Positive impact professions address key challenges: environmental transition, social responsibility, attractiveness and organisational transformation. For HR, they represent both an opportunity and a challenge: defining the associated skills, recruiting the right profiles and identifying internal talent capable of evolving into these roles. While these professions hold great promise – commitment, innovation, meaning at work – their deployment requires a clear vision, precise tools and long-term support for teams. So where to start?
Positive impact jobs: what is the definition?
Generally speaking, positive impact jobs are jobs whose purpose, tasks or effects contribute directly and sustainably to improving society or the environment. They create social, environmental or societal value, in addition to economic value.
From an HR perspective, this refers to all functions that directly contribute to the organisation's social, environmental or societal performance. They contribute to the responsible transformation of the company by creating a measurable impact: improved working conditions, risk reduction, resource optimisation, inclusion, ecological transition, etc.
Whether it is a matter of complying with regulations or achieving sustainable performance, professions with a positive impact are now becoming essential. strategic lever for businesses. Under the influence of regulatory constraints, societal expectations and the acceleration of CSR (corporate social responsibility) initiatives, organisations must integrate skills related to the environment, social issues and ethics.
New reporting requirements, notably the CSRD directive and its ESRS standards, as well as the European taxonomy, require companies to structure their non-financial data and professionalise these functions.
Employees' perception of their company's social utility is growing. 61% of employees believe that their company has a positive impact on society, a belief that has increased by 4 points in two years.
NATIONAL CSR & EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES BAROMETER, MEDEF/VERIAN, 2025 EDITION.
These new challenges therefore require a updating of HR strategies.
Positive impact jobs at the heart of HR strategies
Firstly, jobs with a positive impact make the company more attractive and build loyalty when they are part of an authentic CSR strategy. Secondly, certain jobs are directly linked to the QVCT (quality of life and working conditions), the’inclusion and the diversity. They thus contribute to strengthening the employer brand. Finally, depending on the profession and sector, there is a shortage of skilled candidates. This means that companies need to stand out from the crowd in order to recruit the best talent and know how to identify potential within their own ranks.
Feeling useful on a daily basis to others or to the planet is one of the sources of satisfaction and commitment at work.
Investing in professions with a positive impact is therefore a real lever for attractiveness and long-term commitment. But how can you recruit the right profiles in a tight market? How can you identify internal talent capable of evolving into these roles? And what training strategy should be deployed to promote skills development?
Occupational groups with a positive impact and their key skills
The first step is to identify the key skills required for these positively impactful professions.
1 – Professions related to the environment and climate
There are many different jobs related to the environment and climate: carbon analyst, energy manager, renewable energy project manager, circular economy project manager, biodiversity and natural resources project manager, etc.
There are also highly specialised roles, such as carbon trajectory managers (SBTi) and environmental compliance managers.
Skills: data analysis, climate regulations, ISO standards expertise, energy management, change management and project management, expertise in standards (GHG Protocol, SBTi), understanding of European taxonomy, use of carbon footprint tools, ability to work with complex data (reporting, dashboards), etc.
2 – Professions with a social or societal impact
There are generalist professions that encompass the various aspects of impact (economic, social, environmental), such as CSR manager, the director of responsible purchasing, the ethics consultant.
Skills: ESG indicator management, supplier audits, responsible communication, etc.
Also represented in this category are professions related to inclusion and QWL (quality of life and working conditions), traditionally linked to HR: diversity and inclusion (D&I) manager, QVCT manager, «psychosocial risk prevention» project manager, etc.
Skills: individual support, social assessment, programme facilitation, social law concepts and legal obligation compliance (psychosocial risk assessment, single document on occupational risk assessment, etc.)
3 – Careers in business transition and sustainable innovation
These professions include: CSR lawyer, extra-financial/ESG analyst, CSRD project manager, green product owner, digital sobriety engineer, eco-designer, life cycle analyst (LCA), sustainability manager, sustainable transformation manager, etc.
Skills: project management, impact assessment, double materiality analysis, sustainable cost/benefit trade-offs, proficiency in digital tools (BI, non-financial reporting solutions, performance management tools), ability to integrate CSRD/ESRS requirements into internal processes...
How to recruit effectively for jobs with a positive impact? Best HR practices
One of the prerequisites for writing an effective job advertisement is to have impact-focused job descriptions, linking key tasks and activities to measurable competencies. This involves clarifying the objectives of the position: contributing to reducing emissions, improving QVCT, reducing supplier risks, etc.
It is also necessary to have identified the essential soft skills in impactful professions : interpersonal skills, active listening, leadership, pragmatism, analytical and summarising skills, persuasiveness, sense of ethics, diplomacy and negotiation skills, etc.
When drafting the offer, bear in mind that the best candidates are wary of «window dressing» positions. It is therefore better to be transparent about the resources made available : the existence of a budget, access to bodies (depending on the case, CSE, senior management, executive committee, executive board, etc.), the composition of the team, partners, etc.
Diversify the candidate pool
Advertise your offer on the right channels because impactful professions have their own networks: Jobs That Make Sense, Vendredi, Birdeo, ChangeNow, etc. However, don't neglect «traditional» networks (APEC, France Travail and other general job boards) or associative networks (ESS, etc.). Also consider platforms specialising in the environment and thematic groups on LinkedIn (CSR, climate, sustainable HR). Posting your job offer on different platforms increases its diversity of candidates.
When sorting CVs, do not overlook the career changers. Admittedly, they have little or no experience in this new field, but they are highly motivated.
