Environmental policy officer to environmental expert
An environmental policy officer already meets 53% of what the environmental expert role asks for. The move turns on 12 required skills not yet in the profile.
54.6/ 100
1 How much of what an environmental expert is expected to do is already part of an environmental policy officer’s work. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs, because moving into a speciality is not the same problem as moving out of one. 2 Every skill the environmental expert role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
An environmental expert role treats 18 of its required skills as things an environmental policy officer already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- advise on carbon emissions reduction
- advise on pollution prevention
- analyse environmental data
- assess environmental impact
- develop environmental policy
- ecosystem management
What stands in the way is 12 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.
Table 2 · What you already bring
Of the 22 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. An environmental expert role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of an environmental policy officer background worth leading with.
- already held measure pollution information skills
- already held perform environmental investigations information skills
- already held environmental economics social sciences, journalism and information
- already held advise on carbon emissions reduction communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held provide training in sustainable tourism development and management communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held manage land resources permits information skills
All 22 carried skills, including the 18 the environmental expert role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 27 missing skills fall into 9 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered in the order worth working in. Areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the optional ones. Nothing here is a verdict on you: it is a list of what this particular job asks for that your current one does not.
- still to learn advise on chemical use reduction required
- still to learn advise on environmental remediation required
- still to learn create solutions to problems required
- optional, not held carry out training in environmental matters optional
- optional, not held liaise with engineers optional
- optional, not held liaise with local authorities optional
- optional, not held write scientific publications optional
- still to learn alternative energy required
- still to learn environmental management standards required
- still to learn resource-efficient technologies required
- optional, not held environmental design optional
- optional, not held marine energy optional
- optional, not held watershed development optional
- optional, not held environmental engineering optional
- still to learn conduct environmental surveys required
- optional, not held apply scientific methods optional
- optional, not held perform scientific research optional
- still to learn alternative fuels required
- optional, not held coastal management optional
- optional, not held habitat restoration optional
- still to learn collect samples for analysis required
- optional, not held work with chemicals optional
- still to learn develop environmental remediation strategies required
- optional, not held assess environmental plans against financial costs optional
3 further areas in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries an environmental expert role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 alternative fuels study this
- 02 advise on chemical use reduction practise this
- 03 advise on environmental remediation practise this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 22 skills that carry over
- already held advise on carbon emissions reduction skill
- already held advise on pollution prevention skill
- already held analyse environmental data skill
- already held assess environmental impact skill
- already held develop environmental policy skill
- already held ecosystem management knowledge
- already held environmental legislation knowledge
- already held environmental policy knowledge
- already held environmental threats knowledge
- already held green building standards knowledge
- already held investigate pollution skill
- already held measure pollution skill
- already held perform environmental investigations skill
- already held pollution legislation knowledge
- already held pollution prevention knowledge
- already held provide training in sustainable tourism development and management skill
- already held report on environmental issues skill
- already held report pollution incidents skill
- already held environmental economics knowledge
- already held manage land resources permits skill
- already held monitor manufacturing impact skill
- already held promote environmental awareness skill
The 3 learning areas not shown above
- still to learn carry out environmental audits required
- still to learn scientific research methodology required
- optional, not held inspect industrial equipment optional
15 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held coastal management optional
- optional, not held environmental design optional
- optional, not held habitat restoration optional
- optional, not held marine energy optional
- optional, not held watershed development optional
- optional, not held apply scientific methods optional
- optional, not held assess environmental plans against financial costs optional
- optional, not held carry out training in environmental matters optional
- optional, not held environmental engineering optional
- optional, not held inspect industrial equipment optional
- optional, not held liaise with engineers optional
- optional, not held liaise with local authorities optional
- optional, not held perform scientific research optional
- optional, not held work with chemicals optional
- optional, not held write scientific publications optional
24 held skills the environmental expert role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role European Structural and Investment Funds regulations knowledge
- not needed by the target role advise legislators skill
- not needed by the target role advise on legislative acts skill
- not needed by the target role advise on mining environmental issues skill
- not needed by the target role corporate sustainability knowledge
- not needed by the target role ecological principles knowledge
- not needed by the target role emission standards knowledge
- not needed by the target role energy conservation knowledge
- not needed by the target role ensure compliance with environmental legislation skill
- not needed by the target role environmental legislation in agriculture and forestry knowledge
- not needed by the target role food waste monitoring systems knowledge
- not needed by the target role government policy knowledge
- not needed by the target role government policy implementation knowledge
- not needed by the target role liaise with government officials skill
- not needed by the target role manage government policy implementation skill
- not needed by the target role measure sustainability of tourism activities skill
- not needed by the target role plan measures to safeguard cultural heritage skill
- not needed by the target role plan measures to safeguard natural protected areas skill
- not needed by the target role policy analysis knowledge
- not needed by the target role prevent sea pollution skill
- not needed by the target role sustainable manufacturing knowledge
- not needed by the target role urban sustainability knowledge
- not needed by the target role use resource-efficient technologies in hospitality skill
- not needed by the target role wind energy knowledge
11 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice
Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.
- still to learn alternative fuels required
- still to learn alternative energy required
- still to learn environmental management standards required
- still to learn resource-efficient technologies required
- still to learn scientific research methodology required
- optional, not held coastal management optional
- optional, not held environmental design optional
- optional, not held habitat restoration optional
- optional, not held marine energy optional
- optional, not held watershed development optional
- optional, not held environmental engineering optional
Other moves recorded from environmental policy officer
Common questions about this move
Can an environmental policy officer become an environmental expert?
Yes, and it is a moderate move. An environmental policy officer already covers 53% of what an environmental expert is expected to do: 22 skills carry over, 18 of which the environmental expert role treats as required.
What skills does an environmental policy officer need to become an environmental expert?
12 required skills are missing, plus 15 optional ones. They fall into 9 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by communication, collaboration and creativity. The single most important is alternative fuels.
How hard is the move from environmental policy officer to environmental expert?
Its learning distance is 54.6 out of 100, which is the moderate band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.
How this record was compiled
Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.