Call for experts
Are you an expert in your field who has identified a gap that needs addressing to help secure a climate-stable future?
Do you already work in climate change and have burning ideas that aren’t being recognised? If so, we want to hear from you.
Our mission is to close the gaps in global climate action. We focus on sectors where emissions are not yet coming down, like aviation, shipping, steel and agriculture. Many more sectors lack ambition in terms of emission reductions: do you work in one of those sectors that OG does not work on yet? Do you know of a key policy lever that could bring about systems change that is not being taken advantage of by NGOs working in the sector?
At Opportunity Green we don’t want to replicate the work of other NGOs nor focus on sectors where the climate issues have largely been solved. Instead, we are looking at sectors that are ‘hard-to-electrify’ or pose systemic risks to decarbonisation. A non-exhaustive list of sectors that Opportunity Green is currently considering tackling, and which we think need new levers for climate action, is: fashion, data centres/energy demands of artificial intelligence, central banks, and critical minerals.
Who we want to hear from
Often when NGOs or funders begin work on new sectors, they begin with comparatively little knowledge of that sector and how it really works. This can work well if there is a clear theory of change and/or research time available. However, increasingly, in-sector experts are recognising that their way of doing business is not compatible with a climate-stable future – they are already clued up on and can see system changes that need to be made, and are interested in ensuring these changes happen.
We also want to hear from people who already work in the climate sector and have ideas that could have a systems change impact but are not being taken forward by their current employer (the position our founder Aoife was in before she set up Opportunity Green).
How to apply for this opportunity
You email us at experts[at]opportunitygreen.org a high-level summary of the gap in action in your field that you think an NGO could potentially move the dial on. It can be in the body of the email, a written document (maximum two pages – any longer documents will not be considered) or a slide deck (maximum five slides), or a link to an online written piece of the same length.
We will review, discuss internally and reach out to you if we decide it sounds like a potential opportunity that would fit Opportunity Green or another NGO in our network. We arrange a short call to get to know each other and hear more about your idea.
If we determine that we would like to take your idea forward, we will work with you to develop a full proposal for funding. We will pay you fairly for your time; payment will depend on the scope of the proposal and detail required. Opportunity Green will then work with our funding partners to see if any funder is interested in taking it forward.
If Opportunity Green receives funding to work on the proposal, we will advertise any resulting job roles in accordance with our usual open approach and applying our pay scale, anonymous applications, our DEI policy, etc. Our open recruitment process is extremely important to us, so while you will be welcome to apply for the role you will not automatically be recruited.
We may decide to stop the process at any stage.
What this role is not:
A space for a spontaneous job application or for you to send us your CV. This is about a discussion of your field and key things in your field that need to change, which a bold NGO like Opportunity Green could potentially move the dial on.
An offer to discuss any patent/technology/idea you have that requires investment or another form of support. This is not our purpose as a charitable organisation.