Sustainability Jobs - Sustainability Academy

Sustainability is transforming business like never before and ambitious net-zero commitments and efforts have increased. Companies are now investing in people who can make them happen, which means that the employment market is already transforming and becoming more favorable to graduates with sustainability skills and expertise.

According to the State of the Profession 2022 study, the sustainability profession is expanding more than any other time in history. The study also revealed the average total compensation for sustainability managers, directors and sustainability vice presidents. The average total compensation for sustainability managers is $146,900, $227,158 for directors and $404,972 for vice presidents, which is quite an impressive, because these salaries reflect the business transition toward a greener economic system.

On the other hand, the International Labor Organization (ILO) has already estimated that 24 million jobs worldwide could be created by the sustainable economy by 2030 alone, while LinkedIn has shown a shift to green skills. Specifically, about 10% of job postings require at least one green skill, even for roles not in the environmental sector. This is verified by LinkedIn’s first Global Green Skills Report, which has estimated that the share of green talent has shown a growth rate of 38.5% between 2015 and 2021.

With sustainability entering a new era, the competition for sustainability jobs is fierce. These are the four main types of skills that candidates should have if they want to pursue a career on sustainability, as identified by the Green General Skill index:

Engineering and technical skills

These skills are needed to develop new products and solutions. This type of knowhow is prominent for eco-building, renewable energy design and energy-saving projects.

Science-based skills

Such skills can be vital in the utilities sector and they are in especially high demand at early stages of the value chains.

Operational management skills

It is important to have an overall understanding of how your company operates in order to communicate its performance to the internal and external stakeholders. They are also required to support green activities through life-cycle management.

Monitoring skills

ESG has crossed over to non-financial service companies and mainly refers to the reporting, disclosures and investor relations. ESG professionals are required to have experience in measuring, reporting and aligning with an increasing number of standards and frameworks, such as the Science Based Targets initiative, GRI, SASB or the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures.

Be a part of the new market transformation and gain a competitive advantage. The Sustainability Academy offers unique certified courses for professionals on all fields of Sustainability and ESG, such as Corporate Sustainability, Carbon Reduction, ESG Reporting, ESG Impact and Sustainable Investing, Circular Economy, SASB and TCFD Reporting. The courses provide a certified qualification to professionals so they can meet the high demands of their positions and the requirements of stakeholders.

This ambitious project aims to slash carbon emissions by 3,243 metric tons. Dubai International Airport made a smart and eco-friendly move with the installation of 15,000 solar panels on its premises that will reduce its carbon emissions and save millions annually in electric bills.

Dubai Airports, the operator of the world’s busiest international airport, and Etihad Energy Services Company, a leading energy service company announced the completion of its project to install photovoltaic panels at Terminal 2 – the largest at any airport in the region.

The solar project has a capacity of 5 megawatts that will generate 7,483,500 kWh energy annually for Dubai Airports. The project will reduce existing Terminal 2 load by approximately 29%. It will also slash annual carbon dioxide emissions.

The project is part of Dubai’s smart initiative that aims to promote the use of clean renewable energy sources by installing solar panels on usable rooftops in Dubai. It aims for individual villa and building owners to generate electricity from solar power.

Energy Services Company will provide maintenance services for Dubai Airports for a period of seven years from completion. These include the use of energy efficient fittings, the optimization of cooling systems, the installation of energy efficient LED bulbs and many others.

Energy Services Company aims to retrofit 30,000 buildings by 2030. It is currently preparing to implement a number of projects, expanding beyond building retrofits to include industrial retrofits and solar projects.

Sustainability practitioners bring strong and creative thinking to achieve goals and deal with the challenges and new projects that come ahead. CSE is holding its next Certified Sustainability (CSR) Practitioner Program in Dubai, November 17-18, 2019.

The number of businesses that turn to a greener identity is constantly increasing, as they find themselves that the more they focus on sustainability the better the results and their performance. As reported during the Climate Week in NYC last month, the 2019 ESG landscape is shaped by climate change alleviation. Additionally, it was noted that a serious investment in new generation professionals should be made who understand not only how their companies impact the environment but also how the environment will impact on their company.

