Green Jobs Guidebook: Resource for job seekers in California's new green economy

Green Occupation Listings

Green New and Emerging Occupations – The impact of the green economy activities and technologies has made a significant change to the work and worker requirements of an existing occupation.  This impact may or may not result in an increase in employment demand for the occupation.

O*NET-SOC 2009 Code

O*NET-SOC 2009 Title

O*NET-SOC 2009 Description

n/a

Air Quality Control Specialists

Perform a wide range of air quality compliance duties including equipment and facility permitting, compliance auditing, emissions control research, recordkeeping and reporting, participation in planning processes.

17-3027.01

Automotive Engineering Technicians

Assist engineers in determining the practicality of proposed product design changes, and plan and carry out tests on experimental test devices and equipment for performance, durability and efficiency.

17-2141.02

Automotive Engineers

Develop new or improved designs for vehicle structural members, engines, transmissions and other vehicle systems, using computer-assisted design technology. Direct building, modification, and testing of vehicle and components.

17-2199.01

Biochemical Engineers

Apply knowledge of biology, chemistry, and engineering to develop usable, tangible products. Solve problems related to materials, systems and processes that interact with humans, plants, animals, microorganisms, and biological materials.

51-8099.01

Biofuels Processing Technicians

Calculate, measure, load, mix, and process refined feedstock with additives in fermentation or reaction process vessels and monitor production process. Perform, and keep records of, plant maintenance, repairs, and safety inspections.

11-3051.03

Biofuels Production Managers

Manage operations at biofuels power generation facilities. Collect and process information on plant performance, diagnose problems, and design corrective procedures.

11-9041.01

Biofuels/Biodiesel Technology and Product Development Managers

Define, plan, or execute biofuels/biodiesel research programs that evaluate alternative feedstock and process technologies with near-term commercial potential.

n/a

Biomass Plant Engineers

Design plants that generate electricity from the combustion of biomass.

51-8099.03

Biomass Plant Technicians

Control and monitor biomass plant activities and perform maintenance as needed.

11-3051.04

Biomass Production Managers

Manage operations at biomass power generation facilities. Direct work activities at plant, including supervision of operations and maintenance staff.

11-9199.11

Brownfield Redevelopment Specialists and Site Managers

Participate in planning and directing cleanup and redevelopment of contaminated properties for reuse. Does not include properties sufficiently contaminated to qualify as Superfund sites.

n/a

Carbon Capture and Sequestration Systems Installers

Install and maintain carbon energy capture or carbon sequestration facilities.

n/a

Carbon Credit Traders

Represent companies in the sale and purchase of carbon emissions permits.

n/a

Carbon Trading Analysts

Analyze pricing and risks of carbon trading products; develop solutions to help clients hedge carbon exposure and risk.

11-1011.03

Chief Sustainability Officers

Communicate and coordinate with management, shareholders, customers, and employees to address sustainability issues. Enact or oversee a corporate sustainability strategy.

19-2041.01

Climate Change Analysts

Research and analyze policy developments related to climate change. Make climate-related recommendations for actions such as legislation, awareness campaigns, or fundraising approaches.

11-9199.02

Compliance Managers

Plan, direct, or coordinate activities of an organization to ensure compliance with ethical or regulatory standards.

17-3029.02

Electrical Engineering Technologists

Apply engineering theory and technical skills to support electrical engineering activities such as process control, electrical power distribution, and instrumentation design. Prepare layouts of machinery and equipment, plan the flow of work, conduct statistical studies and analyze production costs.

17-3029.03

Electromechanical Engineering Technologists

Apply engineering theory and technical skills to support electromechanical engineering activities such as computer-based process control, instrumentation, and machine design. Prepare layouts of machinery and equipment, plan the flow of work, conduct statistical studies and analyze production costs.

17-3029.04

Electronics Engineering Technologists

Apply engineering theory and technical skills to support electronics engineering activities such as electronics systems and instrumentation design and digital signal processing.

13-1199.01

Energy Auditors

Conduct energy audits of buildings, building systems and process systems. May also conduct investment grade audits of buildings or systems.

41-3099.01

Energy Brokers

Purchase or sell energy for customers.

17-2199.03

Energy Engineers

Design, develop, and evaluate energy-related projects and programs to reduce energy costs or improve energy efficiency during the designing, building, or remodeling stages of construction. May specialize in electrical systems; heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning (HVAC) systems; green buildings; lighting; air quality; or energy procurement.

n/a

Environmental Certification Specialists

Guide clients such as manufacturers, organic farms, and timber companies through the process of being certified as green.

