Finding My Pace: A Year of Project Delivery at Goal7

Starting a new job is always a journey, from learning the ropes to becoming a fully integrated member of the team. It's been a year since I joined Goal7, so I've been reflecting on how my journey has unfolded.

Q4 24: Settling In, First Projects, and Getting to Know Goal7

I joined Goal7 in the final week of September 2024, coming from a renewables background. I remember feeling excited to get stuck in to this next step in my career. Goal7 felt like somewhere where I could make a difference, not just to the business, but to the planet.

The first week or so was met with the usual onboarding process, however, rather than being delivered by one single source (usually line manager & HR) it was delivered by individual members of the company. I felt this approach really helped introduce me to everyone by providing context to the work they were doing and helped to break the ice, allowing natural discussions to form.

It wasn't long before I got my first Goal7 project to manage; a small scope to examine four potential value chains for an early stage CCUS project. I had a small but strong team and only six weeks to complete the work. The project went well and we drew some conclusive insights for the client, and ultimately this small work turned into something much larger in the new year - a big win for my first project in the company! My second project was a totally new topic, something non-technical, and outside my wheelhouse. We were to complete the climate-related disclosures section of the clients annual reports. This was an eye opener for me to see how Goal7 advise businesses not just on projects but on their business conduct.

Christmas soon rolled in and by now I felt like a solid part of the team and got to know all my colleagues, we had a great Christmas party with an outstanding parody video created by our in-house Christmas elves to kick off the festivities. At this point it was hard to believe it had already been three months and I was excited for the next steps.

Q1 25: Big Projects, Learning About Myself, Goal7 Work/Life Balance

The start to the year was a difficult period, with family emergencies over the Christmas break meaning work took a bit of a backseat in my priority list. This was met with understanding and fairness from the Goal7 management, for which I was grateful. Things eventually returned to normal and I wanted to focus on work. Which was fortunate as things were about to get busy, too busy…

Early in the year we kicked off a large hydrogen research project with a significant client, a new type of work for Goal7 and my largest project to date. I was excited to do a good job. At a similar time we also kicked off follow on work to the CCUS project I lead in the previous quarter. I was hoping to balance these two significant projects side by side, however both ramped up almost at the same time with final deadlines only a week apart! I was determined to tackle both and deliver high quality work but it was becoming too much. My line manager noticed this and suggested that someone take over one of the projects to ensure that I didn’t burn out. I was initially reluctant, I didn’t want to hand off work to someone else. In hindsight, it was totally the right decision for the projects, the teams, the client and myself. Thank you Amanda!

Goal7's approach to work life balance is something I really appreciate, by managing people with compassion we can ensure people are motivated and performing at their best.

Q2 25: PACE-Maker, Being Proud

Now I only had the one major project to focus on, it meant that quality could be met but also allowed for me to scope new projects. Project: Accelerate Clean Energy (PACE) is an initiative at Goal7 that many of my colleagues hold in high regard and one that caught my eye during my interview process. It is an opportunity for Goal7 to "put our money where our mouth is" and live up to our name. PACE is an initiative where Goal7 select a worthy cause and donate our expertise pro bono to help that client/community/cause achieve their sustainability goals. This really lives up to the ethos of a just transition and I wanted to be involved. I think it is fair to say that the Goal7 skillset was usually outside the remit of community projects, so I was able to use my experience and expertise in renewables to try to bring a new angle into the PACE initiative whilst also stretching and developing my business development skills.

Fortunately, this did go according to plan and by May we had two very worthy potential PACE projects. As PACE is special to everyone within the business, we exercised our right to democracy and had a companywide vote, resulting in a narrow win by just one vote to a community energy project looking to diversify their portfolio. This project kicked off in June and Goal7 are now developing our renewables experience whilst also supporting a community who may not have been able to progress with their sustainability goals without our support.

Q3 25: Quick Projects, Back to School, Volunteering, and One Year Down

Summer brought new clients and a new type of work for myself. A fast paced client with weekly deliverables in a field I was not too familiar with. I was at first hesitant with the pace of the work, making it hard to get into the nitty-gritty, but I eventually welcomed it as it balanced out my other long term projects. During this faster pace I was really reminded about the technical strength and rigor of the Goal7 team, without whom I would have really been in a pickle.