Using skills tests or role-playing exercises allows candidates' skills to be assessed. For example: analysis of a simplified carbon footprint or a practical case study on a conflict between business objectives and CSR requirements to test their ability to arbitrate and argue. However, for candidates with limited experience, the main focus will be on assessing their appetite for CSR issues.
Internal mobility: identifying and developing talent with potential impact
Promoting internal mobility means first identifying talented individuals capable of driving impactful projects. By relying on specific indicators and tailored HR tools, organisations can transform their employees into committed players in the ecological and social transition.
The indicators
Examples of indicators for identifying internal profiles:
- curiosity
- taste for continuous training
- participation in internal CSR initiatives
- proficiency in project management
HR tools
Examples of HR tools to use:
- skills mapping, skills matrix by position
- results of professional interviews
- self-placement (job exchange)
- Data analysis tools to match skills, career aspirations and business needs (talent management platforms and people analytics solutions, powered by AI)
For example: skills matrix by position, ready for use in internal audits and mapping.
| Position/Occupation | Technical skills | Level of proficiency* | Soft skills | Level of proficiency* |
*Proficiency levels: 1 = beginner, 2 = intermediate, 3 = advanced, 4 = expert.
[Also read] How can we maximise internal mobility processes?
Arousing and sustaining employees' interest: creating vocations
La communication on the CSR approach within the organisation helps to create a potential pool of talent ready to invest in new missions. Channels: internal newsletters, intranet, awareness webinars, themed events, etc. Tools: testimonials, practical information sheets, quizzes, etc.
Are you interested in corporate social responsibility (CSR)? This CSR quiz is for you!
The environment is the number one awareness-raising topic for companies: 90% of the organisations surveyed say they have already raised awareness of this issue among their teams.
CSR BAROMETER, KANTAR INSIGHTS AND VENDREDI, 2024 EDITION.
Mental health and psychosocial risk prevention issues come in second placee ranking of the awareness-raising topics most popular with companies (65 %).
Training to develop talent
In the same vein, internal mobility offers would benefit from specifying the training arrangements envisaged: CSR fundamentals, climate regulations, responsible purchasing, QVCT management, etc.
«Continuing education can help develop skills in professions facing labour shortages and emerging professions in the ecological transition.»
THE SHIFT PROJECT – TRAINING WORKERS FOR THE GREEN TRANSITION FINAL REPORT – MARCH 2025
Examples of training courses
CSR approach
Would you like to launch and structure a CSR initiative within your organisation? The training course Meimplement a CSR approach will enable you to understand the challenges and standards, define the stakeholders, identify the drivers of innovation and build an operational roadmap.
Risk prevention
For several years now, the issue of harassment has been at the forefront of legal news. Training Preventing harassment and raising employee awareness clarifies the concepts of psychological and sexual harassment in order to identify situations of risk within the company and implement an appropriate prevention process.
Responsible purchasing
Integrating social, environmental and ethical criteria into purchasing decisions reduces risk, stimulates innovation with suppliers and strengthens brand image. Want to improve your company's overall performance through responsible purchasing? Discover the training programme. Responsible purchasing: reconciling purchasing performance and CSR issues.
Circular economy
How can you turn constraints into opportunities? This training course guides you step by step towards compliant and optimised waste management. You will learn how to prevent, sort and contract in line with the circular economy. Want to find out more? Discover the training programme Reconciling prevention and waste management with a view to a circular economy.
Creating internal career paths to build loyalty
Internal career paths enable employees to make long-term plans within the company. They therefore enable the initial investment (recruitment, probation period, training, etc.) to be recouped. They also create opportunities for tutoring and mentoring, which are conducive to the transfer of skills and the establishment of a learning culture and strengthening the corporate culture.
For example:
- CSR assistant → CSR project manager → CSR manager
- buyer → responsible purchasing project manager → responsible purchasing manager → purchasing director
Testimonial
After two years, I wanted to give more meaning to my job as a buyer and take concrete action to change our practices, explains Enzo.
When I joined the responsible purchasing programme as part of an internal transfer, I discovered a whole new dimension to the job. I received specific training and support from Céline, the purchasing manager, who acted as my mentor. Together, we reviewed supplier contracts to include measurable CSR clauses. I also developed a new supplier evaluation grid that incorporates social responsibility criteria.
In one year, purchases that did not comply with the company's CSR policy fell by 30%. Taking into account the total cost of ownership (TCO), CSR criteria do not necessarily make purchases more expensive, but optimise costs over time.
Today, as a responsible purchasing project manager, I strive to balance economic performance with environmental impact. I also supervise new buyers and play a role in raising awareness among internal customers. With the growing importance of CSR issues, the purchasing department is being restructured and expanded: I will soon be responsible for sustainable purchasing, working alongside Céline, who is becoming purchasing director.
[Also read] Purchasing strategy: how to reconcile cost reduction and CSR?
Track results
Results are monitored via key performance indicators (KPIs) previously defined in light of the objectives to be achieved.
Examples of KPIs:
- % of impact positions filled internally
- success rate of training courses
- improvement in QVCT scores
- % reduction in carbon emissions per project
- talent retention rate in high-impact professions
- changes in the engagement scores of employees involved in these roles
Best practice: Link each KPI to a measurement frequency and a responsible person.
Ultimately, embedding these roles in your HR strategy is a lever for attractiveness and engagement. These roles build loyalty when they are part of an authentic CSR strategy supported by all levels of the company. They strengthen the employer brand. Are you ready to transform CSR ambitions into real skills within your organisation?
