From sustainability consultants and energy management specialists to green hydrogen experts and chief sustainability officers, demand for green talent is increasing across companies such as Schneider Electric, ReNew, L&T and Navitas Solar, which are looking to not just expand their teams but also tap into global talent pools.
As organisations step up their sustainability efforts, demand is also growing for senior leadership talent, including business heads for renewable energy businesses, chief executives for solar, wind and energy storage platforms, chief technology officers and chief sustainability officers, said search firms and recruiters.
Compensation packages for senior leadership roles range from around Rs 75 lakh annually for business heads and sustainability heads to Rs 2.5 crore and above at the CXO level, according to recruiters.
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The hiring momentum comes amid a broader push by corporate India into clean energy and sustainability. At its recent annual general meeting, Reliance Industries said its new energy businesses will generate around 200,000 jobs.
Multiple talent pipelines
Talent is increasingly being sourced from adjacent sectors such as power and utilities, oil and gas, industrial manufacturing, and chemicals and process industries. At the same time, as India scales up domestic manufacturing of solar cells, modules, batteries and green hydrogen technologies, companies are also looking overseas for specialised expertise, hiring Indian-origin professionals and global experts from markets further along in the energy transition journey, including Germany, the US, South Korea and Japan.
Schneider Electric is hiring for key roles across sustainability consulting, ESG (environmental, social and governance) and sustainability strategy, energy management, decarbonisation, environmental management and energy efficiency. With more than 38,000 employees, the company is the French multinational’s largest talent hub.
“We are particularly interested in professionals with experience in developing net-zero roadmaps, decarbonisation strategies, governance frameworks, renewable energy initiatives and digital solutions that help organisations improve efficiency and reduce emissions,” said Niharika Mohan, chief human resources officer, Greater India Zone, Schneider Electric.
The company actively leverages expat talent to bring in global expertise and cross-market experience.
At solar panel manufacturing company Navitas Solar, the recent manufacturing expansion in Gujarat is directly translating into green job creation: roles that actively contribute to cutting emissions, improving energy efficiency, and minimising waste across the value chain.
“As we scale up, we are adding nearly 1000 new jobs over the next 12-18 months in solar cell and module manufacturing, where efficient production processes and reduced material wastage are key priorities,” said Vijay Menon, COO.
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Role call
Management consulting and advisory services, pharmaceuticals and chemicals, IT and IT services, infrastructure and construction, and power and energy are among the sectors seeing the strongest demand for green talent, according to data from Xpheno.
“Over 40% of current active openings are currently for mid-senior and above roles. Demand is coming from companies like L&T, Hitachi Energy, Arcadis, PwC India and Givaudan,” said Francis Padamadan, CEO at the specialist staffing firm.
Hiring demand for green and sustainability-linked roles has increased about 20-35% year-on-year across India, while sub-sectors such as solar manufacturing, battery storage, electric vehicle (EV) ecosystems and green hydrogen have witnessed even stronger growth, said Varad Maheshwari, director at recruitment firm Michael Page.
“Some organisations are expanding green talent teams by 40-50% or more as they scale operations. We’re seeing demand come in from spaces like renewable energy, electric vehicles and EV infrastructure, green hydrogen and electrolyser manufacturing, as well as waste management and circular economy businesses,” he told ET.
Renewable energy company ReNew is seeing demand for profiles in solar, wind, battery energy storage systems, substation automation systems, project management, operations and maintenance, asset management, data analytics, power trading and green hydrogen.
“We are also seeing growing demand for talent in ESG, climate risk, regulatory affairs, supply chain and specialised manufacturing roles that support the clean energy ecosystem. While the majority of our talent is sourced within India, we do selectively engage global and expatriate talent for niche and specialised roles, particularly in new business segments like green hydrogen and manufacturing,” said a company spokesperson.