‘Green’ jobs are booming in New York and the tri-state area

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Some people equate having buckets of money with success. Others favor fancy job titles and power. For 31-year-old Patrick O’Gara, it’s all about eliminating carbon emissions.

O’Gara spends his days helping people make their homes friendlier to the environment by powering heating and air conditioning systems with geothermal energy “instead of lighting fires in their basements.”

“It’s the most impactful thing I can be doing with my career and my life,” said the geothermal energy consultant, who works for Dandelion Energy in Peekskill, New York.

O’Gara is among the growing number of Americans who care deeply about the environment. And he is hardly alone. Amy O’Brien, 51, is passionate about the environment as well, but she comes at it from a very different direction.

As head of Nuveen’s responsible investing group in Midtown, O’Brien leads like-minded associates in considering environmental, social and governance factors in investment strategies. “My team is absolutely passionate about this,” said the Upper Saddle River, NJ resident. Plus, “Millennials and Gen Z are looking to work for companies that reflect their values,” she said.

And there are plenty of employers who are looking to hire them. Enter a word like “environmental” into the job search engine at Indeed.com and it will return almost 270,000 results, with job titles ranging from field sample technician, biologist, chemist and teacher, to director of data management, data scientist consultant, attorney and more.

“The green economy in the US is running strong,” said LinkedIn senior editor at large George Anders, who authored the recent report “Seeking a ‘green job’? Your best shot is likely to be in nontraditional areas.”

“We’re talking about almost 10 million active employees, with all kinds of growing job opportunities. You don’t necessarily need a degree in environmental science,” he said.

Jersey City, New Jersey, resident Drew Samson. would agree. The 24-year-old’s degree in political science led to employment as a tenant services coordinator and catering specialist, but he then sought out a job as a sales development rep at Sealed, a New York City-based startup whose aim is to modernize home heating and cooling without upfront payment from the homeowner.

Would Samson’s lack of experience at green companies disqualify him as a potential employee? It never occurred to him that it could.

“I’m young, I work hard and I wanted to work for a business with a good mission,” he said. “And, when I tell people how many carbon molecules [they can stop] emitting, it’s insane.”

Consider too that Sealed’s CEO Lauren Salz was an investment analyst at global consulting firm McKinsey & Company, and a fellow at the philanthropic Tikvah Fund before co-founding the company headquartered near Bryant Park almost eight years ago.

“We look for people who are excited about our mission, the planet and helping homeowners who may not otherwise be able to afford it make their homes more comfortable and cost-efficient,” said Salz.

When it comes to hard skills, Sealed’s job requirements are not that different from any other company, with a few exceptions. Almost all open slots contain a common requisite: “You can’t stand waste. Whether it is energy waste or wasted [fill in the blank], transforming waste to value is in your DNA.”

Dandelion Energy is not much different. Its hottest job now is for a senior driller, residential geothermal. That’s a position that can pay into the high five figures plus signing bonuses, relocation allowance and rates up to $40 per hour, according to Hagit Farago, director, of talent acquisition at the company. “We also offer overtime, stock options, great benefits, paid vacation, sick days and holidays,” she said.

Don’t count yourself out if you don’t have a related degree, or even a degree at all. “Employers also want nontraditional expertise in areas like customer service, risk management and even forklift operations. In fact, for every traditional green job posting last year, we at LinkedIn found more than twice as many nontraditional listings,” said Anders.

Those who were hired into green jobs before they were trending now appreciate the status.

“I’m the nerdy kid whose job is finally cool,” said O’Gara.

WHERE TO LOOK

Try one of these sources to get hired:

Narrow your search

At ClimateBase.org, the jobs directory connects people with employment and volunteer opportunities at organizations working to solve the climate crisis.

Law firms need you

President Biden’s focus on environmental enforcement will create a need for more lawyers, said John H. Kazanjian, office managing principal of Beveridge & Diamond, P.C., in Midtown. Attorneys, entry-level litigators, environmental associates and project development associates are the kind of jobs available at environmental law firms in the city as well as paralegals, managers and specialists in business development.

Making an honest buck

Investment firms with sustainable/responsible investment, ESG practices (environment, social, and governance) are hiring. These include Barclays, Brown Advisory Inc., Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan Chase, Wells Fargo and more.

Clean up and save the planet

New York Environmental in Port Washington, New York, seeks to fill jobs in categories like asbestos professionals (project monitors, air technicians and inspectors), sampling technicians and lead professionals.

CodeGreen in Midtown needs assistant managers who will support its sustainability program needs, including data management, survey collection, reporting and certifications coordination between clients and property teams.

Get trained

Green City Force of AmeriCorps trains young adults aged 18 to 24 who reside in the New York City Housing Authority and have a high school diploma or equivalent for green careers. They then go on to college or can be introduced to employers directly for jobs and apprenticeships.

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