Amidst the top recognized challenges is to identify the leading personalities that can tackle issues such as diversity to manage growth towards more sustainable business in the long term. Furthermore, the companies that are tied to climate change have begun receiving pressure on behalf of shareholders to coordinate their efforts and face the climate-related challenges in a more holistic yet focused and intense way.

On that note, businesses identify that the growing need of sustainability expertise has been shaped accordingly and it is critical to absorb high quality professionals that can keep up with the latest innovations while deliver profitable results.

To meet this need, the Silicon Valley awarded Sustainability Academy is beyond environmentally focused as it offers affordable specialized certified education and coaching in the field of Sustainability and Corporate Responsibility. We are set to make a difference on this planet so we invite you to take on the journey with us!

Check out our most popular courses of Online Certificate on ESG Performance for Investors & Sustainability Professionals and the Online Certificate on Sustainability (CSR) Reporting and contact us to get a discount!

You believe access to resources, human rights, clean environment, educational opportunities, community wellness are important. You have fresh ideas, ample energy and a social awareness. You’d also like a steady paycheck.

Read the fourth part series on Sustainability careers to find your perfect job.

How to land your dream job

If you’ve read parts 1-3 of this series, you know we strongly advocate becoming a certified sustainability practitioner. Certifications demonstrate you have the basic knowledge to hit the ground running. They give you an edge over similar applicants, particularly when you pick up a topic-specific course.

Other ways to gain an edge:

Do your homework. Find out all you can about the company you’ve set your sites on. If you haven’t picked a specific company, find out about the industry. CSE regularly posts industry insights on Facebook and Twitter.

Identify the organization’s challenges. What are the most prominent sustainability obstacles and opportunities? Retail may worry about supply chain or employee relations. A mining company may angst about the environment or worker health and safety.

Tailor your resume and cover letter to highlight how you can help the company meet specific challenges. Yes, this means you have multiple resumes (beyond the “dump file” resume which has every job/volunteer position, dates, boss, address and phone number you have ever had since high school) and multiple cover letters.

Network. We’ve said this before. Once you’ve targeted an organization(s), reach out to someone you know who works there (mine your LinkedIn and Facebook contacts). A casual good word in the hiring manager’s ear can move you to the interview pile.

Prepare. Practice describing how you can meet the company’s need. If they didn’t have a pressure point, they wouldn’t be hiring! Demonstrate you’ve done research and thought about what you bring to the company.

Practice interview skills. Start with a tutorial offered by college placement offices, libraries, community centers, etc. Then, set up mock interviews with the most difficult and obnoxious person possible – never hurts to over prepare.

Send a thank you letter. You want them to remember you out of all the other people the hiring committee saw the same day. Now you know who is hiring, so send the note to specific people.

You can do this!

CSE helps professionals advance their careers through certified on-site and group training services globally as well as the online Sustainability Academy. CSE is a recognized global leader in professional Sustainability training and coaching and one of the first to recognize the growing need for advanced certified education in the sustainability field. The Sustainability Academy is CSE’s global initiative to offer affordable, specialized, online education focused on Sustainability and Corporate Responsibility. Our goal is to train 100,000 professionals by 2020 and make an impact on our planet!

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This four-part series on Sustainability careers is written for new graduates and young professionals with fresh ideas, ample energy and a social awareness. It is also for established professionals outside sustainability who’ve become disenchanted with business’s disregard of basic societal needs.

How can you be part of the solution?

Part 3: How to find a job in sustainability

The challenge to finding a job in sustainability is that many career tracks do not have Sustainability in the title. You must dig into job descriptions for key words like Life Cycle Assessment, Supply Chain, SDGs and others you can learn by taking CSE’s free online course The future of the sustainability profession: Current trends and how to find a sustainability (CSR) job.

Here are some tips to get you started.

Identify your own interests! Nearly every company needs a sustainability professional in some capacity. What do you like to do? What companies do that kind of work? CSE on LinkedIn and Facebook are good places to start.

