Celebrating one year at OG with our Project Assistant, Blánaid
Blánaid joined the team as our first Project Assistant, fresh out of her master’s degree. In just a year, she’s made her mark in most aspects of our work – from HR and admin, to communications and international shipping policy research and consultation. She looks back on a year at Opportunity Green.
Blánaid and Aoife at our away day at Freightliners City Farm
What drew you to work at OG?
There were a lot of different factors at play! I had just finished my master’s (in law), had next to no experience in the climate change sector, but I knew I definitely didn’t want to qualify as a lawyer (which is not me throwing shade at our wonderful legal team!).
Looking for a job is pretty overwhelming, especially when you’re not sure what you want to do, but I knew I was interested in finding a way into the climate space.
In my dissertation, I analysed the negotiation process that led to the recognition of the right to a healthy environment and the potential impact of the recognition for climate change activists and environmental advocates around the world.
In an ideal world, I was looking for a job that would complement this by gaining first-hand experience with international climate decision-making and a broader knowledge of international relations and diplomacy in practice. I honestly thought this wouldn’t be possible without a specialised degree and/or an unreasonable amount of experience for a junior role.
When I applied for the role at OG, it was because it ticked all the boxes for me – although I’m not going to pretend that I understood much of what OG actually did at that point (I promise I do now though). But one of the other key factors was that it was (at the time) an all-female team and seeing women in key leadership roles is really important to me.
“I remember one line from my original job spec was ‘be willing to turn your hand to anything’. That definitely held true,”
What has changed since you started?
When I applied for the Project Assistant role at OG, the team was three people strong, and I was the only junior staff member/all-rounder assistant. It’s been really fun watching the team grow and be able to focus my work more as a result. With more people and more resources, we’ve been able to expand the scope and reach of our work a lot.
What are you most proud of being involved in since you joined?
I think what I value the most is being able to see my impact in how the organisation has developed over time. Being in a ‘young’ organisation means there’s a lot of room to shape policies and processes that you probably wouldn’t have in an older and larger organisation, especially as a junior staff member.
I remember one line from my original job spec was ‘be willing to turn your hand to anything’. That definitely held true, and I feel like I’ve been involved in so many different elements of OG’s development over the last year.
Blánaid taking part in media training
What inspires you about what you’re working on?
It’s been inspiring working with people who are genuinely passionate about their jobs. Not just at OG, but across the organisations that we work with. People really care about what they are doing.
What are you looking forward to in the coming year?
It feels like OG has a lot going on right now but I’m particularly excited to see how the Big Boats team develops, now that a significant proportion of my role is being spent on international shipping policy research. I’m hoping to become more involved with our projects and get to show off some of the niche shipping knowledge that, to be perfectly honest, I never thought I’d have.
Inspired to come and work at Opportunity Green? Keep an eye on our vacancies page and follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn.
