Who’s hiring in the climate sector?

In the past three months, the global development scene has been beset by abrupt policies and executive orders from the Trump administration. The climate sector has witnessed the U.S. withdrawal from the Paris Climate Agreement, the foreign aid funding freeze, and now, speculation of a possible executive order targeting organizations supporting climate and immigration programs. But despite the sudden shifts, multilateral organizations and international nonprofits remain engaged in recruiting talents and professionals in the climate sector. We analyzed 1,612 job postings published on Devex job board from Jan. 24 of this year — the day a stop-work order was placed on USAID. We identified the most common experience levels, contract durations, hiring locations, and employers in the sector. Devex data suggests that despite a wider drop in hiring across the sector, climate-focused roles have slightly increased by over 9.5% compared to the equivalent period last year. Based on Devex data, mid-level opportunities — defined as jobs with a preferred or required four to seven years of experience — made up half of the jobs posted. Meanwhile, short-term opportunities — those lasting 12 months or less — were the most common type of role advertised. They made up 49% of all jobs on the site. The most common hiring location was the United States, with 138 jobs, followed by Kenya with 101 jobs, and the United Kingdom with 79 jobs — the trio comprised 19.7% of the jobs posted. The top 10 multilateral employers in the sector made up 54.5% of all jobs posted. They included multilateral development banks such as the Asian Development Bank, World Bank, and African Development Bank; United Nations agencies such as the Food and Agriculture Organization and the United Nations Environment Programme; and climate-focused organizations such as the Global Green Growth Institute. But hiring isn’t limited to multilaterals. Below, we highlight other employers recruiting in the climate sector. Other employers hiring in the climate sector 1. World Resources Institute Headquarters: Washington, D.C., USA Year founded: 1982 Total jobs posted since Jan. 24: 102 WRI is an independent research institute focused on protecting the environment and its capacity to provide needs for future generations. Mid-level opportunities, limited-term consultancies, and internships are the most common job offers in WRI. India, Indonesia, and the United States are the leading hiring locations, with a few job roles offering a hybrid setup. View all current WRI job postings on Devex. 2. Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office Headquarters: London, U.K. Year founded: 2020 Total jobs posted since Jan. 24: 20 FCDO is the U.K.’s ministerial department focused on diplomatic, development, and consular work around the globe. Mid-level opportunities, fixed-term contracts with a 10- to 12-month duration are the most common job offers in FCDO. Saudi Arabia, Brazil, and Peru are the top hiring locations in the climate sector. View all current FCDO job postings on Devex. 3. Rainforest Alliance Headquarters: New York, USA Year founded: 1987 Total jobs posted since Jan. 24: 15 The Rainforest Alliance is a nonprofit organization centered on protecting nature and improving the lives of farmers and forest communities. Rainforest Alliance mainly released full-time opportunities along with mid-level job type roles. Indonesia, Guatemala, and Brazil are the organization’s top hiring locations in the climate sector. View all current Rainforest Alliance job postings on Devex. 4. CarbonEthics Headquarters: Jakarta, Indonesia Year founded: 2019 Total jobs posted since Jan. 24: 15 CarbonEthics provides tech-enabled natural climate solutions to support biodiversity and improve the livelihood of local communities. CarbonEthics mostly released full-time staff positions based in Indonesia. Forty percent of its job postings since Jan. 24 are for mid-level positions. View all current CarbonEthics job postings on Devex. 5. Water Technology Pty Ltd. Headquarters: Melbourne, Australia Year founded: 2000 Total jobs posted since Jan. 24: 14 Water Technology Pty Ltd. provides scientific insight and strategic recommendations to manage ecological, climate, coastal, and marine challenges. Based on the job board data, Water Technology exclusively released opportunities located in Australia. Of those, 85% of the jobs are full-time staff positions and 64% are listed as senior-level type opportunities. View all current Water Technology job postings on Devex. 6. Niras International Consulting Headquarters: Denmark Year founded: 1956 Total jobs posted since Jan. 24: 12 Niras International Consulting works to provide extensive expertise, policy advice, and results-based management to build and create sustainable development solutions. Niras mainly advertised long-term consultancies; they form 50% of its job postings since Jan. 24. Positions are most commonly senior level. Top hiring locations are listed as Tanzania, Senegal, and Worldwide. View all current NIRAS job postings on Devex. 7. DT Global Headquarters: Arlington, Virginia, USA Year founded: 2019 Total jobs posted since Jan. 24: 12 DT Global is an international development contractor focused on sustainable development and innovation empowering individuals, communities, and nations. Senior-level type of opportunities and short-term consultancies mainly are advertised on the job board. Notably, a few climate-related roles are funded by Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and New Zealand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade. In addition, Papua New Guinea, Fiji, and Australia are the top hiring locations in the sector. View all current DT Global job postings on Devex 8. CGIAR Headquarters: Montpellier, France Year founded: 1971 Total jobs posted since Jan. 24: 10 CGIAR is a global research partnership dedicated to transforming food, land, and water systems in a climate crisis. Senior-level and full-time roles such as program directors are the most common experience level and contract duration in the sector since Jan. 24. CGIAR primarily advertised job roles located in France, Sri Lanka, and Peru. View all current CGIAR job postings on Devex 9. Antea Group Office locations: Netherlands, France, United States Year founded: 1951 Total jobs posted since Jan. 24: Nine Antea Group is an engineering and environmental consulting firm. Based on job board data, Belgium and the United Kingdom are the most common hiring locations since Jan. 24. Mid-level and full-time staff positions such as policy advisers and project managers are mainly advertised in the climate sector. View all current Antea Group job postings on Devex. 10. Transport & Environment Headquarters: Brussels, Belgium Year founded: 1990 Total jobs posted since Jan. 24: Eight T&E is focused on advocating and delivering a zero-emission transport and energy system through technology and innovation. Since Jan. 24, T&E mainly advertised jobs located in Belgium, United Kingdom, and Poland. Most of the jobs offered are mid-level, full-time positions. View all current T&E job postings on Devex. 11. International Water Management Institute Headquarters: Colombo, Sri Lanka Year founded: 1984 Total jobs posted since Jan. 24: Eight IWMI is a global research-for-development organization providing research results to changes in water and land management. The institute primarily advertised opportunities located in Sri Lanka and Nepal. In addition, mid-level opportunities and short-term consultancies have been advertised on the job board since Jan. 24. View all current IWMI job postings on Devex. Development professionals who want to be involved in climate-related opportunities can check out other notable employers such as Fauna & Flora International, ClientEarth, and others on the Devex job board.