Morgan Roberts

Please tell us about your current role & employer

I work as a Project Manager for Sustainability West Midlands, which is best described as an environmental consultancy and membership organisation. Our members include public, private and non-profit organisations who are interested in advancing sustainable practices.

We work nationally; however, our membership is very West Midlands-focused. We track the region’s progression on sustainability through something we call the West Midlands Roadmap to 2030, helping to build a clear picture of progress and areas for improvement.

What does a typical day in your current role look like?

My role is quite varied. A big part of my work involves being outward facing, attending events, networking, and staying informed about what is happening across the region. I also sometimes help with other aspects of the business as we are a microenterprise (less than 10 people), so get involved in event planning, marketing and comms where needed, and also get a seat at the table when discussing the organisation’s wider strategic goals, which is a real benefit to being part of a small team.

Whilst membership does generate income, of the majority of our revenue is derived from delivering projects. As a Project Manager this is the core of my day-to-day: I get involved in every aspect of a project, from identifying potential opportunities, writing applications, and managing projects to completion. The content of the projects can range from developing bespoke sustainability training for a charity or creating a climate change risk assessment to identify threats facing a private business or public sector organisation.

We also get involved in projects that involve collaborating on larger, sometimes academic-led initiatives, such as a current project working in a consortium on research into improving climate resilience in the UK (the MACC Hub). My role in this project, as with many similar larger projects, is to ensure any outputs are practical and impactful to those who need the support the most, using SWM’s expertise in engagement and communications and our knowledge of what our members and wider network need.

What was the journey to getting a job after graduating from Birmingham?

Whilst studying at Birmingham, I became interested in sustainability and wanted to find out more about how the University was implementing sustainable practices. I spoke with the Students’ Union and they connected me with a Bioscience academic who was working on the University’s board for sustainability.

After graduation, I completed an internship at the University through the Graduate Internship Programme, working with the Internal Communications team to explore the feasibility of launching a Sustainability Champions scheme for staff and students. During the internship, I applied for a number of jobs and was successful in securing a role with Sustainability West Midlands, who I was recommended by a colleague at the University! I worked as a volunteer at SWM for two months from January 2023 until they were ready to recruit for a Project Officer, and secured this role in the March, working there ever since.

How do you feel the learning experience on your course helped to prepare you for your career?

Although my role isn’t directly linked to my degree, I developed an interest in sustainability during my time in Birmingham and focused on food security during my master’s degree.

One of the biggest advantages of the course was learning how to understand the scientific method and analyse academic research. Even if you don’t know all the science behind climate change or sustainable development, being able to engage with academic papers and journals is incredibly valuable. It has also helped me to navigate misinformation which can be a real challenge in the sustainability sector.

I developed strong science and general communication skills at Birmingham and had to produce videos, write policy briefings and news articles, and deliver presentations as part of my assignments, all of which are relevant to the work I do now.

As I studied an integrated master’s at Birmingham, I explored various enterprises as part of my course, which helped me consider real-world applications of science, asking “how can this theory actually help make the world better?”, which feeds into everything I do now.

How did the University's support service (e.g. Careers Network) help to prepare you for your career?

I attended a couple of careers events during my time at Birmingham. I joined an Insight Into webinar where I was able to hear people talking about different industries. I had some meetings with the Careers Consultant for the College of Life and Environmental Sciences, which were great as they were online, low-pressure environments, giving a fresh perspective when I was feeling less certain about my career direction, and reassuring me about how much career-planning I should be doing during my final year. I also attended some mock interview sessions which, initially, I naïvely thought wouldn’t be very important! But learning interview skills proved really helpful.

I worked as a student ambassador for all four years, sometimes specifically in the Biosciences department, and enjoyed speaking to lots of prospective students at recruitment days about my time studying in Birmingham.

What was your biggest achievement during your course (personal, professional or academic)?

My biggest achievement was advocating for sustainable practices on campus and vocalising the growing interest in sustainability within student groups. I liaised with the Student Representative for Sustainability, spoke with the Deputy Vice-Chancellor and met with the Head of Estates. I was even invited to sit on a panel to help interview the new University-wide Head of Sustainability. People at the university are more than willing to meet with you and discuss potential changes if you bring forward good ideas.

What are your top tips for students graduating today?

Try to think deeply about why you’re interested in certain roles or career paths. Sustainability is a broad field, and you need to consider what it is you’re passionate about. I’m interested in social justice and scientific communication, but others might be more suited to conservation or ecology which require different skillsets.

There are lots of techniques to help you work out what you actually want out of work (and life), and you may find 90% of them too generic or cheesy for you! But something I have found useful is writing down a statement, such as “I want a job where I make a lot of money”, and then ask yourself ‘why’ – write the answer down (maybe it’s “I want to retire early so I’m not working my whole life” or “I want to be able to travel the world”), and then ask yourself ‘why’ about that statement too. Do three or four levels of ‘why’, and you might have a realisation about what you really want from a job. For me, I realised I wanted to be surrounded by people who have passion for what they do and who care about their impact on the world, to keep me inspired and passionate too. My current job does this, but a completely different job in a different field might give me this too, that I would not have considered otherwise.

Finally, it’s a cliché but there are so many jobs you’ve never heard of or even considered while you’re studying at university. Once you have your foot in the door of an industry or organisation, you can work out what path you’d like to take and what jobs interest you. Don’t put too much pressure on yourself to find the perfect job immediately.