19-3011.01

Environmental Economists

Assess and quantify the benefits of environmental alternatives, such as use of renewable energy resources.

19-2041.02

Environmental Restoration Planners

Collaborate with field and biology staff to oversee the implementation of restoration projects and to develop new products. Process and synthesize complex scientific data into practical strategies for restoration, monitoring or management.

13-2099.01

Financial Quantitative Analysts

Develop quantitative financial products used to inform individuals and financial institutions engaged in saving, lending, investing, borrowing, or managing risk. Investigate methods for financial analysis to create mathematical models used to develop improved analytical tools and advanced financial investment instruments.

43-5011.01

Freight Forwarders

Research rates, routings, or modes of transport for shipment of products. Maintain awareness of regulations affecting the international movement of cargo. Make arrangements for additional services such as storage and inland transportation.

17-2141.01

Fuel Cell Engineers

Design, evaluate, modify, and construct fuel cell components and systems for transportation, stationary, or portable applications.

17-3029.10

Fuel Cell Technicians

Install, operate, and maintain integrated fuel cell systems in transportation, stationary, or portable applications.

15-1099.07

Geographic Information Systems Technicians

Assist scientists, technologists, and related professionals in building, maintaining, modifying, and using geographic information systems (GIS) databases. May also perform some custom application development and provide user support.

15-1099.06

Geospatial Information Scientists and Technologists

Research and develop geospatial technologies. May produce databases, perform applications programming or coordinate projects. May specialize in areas such as agriculture, mining, health care, retail trade, urban planning or military intelligence.

11-3051.02

Geothermal Production Managers

Manage operations at geothermal power generation facilities. Maintain and monitor geothermal plant equipment for efficient and safe plant operations.

49-9099.01

Geothermal Technicians

Perform technical activities at power plants or individual installations necessary for the generation of power from geothermal energy sources. Monitor and control operating activities at geothermal power generation facilities and perform maintenance and repairs as necessary. Install, test, and maintain residential and commercial geothermal heat pumps.

11-2011.01

Green Marketers

Create and implement methods to market green products and services.

n/a

Greenhouse Gas Emissions Permitting Consultants

Conduct data gathering, data analysis, calculation, inventories and reduction planning, and be familiar with emerging regulations on greenhouse gas management.

n/a

Greenhouse Gas Emissions Report Verifiers

Conduct data audits of reported greenhouse gas emissions inventories.

51-8099.04

Hydroelectric Plant Technicians

Monitor and control activities associated with hydropower generation. Operate plant equipment, such as turbines, pumps, valves, gates, fans, electric control boards, and battery banks. Monitor equipment operation and performance and make necessary adjustments to ensure optimal performance. Perform equipment maintenance and repair as necessary.

11-3051.06

Hydroelectric Production Managers

Manage operations at hydroelectric power generation facilities. Maintain and monitor hydroelectric plant equipment for efficient and safe plant operations.

19-2041.03

Industrial Ecologists

Study or investigate industrial production and natural ecosystems to achieve high production, sustainable resources, and environmental safety or protection. May apply principles and activities of natural ecosystems to develop models for industrial systems.

17-3029.05

Industrial Engineering Technologists

Apply engineering theory and technical skills to support industrial engineering activities such as quality control, inventory control and material flow methods. May conduct statistical studies and analyze production costs.

13-2099.03

Investment Underwriters

Intermediate between corporate issuers of securities and clients regarding private equity investments. Underwrite the issuance of securities to provide capital for client growth. Negotiate and structure the terms of mergers and acquisitions.

13-1081.02

Logistics Analysts

Analyze product delivery or supply chain processes to identify or recommend changes. May manage route activity including invoicing, electronic bills, and shipment tracing.

13-1081.01

Logistics Engineers

Design and analyze operational solutions for projects such as transportation optimization, network modeling, process and methods analysis, cost containment, capacity enhancement, routing and shipment optimization, and information management.

11-9199.06

Logistics Managers

Plan, direct, or coordinate purchasing, warehousing, distribution, forecasting, customer service, or planning services. Manage logistics personnel and logistics systems and direct daily operations.

