7 Best Socially Responsible Investing Jobs: What is the Best Career?

Are there any viable socially responsible investing jobs you can pursue? Or must you invest your money in socially responsible investments to help make the world a better place?

Investors have changed how they used to invest their money, now including investment options that make a difference.

Socially responsible investing allows them to put their money into companies or funds that promise and deliver positive social impact. And there are numerous socially responsible investing options for this.

But what if you want to start a socially responsible investing career? What are the job opportunities currently present here? Well, as the sustainable investing industry continues to grow, so does the sustainable investing jobs market.

To make the search easier for you, we have compiled a list of socially responsible investing jobs available in the current market.

So, if you want to make a difference in your career, you should certainly check these out. But first, let us know what the do these careers entail.

What Does a Socially Responsible Investing Career Entail?

As mentioned earlier, socially responsible investing involves investments aimed at creating a positive change in society and the environment.

For instance, investors here are attracted by companies advocating for human rights, encouraging environmental stewardship, fighting for consumer protection, or promoting gender diversity.

This means socially responsible investing jobs entail working in any company or firm that adheres to all the above values or principles.

You can start your career in various industries like the green energy industry, socially responsible investing funds, or even any environmental protection organization.  

😇 Where to Find Jobs That Make a Difference

Now, let’s see which are the best jobs to go for in this industry.

Top Socially Responsible Investing Jobs

1. Investment Operations Analyst

Being an investment operations analyst in a socially responsible investment management company or fund is an excellent way to contribute to a sustainable planet.

Mainly, an investment operations analyst works to support investment processes and procedures, ensuring that every activity goes as intended.

Here are some of their main tasks:

• Researching the best investment stocks
• Offering buy-sell recommendations
• Documenting deals
• Assisting in the syndication process
• Auditing investment accounts
• Closing of investment deals
• Recording notes from investment queries
• They handle any other ad hoc project as required

Qualifications 

• Bachelor’s Degree
• Strong communication and organizational skills
• Relevance operations experience
• Ability to take initiative
• Interest in the financial markets

As for the salary, investment operations analysts earn an average of $65,402 per year, according to Glassdoor.

See Related: Best ESG Target Date Funds

2. Equity Research Associate job

This is an excellent point to start after completing your bachelor’s, especially because you don’t have loads of experience.

The job of an Equity Research Associate mainly entails analyzing securities data and informing fund managers, senior analysts, or asset managers of the same. In essence, they help a company in researching specific asset classes to invest in based on market trends.

Suppose you are working for a socially responsible investment fund or company. In that case, it means that you are tasked with identifying the best sustainable mutual funds or ETFs for socially conscious investors’ portfolios.

Your main duties as an Equity Research Associate include:

• Evaluating Potential Socially Responsible Investments
• Providing well-research investment data to the management
• Interacting with and answering customer queries
• Interviewing customers, managers, competitors, etc.

Qualification requirements:

• Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field, such as finance, business administration, or accounting
• Excellent research skills
• Great analytical skills
• Strong communication skills (both verbal and written)

Salary range:

According to ZipRecruiter, equity research associates’ annual salary mainly ranges between $52,000 and $108,500. However, some top earners in this field will take home up to $150,000 annually. This means that it is a good job choice if you plan to venture into the socially responsible investing jobs field.

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3. Equity Research Analyst

This job is a notch higher than the equity research associate job, although the tasks are almost similar.

An equity research analyst can be working for buy-side or sell-side companies in the financial market.

Their job description involves conducting research, producing research findings, as well as giving projections and recommendations about the best companies’ stocks.

For this to happen, the analysts must take their time to understand the market well to offer credible and actionable data. They monitor markets and news reports to stay updated on any new trends that might emerge.

If this sounds like something you can do, you can start your career as an equity research analyst at socially responsible firms to help make the world a better place.

Qualification requirements:

• Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field
• Senior analysts might require a master’s degree
• Mathematics and statistics background is an added advantage
• A CFA (Chartered Financial Analyst) designation from a CFA Institution (for those who want to scale the career ladder)
• FINRA license

Salary range:

As an equity research analyst, your annual salary will range between $120,000 and $500,000, including bonuses.

See related: 5 Reasons Why Corporate Social Responsibility Is Important

4. Portfolio Manager

Portfolio managers are professionals tasked with making and implementing investment decisions on behalf of investors (individuals or companies).

Working with a team of researchers and analysts, a portfolio manager (PM) formulates an investment strategy, selects appropriate investments, and allocates these investments to appropriate funds or asset management vehicles.  

In socially responsible investing, a portfolio manager must identify the best socially responsible mutual funds or ETFs to include in an investor’s portfolio.

They are also responsible for managing the portfolio’s day-to-day trading.

Finding the right portfolio manager is paramount for any investor when looking for the best fund to invest in, especially if you want to reach where other impact investing leaders have.

Qualifications:

• A bachelor’s degree in a relevant field
• Possess excellent investment insights
• Have excellent analytical skills
• Professional Certifications
• License by FINRA
• Register with the SEC (Securities and Exchange Commission)

Salary range:

According to salary.com, portfolio managers in the US take home an average of $98,960 annually. However, the salary may range from $88,410 to $108,230.

If you are looking for the best socially responsible investing jobs, becoming a portfolio manager is certainly one of them.

