Help corporate clients measure emissions, assess climate risk, and build decarbonization strategies, at consulting speed.
Guidehouse · Boulder, CO office (also Boston, New York, Arlington VA); heavy client travel · $74,000 – $124,000
Based on a real posting (view original, posted November 3, 2026, accessed November 3, 2026). Postings close. Interview for it anyway.
The role
Do technical, economic, and financial analysis for clients, including data collection and modeling.
Work on corporate GHG accounting, climate risk, ESG disclosure, and emissions-reduction (abatement) analysis.
Evaluate energy efficiency and renewable energy options.
Research market trends and help shape client sustainability strategies.
Help manage multi-client projects and write and present client-ready reports.
What they’re looking for
A bachelor’s degree in a quantitative field and at least 1 year of post-graduate quantitative work. A master’s is preferred.
Corporate sustainability experience and project-management skills.
Strong Excel and PowerPoint skills, and comfort presenting to clients.
Willingness to travel a lot (the posting says up to 75% or more).
Know the employer
Guidehouse is a large consulting firm working in energy, sustainability, health, and government. Its Boulder office has deep roots in energy and sustainability consulting, which makes it one of the larger employers of sustainability consultants on the Front Range.
Interview room
Candidate: stop reading here. Everything below is for the panel.
Panelists: open only your own seat. Each seat’s questions were written for this job. Ask one of them, then follow up in your character’s style.
Every round, each panelist draws a mood card. Keep it secret and play it lightly.
Tap to draw. Draw again each round.
NoteSeat A · Riley, the Technical Lead (click to open)
Here, you are: Associate Director who leads corporate GHG engagements and does final technical QA on every deliverable.
Ask one of these:
“A mid-size food company has never done a GHG inventory and wants a science-based target in three months. Sketch the analysis plan for me.”
“After you switched emission factors, a client’s Scope 3 total jumped 40% from last year. How do you check that, and how do you explain it to them?”
Then follow up: when they use a buzzword (modeled, analyzed, managed, data-driven), ask “What specifically did you do?” or “How would you know if that was wrong?”
More about Riley
Story. A data feed your team depends on broke again last week, and you’ve been patching it ever since. You’ve been burned by hires who listed “R” and “GIS” on their résumé and then couldn’t clean a messy spreadsheet.
Quirks. Friendly but literal. You ask for numbers (“How many sites? How many years?”) and take notes.
Listen for: specific tools and steps, real QA/QC habits, and honesty about gaps.
NoteSeat B · Pat, Search Committee Chair (click to open)
Here, you are: Engagement Director. You own the client relationship, the budget, and the hours.
Ask one of these:
“Clients pay for every hour. Tell me about a time you had to produce something polished under real time pressure. What did you sacrifice?”
“The night before a deliverable, the client asks for extra analysis that’s outside the contract scope. What do you do?”
Then follow up: politely interrupt idealistic answers with “That sounds great in a seminar. What’s the version we can deliver by Friday?” If an answer runs past about 90 seconds: “Give me the headline.”
More about Pat
Story. You chair this search committee. Your puppy chewed up a corner of the carpet overnight, so the morning started early, and you have a budget meeting right after this. You love good science that ships on time.
Quirks. You keep an eye on the clock.
Listen for: prioritization, concrete deliverables, and concise answers.
NoteSeat C · Morgan, the Team & Mission Lead (click to open)
Here, you are: Practice lead who manages and mentors the consulting staff.
Ask one of these:
“This job means heavy travel and constantly changing teams. Tell me about a time you had to build trust quickly with people you’d just met.”
“A client executive tells you climate disclosure is ‘just a compliance exercise.’ How do you respond without losing the account?”
Then follow up:“What would the other person say happened?” or “What did that teach you about how you work?” After each answer, pause for a few seconds before speaking.
More about Morgan
Story. Last week you ran a field day for a group of ninth-graders, and it reminded you how hard it is to explain this work simply. You’ve seen strong scientists struggle because they couldn’t explain their work to a non-scientist or get along with the person at the next desk.
Quirks. Warm, and comfortable with silence.
Listen for: a real story (STAR), empathy, self-awareness, and plain language.
NoteSeat D · Dale, the Outside Stakeholder (pods of 5) (click to open)
Here, you are: The client’s CFO, sitting in on the panel because your firm wants their renewal.
Ask one of these:
“My board wants to know what this decarbonization plan costs and when it pays back. Give me the answer in one sentence.”
“Why should I pay a consultant instead of hiring one more person on my own team?”
Then follow up: say “Huh?” every time they use an acronym or jargon without explaining it.
More about Dale
Story. You’re not on staff. You drove a couple of hours to sit in on this panel because this hire will be working with you.
Quirks. Plainspoken and skeptical, but not hostile. If they actually listen, you warm up.
Listen for: plain language, respect, and whether they ask you questions.
NoteSeat A+B · Riley-Pat, the Hiring Manager (pods of 3) (click to open)
Pods of 3 only. You’re both Riley and Pat. Ask one Seat A question and one Seat B question from this job, and use both follow-ups: “What specifically did you do?” and “What’s the version we can deliver by Friday?”