicist

Physiologist

Pollution Prevention Technician

Primatologist

Radiation Protection Technician

Regulatory Compliance Manager

Remote Sensing Specialist

Safety Director

Safety Supervisor

Sedimentologist

Seismologist

Snake Milker

Speleologist

Stratigrapher

Treatment Storage Disposal Technician

Volcanologist

Wildlife Biologist

Zoologist

Environmental Sustainability Jobs and Careers

Chief Sustainability Officer

A chief sustainability officer is a leader within an organization whose responsibility is to address sustainability issues.

Best Environmental Sustainability Career Resources

• Association for Environmental Studies and Sciences
• National Council for Science and the Environment
• National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences
• https://www.canada.ca/en/environment-climate-change/corporate/jobs.html
• https://nationalcareers.service.gov.uk/job-categories/environment-and-land
• https://joboutlook.gov.au/
• https://www.nationalskillscommission.gov.au/
• https://www.bls.gov/ooh/
• https://www.onetonline.org/