Sustainability manager job description template: Everything you need to include

Sustainability manager job description

Job Title: Sustainability Manager

Location: [City, State/Remote]

Department: [Department Name]

Reports To: [Manager/Supervisor Title]

Job Type: [Full-Time/Part-Time/Contract]

Job Summary

About the Role

At [Company Name], a committed player in the [Industry Type], we strive to [Name Sustainability Goals, e.g., “forge a sustainable future”]. We’re seeking a strategic and passionate Sustainability Manager to lead our environmental, social, and governance (ESG) initiatives. Your responsibilities will involve developing and implementing sustainability strategies, reducing environmental impact, and ensuring compliance with industry regulations and sustainability goals.

If you are committed to driving positive change, have a data-driven approach to sustainability, and can influence key stakeholders, this is the perfect opportunity for you!

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute sustainability programs to reduce carbon footprint, waste, and resource consumption.

• Monitor, measure, and report sustainability metrics, ensuring alignment with industry best practices and regulatory standards (e.g., ESG reporting, GRI, CDP, UN SDGs).

• Collaborate with internal teams (e.g., supply chain, operations, HR, marketing) to integrate sustainable practices into business processes.

• Assess and mitigate environmental and social risks across the organization’s operations and supply chain.

• Engage and educate employees, suppliers, and stakeholders on sustainability policies and best practices.

• Stay up to date with sustainability trends, innovations, and legal requirements to drive continuous improvement.

• Develop partnerships with external organizations, NGOs, and government bodies to enhance sustainability initiatives.

Requirements

Soft Skills & Work Approach:

• Strategic and analytical mindset for driving sustainability initiatives.

• Excellent stakeholder management and communication skills.

• Strong problem-solving and project management abilities.

• Passionate about environmental and social impact with a proactive approach.

• Ability to influence and educate teams on sustainability best practices.

• Commitment to ethical business practices and integrity in sustainability decision-making.

Technical & Industry Skills:

• Strong knowledge of sustainability frameworks, ESG reporting, carbon accounting, and life cycle assessments (LCA).

• Experience with sustainable supply chains, circular economy principles, and renewable energy strategies.

• Familiarity with environmental regulations and sustainability certifications (e.g., ISO 14001, B Corp, LEED, GRI).

• Proficiency in data analysis and reporting tools to track sustainability performance.

Preferred Qualifications

Education & Experience:

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Environmental Science, Sustainability, Business, Engineering, or a related field.

• X+ years of experience in sustainability management, corporate social responsibility (CSR), or environmental compliance.

Why Join Us?

• Skill-Based Hiring: We assess candidates based on skills – not resumes.

• Purpose-Driven Work: Lead impactful sustainability initiatives that create real change.

• Inclusive Culture: We value diversity, transparency, and ethical leadership.

• Career Growth: Opportunities for professional development, certifications, and leadership advancement.

If you are a sustainability leader eager to drive meaningful environmental and social impact, apply today and be part of a future-focused organization!

Why this sustainability manager job description template works

Our sustainability manager job description works because it sets clear expectations about the sustainability manager’s day-to-day activities and the exact skills they need to carry those activities out. Let’s dive into each section:

Responsibilities

Sustainability managers’ jobs vary widely – for instance, some focus mostly on managing renewable energy projects to reduce their companies’ carbon footprints, while others are more concerned with human sustainability. So, it’s important to be up front about what you expect your sustainability manager to do. 

That’s why this section is front and center: Clarifying your expectations from the get-go helps attract the right candidates and ensures there’s no surprises down the line. 

You can list any key reporting styles, knowledge of specific sustainability frameworks, or any industry-specific initiatives they’ll need to manage. This enables candidates to self-assess their fit for the role. 

Soft skills & work approach

Soft skills and work approach are key for a sustainability manager – these determine how they carry out their responsibilities. They must influence decision-makers, engage employees at all levels to think sustainability, and drive change in a way that sticks. That doesn’t just happen unless they have the soft skills – like communication – to back it up.

Rodrigo Fernandes, Global Sustainability Director at Bentley Systems, agrees. He says that any sustainability manager worth their salt needs “a combination of communication (there's a lot of advocacy and evangelizing), collaboration (needs to work with multiple and diverse teams), influencing (we need to be change agents), and learning (a sustainability professional needs to be continuously learning the new technologies, innovations, and navigate through different sectors and industries).”

Technical skills

Technical skills are also important. Listing the exact knowledge and technical skills – like proficiency with reporting software – that a candidate will need helps them assess their capabilities. 

You can also list industry-specific skills here (for instance, if you're a manufacturer, you might list expertise in pollution control techniques, such as air emissions monitoring or wastewater treatment compliance). This can be beneficial if you want a candidate to hit the ground running.

Just consider that candidates who don’t have direct industry experience can still possess transferable skills and a strong passion for sustainability. These candidates may be able to quickly adapt to your industry with some training, so consider making these skills preferred rather than required. 

Education and experience

Many sustainability managers will have a bachelor’s degree in environmental science, environmental chemistry, business administration, social science, or other related subjects. Having a formal qualification relevant to sustainability can show that candidates have specific and useful expertise. 

That said, we make education a preferred requirement because there’ll be skilled candidates with other vocational qualifications or a wealth of experience who are perfectly capable of succeeding in this position. On the flipside, some candidates with degrees won’t have the right skills – for instance, a candidate might have various environmental qualifications but lack soft skills.

We also make experience preferred – and for the same reason.

What you offer

This section is where you can set your organization apart and attract skilled candidates. List offerings that’ll attract all sorts of candidates – but include some that’ll lure in sustainability candidates specifically. These might include opportunities to lead impactful sustainability initiatives or gain more sustainability certifications.

Next steps: Attracting and assessing sustainability manager candidates 

You can post your job description on various job boards, social media sites, and your company website to attract as many candidates as possible.

Once you have a list of applicants, it’s time to start shortlisting and interviewing.

One way to do this? Use talent assessments. With TestGorilla, you can combine up to five tests to create a custom assessment, plus add unique test questions to suit your business. You can even create and add your own custom tests. 

But, with over 400+ tests in our test library, you won’t be short of tests or pre-made questions. 

Here’s a list of tests you may want to use to hire a sustainability manager:

• Project Management test

• Data-Driven Decision-Making test

• Change Management test

• Problem Solving test

• Business Ethics and Compliance test

• Leadership and People Management test

• Critical Thinking test

• Communication Skills test

We recommend assessing all your sustainability manager applicants. Our system will score and rank your applicants automatically, so you’ll have all the data you need to select top sustainability managers to interview. 

Ready to start your hunt for your next sustainability manager? Open a TestGorilla account today. You can even use our remote jobs board to post your position if it’s remote! 

FAQs

What does a sustainability manager earn?

Sustainability managers are paid anywhere from $101,000 to $178,000 – depending on their experience and industry. 

What qualifications do you need to be a sustainability manager?

A degree in environmental science, environmental chemistry, forestry, political science, or social science is usually required – or preferred – for a sustainability manager. Having a master’s degree can also help sustainability managers get jobs more easily, as can relevant certifications like LEED certification or the GRI (Global Reporting Initiative) standards. 

That said, candidates without these qualifications who otherwise possess the skills or equivalent experience necessary to do the job can still make great sustainability managers.