Network – like it or not, this is a tried and true way to get any job. Go to city council meetings, alumni association or activist groups. Call your parents, your college professor, the boss you had one summer in high school. Ask them “who should I talk to about a job in sustainability?” Whatever answer you get, follow-up!

Investigate the sustainability challenges in your community (or the community where you want to work). Which companies or organizations are helping meet those challenges? Give them a call. Offer to volunteer or intern. This could lead to a job or help expand the always-important network.

Scan job boards — not the black hole you think. First, you might actually find a job. Second, you’ll learn which industries are hiring. Third, you’ll pick up on the titles associated with sustainability tasks. If you enter the word sustainability and five jobs appear in customer service, zoom in on key words and use them to expand your search. The next round might pull up jobs in HR, Communications or Operations.

Tell everyone. Tell every single person you encounter that you are looking for a job in sustainability. Post it on your social networks. Mention it at the birthday party of a friend of a friend. If you get a lead – follow up immediately. More importantly, you’re honing your ability to describe what you want. This will help refine your search and polish your pitch when you get the inevitable interview!

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Visit an Atlanta job board, search sustainability, and you’ll find hundreds of jobs. Many are in the energy sector – from sales to consulting; technicians, HR, operations, engineering, warehouse and distribution, project managers.

The City Council has set the goal to make Atlanta leader in renewable power in efforts to fight climate change. Atlanta is a role model for urban environmental and livability initiatives. Atlanta’s Office of Resilience will be tasked with nothing short of running the city entirely on renewable energy by 2035!

Atlanta joins San Francisco, Minneapolis and St. Louis in setting 100% clean power targets. An urban center in the middle of an agricultural state, Atlanta will need a mix of conservation, generating energy from renewables such as solar and purchasing from neighboring states – greatly expanding its impact. Even transportation has a role to play as Delta tests and implements measures to limit its own consumption of fossil fuels.

These challenges mean opportunity for sustainability practitioners. There is an awareness for the need to protect the environment in the face of growth, to promote safe and healthy living. Companies and government alike recognize these are all inter-related to providing abundant energy without further deteriorating the region and the globe.

There is a place and considerable need for people who understand the complexity of sustainability and how that applies to the energy and utilities industry. CSE research shows these sectors have the highest sustainability reporting rates. CSE has worked with traditional and renewable energy utilities and manufacturers from around the world, including Exxon, Shell and Chevron.

Atlanta and much of the South is primed to experience significant growth in the field of sustainability. CSE has worked with various companies and organizations in Atlanta, including the Atlanta Regional Commission, Atlanta Motorsports Park, Exide Technologies, Home Depot, HD Supply and Coca-Cola.

CSE is proud to be part of this Southern transition, bringing its Certified Sustainability Practitioner Program (2019 Advanced Edition) to Atlanta, February 21-22, 2019.

For more information or group rates, contact [email protected]. HURRY – Early Bird registration ends Jan. 21, 2019!

Corporate Sustainability (CSR) is a growing industry that is taking the world by storm. Although often confused with the idea of environmental science, this definition does not represent the diversity of the field today. The main reason why Sustainability (CSR) is more and more positioned as a central element of corporate strategy is because it can bring value to Marketing, Supplier and HR functions of an organization in a measurable way.

And like with any rapidly rising business field, it requires well trained and updated professionals with the necessary skills to perform a variety of different functions, ranging from engineering to industrial management and including the design and execution of activities related to environmental, economic and social aspects. Research from various sources has shown that since the introduction of the term of sustainable development in the late 1980s, there has been a constant growth to the number of companies with full-time sustainability managers. Especially since 2000 the number of such companies has increased by 400%. This is evident also in the fact that more than 60% of sustainability professionals have been in the field for less than 10 years.

Many Sustainability (CSR) job opportunities are also focused on helping organizations and companies run more efficiently, thereby increasing profits, pleasing their customer base, and creating a sense of comfort and security among the community.

So, are CSR professionals something like a modern superhero? Are Sustainability jobs too difficult to acquire?

Research has shown that there are the 5 steps that will help you ensure you a job in Sustainability (CSR):

Get a globally recognized certification in the field of CSR
Acquire cutting edge knowledge (CSR Reporting, legislation, CSR trends, carbon reduction strategy)
Address key sustainability (CSR) challenges (GRI standards, UN SDG’s) and learn how to improve an organizations financial performance
Access a Global Business Network of sustainability (CSR) leaders
Get the skills to meet Stakeholder expectations in today’s world of increasing demand for transparency

The Centre for Sustainability and Excellence (CSE), after London, Toronto, NYC and Houston, will be back in Dubai to deliver its annual CSR Practitioner Program.

The two-day program builds on from module to module and whether you are starting your CSR career or are excelling in it, you will benefit from attending.

This is the most successful program in the field of CSR since we have certified over 1700 CSR Managers and 90% of the Fortune 500 firms from 50 countries so far. CSE has been approved by CMI (Chartered Management Institute of the United Kingdom), in offering certified trainings for CSR Managers, Communication Directors, HSE Managers and other executives. CSE is also Green America certified business.

Visit the following web page Dubai Certified CSR Practitioner Program, Advanced Edition 2018 and get the opportunity to land your dream job in sustainability.

You have always wanted to “make a difference”. You dream about helping the environment and have a positive social impact on society. So, you decided to pursue a career in Sustainability. But do you think you have what it takes? Below you can find some useful advice on the pursuit of your job in Sustainability.

Do your Research

You have to do your research on Sustainability and what it means, the job description. Sustainability is not philanthropy: you have to really get an in-depth knowledge of the field and understand that it requires communication among departments, it involves various tools and resources and it includes many roles within a Sustainability department. If you want to gain more advanced knowledge in the field, visit Sustainability Academy’s online courses.

Try New Things

It would also be excellent to have experience on another department. Someone who has championed at a Sales or Finance department for example is considered to have a more holistic view of the organization when entering a Sustainability department. Such a professional is considered to have gotten his “hands dirty” as opposed to someone who has only known a supposedly sterile environment.

Get Out of the House a Little

It is of great importance for a Sustainability professional to be involved in “extracurricular” activities related to Sustainability. This means you can be part of a CSR organization, or to be into volunteerism, or to have done pro bono work at a benefit corporation. All these things count as proof you are indeed passionate about making an impact and Sustainability is not just a job for you. Get more information about things you can do here.

Speak Green

You have to be communicative. If everything goes well and you become a Sustainability professional you will be invited to achieve cross-department communication. You will have to be able to articulate your ideas, since Sustainability is a very specific and a very broad field at the same time. You should be able to be precise and comprehensive. It would also really be helpful if you learned to “speak green”. Getting in touch with the industry’s jargon would definitely assist you in entering and being absorbed in a Sustainability department.

Be a Leader at what you do

Leadership is also a skill you will have to cultivate. There are very few positions and large Sustainability departments for you to choose from. So, it is inevitable that only the best will be hired. This means people who have the ability to persuade others, influence them and make them behave the way you and your department aim to. You will have to make people from different philosophies and departments, such as marketing, finance, legal, to be on your side. Not to forget the significance of networking. You should build your network as effectively as possible in order to maximize your opportunities and impact.

Build your Green Brand

You can also build your green brand. It would be helpful to sell yourself, to have an online presence across social media, online groups, and blogs, anything that will make you kind of famous as a Sustainability professional.

Good Luck

All the best from Sustainability Academy in your endeavors. If you indeed want to equip yourself with the latest skills, tools and resources on the field of Sustainability in the most flexible yet effective way, take a look at the Sustainability Academy’s online courses.

The Emerging Corporate Sustainability Role

Over the course of the last 20 years when the terms Sustainability and CSR were first introduced to companies, organizational teams have undergone multiple shifts, urging them to slowly but steadily reevaluate their strategic objectives and goals in order to cope with real challenges on Sustainability. Transformation has been required to be made so that sustainability and CSR departments operate in such matters that reflect the evolution in sustainability both internally and externally.

