Chief Sustainability Officer job description: duties, skills and qualifications.

Core duties

16

O*NET task statements

Preparation

Job Zone 5 of 5

extensive preparation

Typical entry education

Bachelor's degree

BLS 2025–35 · broader occupation

Median pay

$213,990

BLS May 2025 · broader occupation

1. Monitor and evaluate effectiveness of sustainability programs. importance 4.4 of 5
2. Develop or execute strategies to address issues such as energy use, resource conservation, recycling, pollution reduction, waste elimination, transportation, education, and building design. importance 4.4 of 5
3. Develop, or oversee the development of, sustainability evaluation or monitoring systems. importance 4.3 of 5
4. Supervise employees or volunteers working on sustainability projects. importance 4.2 of 5
5. Develop sustainability reports, presentations, or proposals for supplier, employee, academia, media, government, public interest, or other groups. importance 4.0 of 5
6. Develop, or oversee the development of, marketing or outreach media for sustainability projects or events. importance 3.9 of 5
7. Identify and evaluate pilot projects or programs to enhance the sustainability research agenda. importance 3.9 of 5
8. Create and maintain sustainability program documents, such as schedules and budgets. importance 3.9 of 5
9. Formulate or implement sustainability campaign or marketing strategies. importance 3.7 of 5
10. Research environmental sustainability issues, concerns, or stakeholder interests. importance 3.7 of 5
11. Direct sustainability program operations to ensure compliance with environmental or governmental regulations. importance 3.6 of 5
12. Evaluate and approve proposals for sustainability projects, considering factors such as cost effectiveness, technical feasibility, and integration with other initiatives. importance 3.5 of 5
13. Develop methodologies to assess the viability or success of sustainability initiatives. importance 3.5 of 5
14. Review sustainability program objectives, progress, or status to ensure compliance with policies, standards, regulations, or laws. importance 3.5 of 5
15. Write and distribute financial or environmental impact reports. importance 3.3 of 5
16. Write project proposals, grant applications, or other documents to pursue funding for environmental initiatives. importance 3.3 of 5

Work activities O*NET rates most important here: Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates, Getting Information, Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships, Making Decisions and Solving Problems and Developing Objectives and Strategies.

Knowledge areas: English Language, Administration and Management, Law and Government, Communications and Media and Building and Construction.

Software O*NET lists for this occupation: Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Office software, Microsoft Outlook, Microsoft PowerPoint, Adobe Photoshop, Facebook. These are examples O*NET records for the job, not a list of tools every employer uses or a checklist of what you must know.

• Education: BLS lists a bachelor's degree as the typical entry-level education for the broader occupation.
• Experience: BLS lists 5 years or more of work experience in a related occupation as typical.
• Training on the job: BLS lists no typical on-the-job training once hired.
• Preparation: O*NET places the job in Job Zone 5 of 5 (extensive preparation). Extensive skill, knowledge, and experience are needed for these occupations.
• Licenses and certifications: not listed here. A license is a legal requirement set by a state; a certification is a credential from a private or professional body. Rules vary by state and employer, and a missing entry on this page does not mean none is required: check with your state's licensing board and see how to become a chief sustainability officer.

Most O*NET's occupation experts for this occupation (74%) name a master's degree as the education the job requires.

Job title: Chief Sustainability Officer
[Company] · [City, State] · [Full-time or part-time] · [Pay range, where your state requires one]

About the role
[Company] is hiring a Chief Sustainability Officer to communicate and coordinate with management, shareholders, customers, and employees to address sustainability issues.
[One sentence on your team and why this role matters.]

What you will do
- Monitor and evaluate effectiveness of sustainability programs.
- Develop or execute strategies to address issues such as energy use, resource conservation, recycling, pollution reduction, waste elimination, transportation, education, and building design.
- Develop, or oversee the development of, sustainability evaluation or monitoring systems.
- Supervise employees or volunteers working on sustainability projects.
- Develop sustainability reports, presentations, or proposals for supplier, employee, academia, media, government, public interest, or other groups.
- Develop, or oversee the development of, marketing or outreach media for sustainability projects or events.
- Identify and evaluate pilot projects or programs to enhance the sustainability research agenda.
- Create and maintain sustainability program documents, such as schedules and budgets.

What we are looking for
- [Education: BLS lists a bachelor's degree as typical for this occupation; set the level this role truly needs]
- [Experience: BLS lists 5 years or more in a related occupation as typical; adjust to this role]
- Strength in writing, critical thinking and complex problem solving
- Working knowledge of English Language and Administration and Management
- [Software your team uses, e.g. Microsoft Excel or Microsoft Office software]
- [Any license or certification your state or company requires]

[Schedule, benefits and how to apply]

Illustrative: every name, employer, school, date and number in these samples is fictional or a bracketed placeholder. Replace each bracket with your own true details; never copy a result you did not achieve.

Not a real job posting. This template is TryHired's illustration built from government occupational data. It is not an opening at any employer, and no employer wrote it.

For the broader BLS occupation Chief Executives, the median annual wage was $213,990 in May 2025. The broader occupation's median hourly wage was $102.88.

BLS counts the O*NET occupation Chief Sustainability Officers within Chief Executives and publishes no separate wage for it, so the figure is for that broader occupation.

BLS projects employment in the broader occupation Chief executives to grow 3.2% from 2025 to 2035, with about 19,100 openings a year over that period, including openings to replace workers who leave.

See the full chief sustainability officer salary breakdown by percentile, state and metro.

• Read a real chief sustainability officer posting next to the core duties above. Duties it repeats, such as “Monitor and evaluate effectiveness of sustainability programs”, tell you what that employer weighs most; anything it adds is specific to that team.
• Tailor your resume to the posting, not to this page: describe only chief sustainability officer work you have actually done, with your own results.
• Prepare a story for each of the top-rated skills (writing and critical thinking).