17-3029.06

Manufacturing Engineering Technologists

Apply engineering theory and technical skills to support manufacturing engineering activities. Develop tools, implement designs and integrate machinery, equipment and computer technologies to ensure effective manufacturing processes.

17-2199.04

Manufacturing Engineers

Apply knowledge of materials and engineering theory and methods to design, integrate, and improve manufacturing systems or related processes. May work with commercial or industrial designers to refine product designs to increase producibility and decrease costs.

17-3029.09

Manufacturing Production Technicians

Apply knowledge of manufacturing engineering systems and tools to set up, test, and adjust manufacturing machinery and equipment, using any combination of electrical, electronic, mechanical, hydraulic, pneumatic and computer technologies.

17-3029.07

Mechanical Engineering Technologists

Apply engineering theory and technical skills to support mechanical engineering activities such as generation, transmission and use of mechanical and fluid energy. Prepare layouts of machinery and equipment and plan the flow of work. May conduct statistical studies and analyze production costs.

17-2199.05

Mechatronics Engineers

Apply knowledge of mechanical, electrical, and computer engineering theory and methods to the design of automation, intelligent systems, smart devices, or industrial systems control.

n/a

Methane Capturing System Engineers/Installers/Project Managers

Design gas recovery systems and oversee installation and development process, including recovery modeling, permitting, specifications preparation and project oversight. Develop client relationships and arrange for sales of energy.

11-3051.05

Methane/Landfill Gas Collection System Operators

Direct daily operations, maintenance, or repair of landfill gas projects, including maintenance of daily logs, determination of service priorities, and compliance with reporting requirements.

51-8099.02

Methane/Landfill Gas Generation System Technicians

Monitor, operate, and maintain landfill gas collection system components and environmental monitoring and control systems.

17-2199.06

Microsystems Engineers

Apply knowledge of electronic and mechanical engineering theory and methods, as well as specialized manufacturing technologies, to design and develop microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) devices.

17-2199.09

Nanosystems Engineers

Design, develop, and supervise the production of materials, devices, and systems of unique molecular or macromolecular composition, applying principles of nanoscale physics and electrical, chemical, and biological engineering.

17-3029.12

Nanotechnology Engineering Technicians

Operate commercial-scale production equipment to produce, test, and modify materials, devices, and systems of molecular or macromolecular composition. Work under the supervision of engineering staff.

17-3029.11

Nanotechnology Engineering Technologists

Implement production processes for nanoscale designs to produce and modify materials, devices, and systems of unique molecular or macromolecular composition. Operate advanced microscopy equipment to manipulate nanoscale objects. Work under the supervision of engineering staff.

17-2199.07

Photonics Engineers

Apply knowledge of engineering and mathematical theory and methods to design technologies specializing in light information and light energy.

17-3029.08

Photonics Technicians

Build, install, test, and maintain optical and fiber optic equipment such as lasers, lenses and mirrors using spectrometers, interferometers, or related equipment.

19-4099.02

Precision Agriculture Technicians

Apply geospatial technologies, including geographic information systems (GIS) and Global Positioning System (GPS), to agricultural production and management activities, such as pest scouting, site-specific pesticide application, yield mapping, and variable-rate irrigation. May use computers to develop and analyze maps and remote sensing images to compare physical topography with data on soils, fertilizer, pests or weather.

51-9199.01

Recycling and Reclamation Workers

Prepare and sort materials or products for recycling. Identify and remove hazardous substances. Dismantle components of products such as appliances.

53-1021.01

Recycling Coordinators

Supervise curbside and drop-off recycling programs for municipal governments or private firms.

11-9199.01

Regulatory Affairs Managers

Plan, direct, or coordinate production activities of an organization to ensure compliance with regulations and standard operating procedures.

13-1041.07

Regulatory Affairs Specialists

Coordinate and document internal regulatory processes, such as internal audits, inspections, license renewals or registrations. May compile and prepare materials for submission to regulatory agencies.

19-2099.01

Remote Sensing Scientists and Technologists

Apply remote sensing principles and methods to analyze data and solve problems in areas such as natural resource management, urban planning, and homeland security. May develop new analytical techniques and sensor systems or develop new applications for existing systems.

19-4099.03

Remote Sensing Technicians

Apply remote sensing technologies to assist scientists in areas such as natural resources, urban planning, and homeland security. May prepare flight plans and sensor configurations for flight trips.

