Are you looking for a place where talented, hard working people come together to dedicate themselves to making the foundations of a sustainable society? Then you've found it. Want to join us? Except is open to committed professionals from all disciplines. Read below to see if Except fits you, and you fit Except.
About you
Are you a committed, hard working, and passionate individual?
Are you independent and able to deal with both a lot of freedom and a lot of responsibility?
Are you a freelancer or have experience working as an independent?
Are you good at what you do and can show it (regardless of what it is)?
Are you willing to learn new skills in areas as diverse as: science, design, innovation, co-creation, and advanced sustainability techniques?
If your answer is yes, then we probably want to get to know you and may have a place for you in our ranks of talented and inspired individuals. Read on to find out if you will like us.
About us
Except is a unique place with unique people. To achieve what we care about in the most effective way possible, we also have developed a unique way of working. This is not for everyone, so realize the following things when considering approaching us:
We are a decentralized, shallow hierachy organization. If you work with us, you may soon be given responsibilities that may place you outside of your comfort zone.
You will have the freedom to develop your own passion together with Except, but it will require dedication and perseverance from your side.
All of Except's work takes place in interdisciplinary teams. You need to be an excellent team player and also be able to manage complex tasks on your own.
Except is about passion, dedication, and commitment - not about the 9 to 5 grind.
If all of this sounds excellent, please read the section below to find out more, and perhaps join us on one of our introduction days.
Working at Except
Every day more people decide to start working on a sustainable future. When Except started in the late 90s, interest in sustainability was just starting to percolate; now thousands of individuals around the world are contributing to the momentum.
At the same time, many realize that just having good intentions and saying you're 'green' isn't good enough. Figuring out what the “right” thing is requires hard work, thorough research, and a good serving of creativity. Our daily job is to find solutions for problems more complicated than anything humanity has faced before.
The Except community is made up of people who thrive on this kind of work. We're critical, love challenges, work late hours (by choice!) and push the frontier with every project.
Working at Except means loving working with data and numbers and figuring out paths through what at first seem impossible situations. You love subjects as disparate as finance, design, and chemistry, and love working both collaboratively and independently. You're not looking for a 9 to 5 sort of place.
You like getting your hands dirty on all stages of the process: working with clients and stakeholders, developing concepts, doing the math, and communicating it well using both text and graphics. You're not necessarily good at all of these (yet), but are willing to learn, and are responsible enough to ask for help when necessary.
Human Resources?
Except has a “cell structured” business model, which means that we coordinate people and resources on a project level; each project has its own functional, financial and managerial structure. This has several consequences for our human resource management. We
love what it means for our day to day operation, but it's not necessarily everyone's cup of tea.
It means a high degree of responsibility and autonomy and the potential to work on many different projects, but also a fluctuating income. You need to be comfortable with working as an independent. It means you can fulfill your personal goals, even pursue them actively, as a part of Except, if they align with our mission. It also translates into a personal growth trajectory that includes a fair share of both challenges and rewards.
Except Introduction Days
The main Except group currently consists of around 50 people. We currently welcome new people, albeit very selectively, to our Rotterdam and New Haven offices.
If a specific opportunity arises, we will list it to the right. In addition to this, we have special introduction days. People from all over the world come to introduce themselves and learn about us, and we learn about them. These days may lead to a more substantial working relationship with Except. This is the only way into Except.
If you are interested in participating in one of the introduction days, please email Natasja in the Rotterdam office at the email addres , including:
Introductory/motivation letter that describes how and why you would like to interact with Except
Your CV
A portfolio (if applicable)
Anything else you feel is appropriate
Please write 'Introduction Day Inquiry' in the subject field of your email.
Because of the very high amount of unsollicited job applications we receive, we have been forced to stop responding to these on an individual basis.
Job Listings
We are currently specificly looking for:
Freelance Landscape Architect Location: Rotterdam
Except is looking for a freelance landscape architect with European training that speaks Chinese (Mandarin). You need to have an affiliation with complex issues pertaining social, environmental and/or physical sustainability questions. We are looking for someone willing to enthusiasticly join the Except team (see left). If you are interested, please email Natasja in the Rotterdam office at the email addres , including:
Introductory/motivation letter that describes how and why you would like to interact with Except
Except is looking for someone experienced and gifted in text writing and journalism. You need to have an affiliation with complex issues pertaining social, environmental and/or physical sustainability questions. We are looking for someone willing to enthusiasticly join the Except team (see left). If you are interested, please email Natasja in the Rotterdam office at the email addres including:
Introductory/motivation letter that describes how and why you would like to interact with Except
, including: