Interview scorecard template

Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) Practitioner interview scorecard

Evaluate Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) Practitioner candidates across 4 weighted areas: technical command, deals and deliverables that closed, risk judgement, and explaining it to decision-makers. Technical command leads at 35%, so probe LCA methodology, the standards they work to, impact categories, and the databases and software they use. Use the rubric to compare role-specific evidence consistently.

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finance riskenvironmental assessmentiso 14040lcasustainability
TL;DR
For technical command, look for evidence the candidate builds studies to the applicable standards themselves, and knows which assumptions actually drive each result. For deals and deliverables that closed, look for evidence the candidate names reviewed or published studies they authored, including what a critical reviewer pushed back on. Apply the written 1–5 anchors to every answer, record the evidence behind each rating, and use the factor weights to reach a consistent overall assessment.
Complete evaluation framework

What to assess and how to score it

Review the evidence signals before interviewing. Then use the anchored descriptions—not instinct alone—to choose the score that best matches each answer.

01
Evaluation factor

Technical command

35% weight

Probe LCA methodology, the standards they work to, impact categories, and the databases and software they use.

Evidence to listen for

  • Commands the instruments, models, or reporting standards the role turns on
  • Can build the analysis rather than only interpret someone else's
  • Knows the assumptions inside a model and which ones actually drive the answer
  • Fluent in the frameworks and disclosure regimes that apply

Five-point scoring guide

1
Poor

Cannot explain the instruments or standards they claim to work with.

2
Needs Improvement

Interprets others' analysis but cannot build or defend it.

3
Satisfactory

Solid working command; thin on unfamiliar structures or standards.

4
Very Good

Builds the analysis and knows which assumptions actually move the answer.

5
Excellent

Builds studies to the applicable standards themselves, and knows which assumptions actually drive each result.

02
Evaluation factor

Deals and deliverables that closed

25% weight

Look for studies that were critically reviewed or published, and what the reviewers challenged.

Evidence to listen for

  • Names transactions, filings, or reports they worked, with size, counterparties, and their own scope
  • Distinguishes their contribution from the deal team's
  • Knows what happened afterwards, including what underperformed
  • Can describe one that fell over and why

Five-point scoring guide

1
Poor

No completed work; describes process rather than outcomes.

2
Needs Improvement

Involved in transactions but cannot state their own scope.

3
Satisfactory

Real deliverables with adequate ownership; outcomes described loosely.

4
Very Good

Named transactions or filings with clear personal scope and honest post-mortems.

5
Excellent

Names reviewed or published studies they authored, including what a critical reviewer pushed back on.

03
Evaluation factor

Risk judgement

25% weight

Test how they handle system boundaries, allocation, and data gaps where a defensible choice changes the headline.

Evidence to listen for

  • Distinguishes a modelled risk from a real one
  • States confidence and what would change their view
  • Comfortable disagreeing with a number that suits everybody
  • Knows the limits of the data behind a projection, especially over long horizons

Five-point scoring guide

1
Poor

Treats model output as truth; no sense of data limits.

2
Needs Improvement

Reports numbers without qualifying them; avoids unwelcome conclusions.

3
Satisfactory

Reasonable judgement; qualifies findings when prompted.

4
Very Good

States confidence unprompted and will hold an unpopular position on evidence.

5
Excellent

Makes boundary and allocation choices transparently and runs sensitivity analysis rather than picking the flattering one.

04
Evaluation factor

Explaining it to decision-makers

15% weight

Assess how they present a result that undermines a product claim marketing has already made.

Evidence to listen for

  • Explains a technical position to an investment committee, board, or regulator so they can act on it
  • Writes to the standard the audience is held to
  • Handles challenge without either caving or digging in
  • Works across legal, operations, and external counterparties

Five-point scoring guide

1
Poor

Cannot communicate beyond technical peers.

2
Needs Improvement

Explanations lose the audience or oversimplify to the point of error.

3
Satisfactory

Adequate with familiar audiences; less effective under challenge.

4
Very Good

Explains clearly to committees and regulators and holds up under challenge.

5
Excellent

Holds a defensible result against commercial pressure and explains the caveats so nobody overclaims from it.

Evidence-led prompts

Interview questions for a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) Practitioner

Use these prompts to surface evidence for the weighted factors above and compare candidates against the same role-specific criteria.

  1. 01

    What methodology do you follow when assessing the life cycle of a product?

  2. 02

    Are you familiar with the ISO 14040 and 14044 standards for LCA?

  3. 03

    Do you have experience with LCA software? Which packages have you used?

  4. 04

    Have you led any LCA projects? Can you describe one, including its scope?

  5. 05

    What is the biggest LCA project you have worked on, and what was your role in it?

See the complete Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) Practitioner question set
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