Highest Paying Jobs in The Renewable Energy Sector
10 Nov 2025
Some of the best jobs renewable energy businesses have to offer are also among the highest-paid vacancies in the UK and internationally.
The energy sector has always offered some of the most lucrative employment opportunities, due to the high value generated for stakeholders and the substantial profits achieved by power companies.
In this guide, we'll take a look at which renewable energy jobs pay best and what each role entails. It's not an exhaustive list - there are many other green energy vacancies that can compete with those listed below.
However, this shortlist is a useful snapshot of the highest paid renewable jobs if you're looking for a starting place when planning to enter the green energy sector, or if you want to compare the average salary for different disciplines.
In particular, we have picked out a selection of management, engineering, advisory and administrative roles, from solar and wind farm management through to green energy legal advice - proof that the value of working in renewable energy jobs is incredibly widespread.
1. Renewable Energy Project Manager
Salary: £50,000 - £85,000
One of the highest paid renewable jobs in 2025 is that of renewable energy project manager, which can pay up to around £85,000 in the UK or about $130,000 in the USA.
Project management roles are among the top renewable energy jobs due to the unique combination of expertise required - both industry experience and the transferable skills needed to lead a project successfully.
Sitting at the top end of the renewable energy career ladder, project managers take responsibility for everything from identifying new business development opportunities, to supervising contractors, to managing finances and deadline delivery.
Projects you might work on range from building new photovoltaic solar arrays or offshore wind farms, to working with large corporations to help them implement their own renewable energy generation infrastructure.
This is a job for the well-organised, with plenty of career history in the renewables sector. Training in project management is a good starting point if you're looking for entry-level roles in renewable energy project management, to give you an overview of planning and delivery.
2. Solar Energy Engineer
Salary: £40,000 - £70,000
As part of the broader discipline of renewable energy engineering, solar energy engineer jobs are found throughout the process from research and development to design, installation and maintenance of photovoltaic systems.
They need considerable scientific knowledge and highly specialised expertise, making them some of the top renewable energy jobs for those with the required knowhow.
In addition to designing solar panels and arrays directly, renewable energy engineers also work on the systems that carry the generated electricity to the grid, along with on-site battery storage to keep excess power from peak times until it is needed.
All of this is crucial to make green energy as green as possible. Efficient systems are beneficial for the economy and for the environment. Solar energy engineers have a genuine opportunity to make a difference that could last for generations.
Meanwhile, the engineering expertise you develop during your career is likely to remain in high demand in the decades to come, giving job security and peace of mind to candidates who choose to pursue this discipline.
3. Wind Farm Operations Manager
Salary: £35,000 - £70,000
Management positions offer some of the highest paid renewable jobs, and wind farm operations managers can expect to receive up to £70,000 in the UK. Again, it's a role that combines specific technical knowledge of wind turbine generation, with top-level transferable skills and the ability to take charge.
Wind farm site managers are responsible for the overall running of a turbine farm. This includes maintaining efficient output of electrical power, keeping the turbines in a good state of repair, and ensuring safety for workers and visitors to the site.
You'll have a lot of responsibility for the running of the wind farm and for the welfare of the people on-site, which is why this role attracts one of the highest salaries on the renewable energy career ladder.
4. Energy Storage Specialist
Salary: £50,000 - £80,000
Specialist technical knowledge is another way to unlock the highest paid renewable jobs, such as roles in battery energy storage system (BESS) projects.
These can have far-reaching responsibilities, including off-grid battery farms, grid-scale power storage, and hybrid installations. Projects are often extremely large in scale, with significant implications for business development and revenue delivery.
You will need advanced-level understanding of battery storage, including BESS for renewable energy storage. You will also need expertise in hybrid and grid infrastructure, along with leadership skills to steer the BESS implementation team.
5. Sustainability Director
Salary: £55,000 - £90,000
Sustainability directors steer their company in the right direction by setting long-term sustainability targets, tracking progress against key performance indicators (KPIs) and keeping activities compliant with current environmental standards.
Duties can include taking leadership over efforts to reduce carbon emissions, managing corporate social responsibility (CSR) campaigns, and coordinating mandatory reporting to regulatory bodies.
As a business-wide director of sustainability, you will need to liaise with senior management across multiple departments (and potentially multiple divisions). This broad collaboration allows you to put sustainability at the heart of business operations to maximise efficiencies and enhance the company's reputation among the public.
6. Green Finance Analyst
Salary: £50,000 - £80,000
The high stakes of low-carbon developments mean green finance analysts are in high demand, making the role rank among the best jobs renewable energy has to offer no matter what the wider economy is doing.
Because the sector is on the cutting edge of energy research and development, green finance analysts are needed to estimate the likely return on investment and help to ensure that new technologies are profitable.
Like any role that directly impacts the value generated for stakeholders, green financial analysts are crucial to the long-term success of renewable power companies. You should have a deep knowledge of finance and economics, with a proven track record in a related discipline.
7. Hydrogen Engineer
Salary: £35,000 - £50,000
Hydrogen engineers work across the design and development of hydrogen production systems, as well as the implementation of systems to use hydrogen in the generation of clean energy.
You will need a deep understanding of processes like electrolysis and steam methane reforming, hydrogen fuel cell systems and current methods used for the storage of hydrogen fuel.
This is likely to take the form of an academic background in chemical or mechanical engineering, along with experience using CAD design and flow simulation software. You should also know the health and safety issues that can arise from handling hydrogen in an industrial setting.
8. Environmental Lawyer (Renewable Energy Focus)
Salary: £55,000 - £65,000
Some of the best jobs renewable energy can offer are in supporting disciplines like finance, accounting and law. Environmental lawyers with a renewable energy focus can expect to command a salary in the region of £60,000 or more.
The renewable energy legal landscape can be a complex one. Environmental lawyers may need to advise on permits and licences for new development projects, regulatory compliance for new and existing sites, and contracts such as power purchase agreements (PPAs).
You will need an educational background in law, along with an up-to-date awareness of current environmental legislation. In some cases, this may include international laws in addition to domestic regulations. The broader the scope of the project, the more you are likely to be paid for this position.
Conclusion
These are just some examples of which renewable energy jobs pay best, to demonstrate the wide diversity of roles at the top end of this thriving sector. As new technologies continue to be developed and commercialised, it's likely that more specialist engineers will be needed to oversee the implementation and optimisation of those technologies.
At the same time, the best jobs renewable energy businesses offer in the future are always likely to include transferable skills like leadership, autonomy, and traditional roles like finance and legal representation.
As a result of this, there are opportunities for candidates of all ages to enter the green energy sector, drawing on existing academic qualifications and work experience, or by retraining in subjects related to green engineering and sustainability.
Explore our latest vacancies in renewable energy here today, or if you're looking to attract talent, get in touch with our expert energy recruitment team.