See Related: A Guide to Biblically Responsible Investing

5. Energy Specialist

When it comes to socially responsible investing jobs, it’s not all about researching and analyzing sustainable investments. Any job that supports sustainability and social responsibility also falls under this umbrella.

Being an energy specialist is one such job. While not working directly to determine the best funds or ETFs to invest in, they work to make sure that such investment opportunities are available.

The main duty of an energy specialist is to oversee the environmental review process and compliance for energy projects that companies intend to undertake.

As an energy specialist, you’ll be tasked with ensuring that necessary permits are obtained, environmental documents prepared, as well as planning for long-term future energy projects is done.

Qualification requirements:

• An urban & regional planning bachelor’s degree
• Strong analytical skills
• Prior experience in large development project assessments and compliance

Salary range:

ZipRecruiter puts the annual average salary for an energy specialist at $41,063. Typically, the salary will range between $35,000 to $55,500.

See Related: Best Social Impact Careers to Pursue

6. Forester

Becoming a forester is also one of the best socially responsible jobs in the market.

Not because it pays better than other jobs in its job category but because what it accomplishes plays a major role in preserving our source of food, air, and water.

Forestry jobs involve the entire life cycle of forest care, right from recreation, planting, restoration, protection, and harvesting. And while duties vary from one job level or group to the other, here are the common ones:

• Facilitate forest restoration plans
• Create biomass resources
• Targeted cutting and clearing activities
• Research
• Harvesting and cultivating new trees
• Enforce fire regulations
• Continually measure forest metrics

Qualification requirements:

• Have a bachelor’s degree – with foundational courses in environmental sciences, biology, or chemistry.
• Licensing by relevant authorities (not mandatory in all states)
• Relevant experience

Salary range:

Based on the experience level, a forester earns between $42,500 and $93,060 annually.

See Related: Ethical Dividend Stocks to Invest in Today

7. Sustainability Engineer

Socially responsible investing is all about protecting our planet and society, even as we make money and grow our wealth. Sustainability engineers are one lot of professionals who ensure we protect our world through the use of green energy.

A sustainable engineer’s work is to create and implement viable renewable energy projects, programs, and instructions to ensure sustainability.

These engineers work to ensure that fewer greenhouse gases reach the atmosphere, thus reducing our carbon footprint.

As a sustainability engineer, you will be required to assess the finances and sites of an individual client, company, or even government project.

You’ll do most of the work in the office, but you might be required to make a physical site visit when necessary.

Qualification requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in relevant engineering course or sustainability
• A master’s degree is an added advantage
• Specific accreditations
• Relevant registration, such as with CIBSE (Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers)

The average salary for a sustainability engineer ranges between $74,095 and $95,600 annually (bonuses included).

See Related: Best Fossil Fuel Funds to Invest in Today

How to Start a Career in Sustainable Investing

If you are searching for one of the best socially responsible investing jobs to start a career in, here are some incredible tips you should follow:

1. Learn and be Good at Something

The sustainability industry is quite diverse, and so are its possible career paths. For this reason, you have to prove that you are good at one or two of the involved sustainability topics.

These might include topics like energy efficiency, plastic waste disposal, or even sustainable travel.

In addition, you must be passionate about sustainability. This way, you can show your employer that you are more than just those educational qualifications.

2. Volunteer

While you might need paid employment, volunteering is always an excellent point to start your job search. It shows your passion for what you are seeking to do and also displays initiative.

The time you spend as a volunteer will add to your experience. And since most socially responsible investing employers consider experience, it will certainly work in your favor.

3. Acquire Transferable Skills

Companies nowadays look beyond academic or technical knowledge. They want skills such as financial management, project planning, or even relationship building. These you can only achieve through volunteering or working in other sectors.

Therefore, don’t waste time sitting idly waiting for the best job. Start with working anywhere to achieve those transferable skills.

4. Be Persistent

If you want to succeed in anything, persistence is a virtual that you can’t afford to miss. This world needs people who don’t give up easily.

Therefore, even if you’ve still not gotten one of your favorite socially responsible investing jobs, don’t stop working hard to achieve it.

5. Register for Job Alerts

Getting socially responsible investing jobs might not be an easy task. This is because the openings might be few, and your timing may not be right. For this reason, you need to work with job boards to get job alerts when companies publish job openings.

A platform like ZipRecruiter or SolidGigs will send you the latest job alert notifications via email or a mobile app. This ensures you are always updated in case your favorite job is published.

Alternatively, you can sign up for remote job opportunities using a platform like FlexJobs.

See Related: Best ESG Jobs to Start a Career in Sustainability

How to Pick a Socially Responsible Investing Career

Not all career paths in socially responsible investing are ideal for you. Subsequently, you need to be careful not to end up in a job that will never offer self-satisfaction.

Here are some tips on how to choose among the various socially responsible investing jobs:

• Do self-assessment
• Determine the must-haves on the job
• List down your most preferred jobs
• Conduct jobs and employers’ research
• Get the necessary training or qualifications
• Search and apply for the jobs you’ve picked
• Never stop learning and improving yourself

With these tips, landing your dream job will be significantly easier.

Related Resources

• Best Socially Responsible Banks
• How to Create a Social Impact Measurement Framework
• Best ESG Funds to Invest for Impact
• Best Green Companies Around the World