Without someone to design strategies for resource conservation, there would be a lot more waste in our world. Chief sustainability officers play a critical role in setting and meeting goals to reduce such waste. Like many executive officers, chief sustainability officers supervise workers and projects. These leaders have a special focus on using technical expertise to balance environmental responsibility with stakeholder interests. Chief sustainability officers must consider many factors in their planning efforts, including recycling, pollution reduction, energy usage, waste elimination, transportation, sustainability education, and building design. To meet goals and governmental regulations, they must also measure the success of their initiatives, and communicate the results for reports and presentations. Most positions require graduate school, although some may be obtained with a bachelor’s degree. Knowledge of business and management, as well as sustainability practices, is needed. Certifications in environmental management and sustainability are a plus. Since the chief sustainability officer is often the point-person for large, dynamic, and time-sensitive projects, they tend to work 40 hours per week, or more. These professionals work tirelessly to merge business practicality and long-term sustainability for a brighter, cleaner world.
What they do:
Communicate and coordinate with management, shareholders, customers, and employees to address sustainability issues. Enact or oversee a corporate sustainability strategy.
On the job, you would:
Develop or execute strategies to address issues such as energy use, resource conservation, recycling, pollution reduction, waste elimination, transportation, education, and building design.
Supervise employees or volunteers working on sustainability projects.
Research environmental sustainability issues, concerns, or stakeholder interests.
Business
management
customer service
Arts and Humanities
English language
Engineering and Technology
design
building and construction
Education and Training
teaching and course design
Basic Skills
reading work related information
talking to others
Problem Solving
noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it
People and Technology Systems
thinking about the pros and cons of different options and picking the best one
figuring out how a system should work and how changes in the future will affect it
Verbal
communicate by speaking
listen and understand what people say
Ideas and Logic
make general rules or come up with answers from lots of detailed information
use rules to solve problems
People interested in this work like activities that include leading, making decisions, and business.
They do well at jobs that need:
Leadership
Initiative
Integrity
Innovation
Analytical Thinking
Cooperation
You might use software like this on the job:
Enterprise resource planning ERP software
Microsoft Dynamics GP
SAP
Data base user interface and query software
Microsoft Access
Spreadsheet software
Microsoft Excel
bachelor's degree or master's degree usually needed
Get started on your career:
New job opportunities are less likely in the future.
$183,270
$68,110
$208,000+
Information for this career will be available soon.
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