How to get a job as a climate change mitigation programme manager

Apolitical has asked a diverse group of public servants to give us their career tips. In this article, Lize Jennings explains what it takes, and what ambitious public servants starting out can expect in return, based on experience.

What is your role in government, and how did you land in this job?

I am a climate change mitigation programme manager in the Western Cape Government in South Africa. I previously worked at both the local and provincial government level and after a stint in the NGO sector, I also worked on climate change mitigation. I decided then to return to a newly established unit in government focused on climate change. I saw this as a great opportunity to tackle this difficult topic in another way, and to focus on addressing the issues at the local level.

What are the most important skills and competencies for someone who wants to excel in your field and why?

An understanding and knowledge of the technical components of climate change is important in order to start the work. This is a fast-growing field and there are constant shifts and updates in the latest information and knowledge. You have to continually build on your knowledge and learn from others. Strong communication and analytical skills are important as well as being innovative and flexible in your work. A good sense of humour is also very important as this work can get quite depressing at times.

What is the one thing that has surprised you most about working in this field?

Because climate change is seen by many as an environmental concern, it does have to compete with other government priorities, such as safety, education, health and economic development. It was difficult at first to find our space in the bigger picture and it is still a challenge today. However, more of our decision-makers are starting to see that climate change is a socio-economic challenge as well, and so needs to be seen from that perspective in all of our planning.

If you were speaking to a junior public servant interested in following in your footsteps, what is the one piece of advice you think would be most useful for them to know?

Climate change is a challenging space to work in, and a lot of the actions taken are not tangible in the short-term , which makes it difficult to see results. There is a lot of desk work, meetings and report-writing involved, and less being out in the field than you’d think, so that is something that you need to consider. — Lize Jennings

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