According to recent researches, sustainability practitioners are not entitled to simply lead and manage projects so that their company is positioned as sustainable and environmentally responsible but have themselves positioned as leaders in the field. That emerging job role states that Sustainability leaders are capable of driving their companies’ initiatives to enhance the sustainability impacts in their operations and value chain. There is a mandate to embed sustainability so that it is in compliance with social and corporate culture; it is financially beneficial whereas it constantly meets the stakeholders’ concerns. The role of Sustainability practitioner evolves in the most fundamental way meaning that professionals need to shift from an operational behavior to a more strategical focus on how to embed sustainable contexts within the organizations.

What can they do

Sustainability directors have to involve all departments and integrate sustainability across business teams within the organization in order to improve sustainable performance and add value to business segments. Foremost, what it is noted in terms of holistic collaboration when it comes to a truly successful sustainability strategy is the direct involvement of the board of directors. It appears that the role of sustainability leader is not one-dimensional but it is wider and more strategical than ever. On that note, the emerging corporate sustainability role implies that the approach on handling the particular job description has to be dynamic and constantly applicable to the requirements and priorities of the organization. During this evolving process, sustainability practitioners need to be proactive and put themselves into the situation of identifying what skills and competencies have to be advanced to become more impactful.

It appears that the role and actions of sustainability professionals have to be defined on a long term which means they constantly re-evaluate their skill-sets, knowledge and experience to be always competitive among the sustainability group of leaders.

If you aim to break into this field and identify the current needs to evolve your sustainability profession, the Center for Sustainability & Excellence (CSE) offers you the globally recognized and challenging Certified Sustainability Practitioner Program that is hosted annually around the world – N.York, Houston, Atlanta, Toronto, London, Dubai, among other cities. Check them out here.

For a more flexible and affordable education, the Silicon Valley awarded Sustainability Academy offers specialized education on hot issues of the field! Check the online courses here.

There are many paths to becoming a CSO – make sure you are honing the essential skills!

In 2005, only 150 major companies had a Chief Sustainability Officer (CSO). Today, most of the Fortune 500 and at least 15,000 other companies around the world have a senior executive in charge of Sustainability and/or Corporate Responsibility.

Tangible skills and how to get them

CSOs need strong communication skills within the organization, both written and oral. They must be able to speak to supervisors, peers and subordinates. Many CSOs have come up from Human Resources.

CSOs need creativity and good problem-solving skills. They develop, design or create new applications, ideas, relationships, systems, or products. For example, they are tasked to shrink their companies’ carbon footprint. Many CSOs have come up through engineering, research and development and business development.

CSOs must stay up-to-date with information. They must apply that information to determine compliance with standards. This lends itself to compliance officers.

CSOs need to communicate effectively outside the organization. They must be adept at engaging and often collaborating with many different stakeholders: customers, the public, activists. Many have risen from marketing and communications departments.

Intangible skills which will set you apart

To become a CSO, you also need key intangible skills. Most of all, you must have a passion for the environment, social and governance (ESG) factors involved with sustainability. You must be able to develop objectives and strategies and then make decisions.

While the focus may be on corporate social responsibility (CSR), if you can’t make the business case for a CSR initiative, then you won’t be the leader your company needs. Many CSOs have strong backgrounds in economics or business management, even if that isn’t the career path they’ve followed.

Whether following a traditional career path or starting in a sustainability department, you’ll need to understand every department in your company, and how they work together. Your creative skills will be employed to develop plans which often overlap departments. The good news is that there is a profit at the end of your skill-building journey. According to Recruiter.com, CSOs can make up to $400,000 in the private sector.

How do you jumpstart your CSO path? Or transition into sustainability?

The Centre for Sustainability and Excellence (CSE) has spent over a decade honing the key content every sustainability practitioner needs to move into the executive suite. Learn about the latest research, the most highly regarded standards and how to apply them. Build strategies which incorporate global citizenship and corporate financial success.

If you want to become a Certified Sustainability Professional, join CSE’s Global Certified Sustainability (CSR) Practitioner Program (Advanced Edition 2018), an intense two-day immersion, held several times a year, all around the world. See our upcoming North America, Canada, Europe and Asia trainings here.

For a more flexible approach, CSE created the Sustainability Academy, offering certified online courses for specialized education.