13-2099.02

Risk Management Specialists

Analyze and make decisions on risk management issues by identifying, measuring and managing operational and enterprise risks for an organization.

17-2199.08

Robotics Engineers

Research, design, develop, and test robotic applications.

17-3024.01

Robotics Technicians

Build, install, test, and maintain robotic equipment or related automated production systems.

41-3031.03

Securities and Commodities Traders

Buy and sell securities and commodities to transfer debt, capital, or risk. Establish and negotiate unit prices and terms of sale.

47-1011.03

Solar Energy Installation Managers

Direct work crews installing residential or commercial solar photovoltaic or thermal systems.

17-2199.11

Solar Energy Systems Engineers

Perform site-specific engineering analysis or evaluation of energy efficiency and solar projects involving residential, commercial, or industrial customers. Design solar domestic hot water and space heating systems for new and existing structures, applying knowledge of structural energy requirements, local climates, solar technology, and thermodynamics.

47-4099.01

Solar Photovoltaic Installers

Assemble, install, or maintain solar photovoltaic (PV) systems on roofs or other structures in compliance with site assessment and schematics. May include measuring, cutting, assembling, and bolting structural framing and solar modules. May perform minor electrical work such as current checks.

n/a

Solar Power Plant Technicians

Monitor and repair the instrumentation, controls, and electrical systems in a utility-scale solar power generating facility.

41-4011.07

Solar Sales Representatives and Assessors

Contact new or existing customers to determine their solar equipment needs, suggest systems or equipment, or estimate costs.

47-4099.02

Solar Thermal Installers and Technicians

Install or repair solar energy systems designed to collect, store, and circulate solar-heated water for residential, commercial or industrial use.

n/a

Solar Thermoelectric Plant/Concentrating Thermal Power (CSP) Plant Operators

Direct the operations of a commercial solar-generated power production plant.

11-9199.04

Supply Chain Managers

Direct, or coordinate production, purchasing, warehousing, distribution, or financial forecasting services and activities to limit costs and improve accuracy, customer service and safety. Examine existing procedures and opportunities for streamlining activities to meet product distribution needs. Direct the movement, storage, and processing of inventory.

13-1199.05

Sustainability Specialists

Address organizational sustainability issues, such as waste stream management, green building practices, and green procurement plans.

n/a

Sustainable Design Specialists

Design from the outset for recycling, reuse or remanufacturing.

n/a

Testing Adjusting and Balancing TAB Technicians

Test, adjust, and balance HVAC systems so they perform as designed.

17-2051.01

Transportation Engineers

Develop plans for surface transportation projects according to established engineering standards and state or federal construction policy. Prepare plans, estimates, or specifications to design transportation facilities. Plan alterations and modifications of existing streets, highways, or freeways to improve traffic flow.

19-3099.01

Transportation Planners

Prepare studies for proposed transportation projects. Gather, compile, and analyze data. Study the use and operation of transportation systems. Develop transportation models or simulations.

17-2199.02

Validation Engineers

Design and plan protocols for equipment and processes to produce products meeting internal and external purity, safety, and quality requirements.

11-9121.02

Water Resource Specialists

Design or implement programs and strategies related to water resource issues such as supply, quality, and regulatory compliance issues.

17-2051.02

Water/Wastewater Engineers

Design or oversee projects involving provision of fresh water, disposal of wastewater and sewage, or prevention of flood-related damage. Prepare environmental documentation for water resources, regulatory program compliance, data management and analysis, and field work. Perform hydraulic modeling and pipeline design.

47-4099.03

Weatherization Installers and Technicians

Perform a variety of activities to weatherize homes and make them more energy efficient. Duties include repairing windows, insulating ducts, and performing heating, ventilating, and air-conditioning (HVAC) work. May perform energy audits and advise clients on energy conservation measures.

17-2199.10

Wind Energy Engineers

Design underground or overhead wind farm collector systems and prepare and develop site specifications.

11-9199.09

Wind Energy Operations Managers

Manage wind field operations, including personnel, maintenance activities, financial activities, and planning.

11-9199.10

Wind Energy Project Managers

Lead or manage the development and evaluation of potential wind energy business opportunities, including environmental studies, permitting, and proposals. May also manage construction of projects.

49-9099.02

Wind Turbine Service Technicians

Inspect, diagnose, adjust, or repair wind turbines. Perform maintenance on wind turbine equipment including resolving electrical, mechanical, and hydraulic malfunctions.