Following on from our previous article exploring the vital skills any organisation needs in order to successfully navigate the area of business sustainability, our Business Change & Transformation recruitment experts, Neil and Barry, have shared their insights on which roles you should be hiring to reach your goals.
Chief Sustainability Officer (CSO)
A CSO is a leader within an organisation whose responsibility is to set corporate sustainability strategies and address sustainability risks and issues. They develop strategies to reduce a company’s overall ecological footprint and minimise their carbon emissions.
They typically define programs, products, processes and policies that reduce energy consumption, conserve water, minimise waste, encourage reuse of materials and reduce pollution output.
Sustainability Directors or Managers
They often lead small-to-medium size organisations of full-time employees or a team of part-time representatives from various organisations within a company. Similar to a CSO, they oversee those working on sustainability projects and actively collaborate with all functions of a company.
They often meet regularly with other departments to hone in on improvement opportunities for every process and product. They prioritise initiatives, track progress and report the status of those sustainability programs to everyone in the company.
Energy Manager
Energy Managers focus on the operations and functions that require power. They perform audits to ensure efficient use of both financial and environmental resources. They are responsible for controlling the consumption of energy and water by determining energy-efficient projects that meet specific design specifications, legal requirements and budget restrictions.
Sustainability Program and Project Manager
They have strong organisational and leadership skills and typically have some technical expertise in managing corporate responsibility programs, ESG initiatives and stakeholder engagement through reporting and disclosure. A strong sustainability program manager is typically a generalist who can combine technical, financial and interpersonal management skills while working with a cross-functional team.
Sustainability Engineer
These professionals design and develop products, buildings and systems to meet certain sustainability specifications or certifications, such as the BREEAM standards for sustainable building or LEED building certifications. Responsibilities differ based on the industry, such as construction, agriculture or manufacturing. Some engineers work in manufacturing, for example, designing low-energy light bulbs, lighting systems or electric vehicles.
The skills needed to succeed in sustainability can serve employees well in their efforts to lead pretty much any business initiative. Sustainability is a huge undertaking, so the ability to lead with purpose, communicate well, prove value, analyse and use data and be open minded can take people far.
If you’re currently transforming your business and need talented professionals to drive that change, get in touch with our Business Change & Transformation recruitment experts:
Barry McDonald – Business Manager, Customer Contact, Business Change & Transformation (Scotland)
0141 737 2479, bmcdonald@merje.com
Neil Johns – Director, Customer Contact, Business Change & Transformation
0161 883 2743, njohns@merje.com
If you would like to discuss this or any of the topics covered in our articles, please get in touch.
