Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Chief of Sustainability

🎯 Role Definition

The Chief of Sustainability (also commonly titled Chief Sustainability Officer or Head of Sustainability) is a senior executive responsible for setting and delivering the organization's sustainability vision, embedding ESG into business strategy, and ensuring measurable progress toward climate, social and governance goals. This role leads cross-functional programs for decarbonization, resource efficiency, sustainable procurement and responsible product lifecycles; oversees sustainability disclosure and reporting (GRI, SASB/ISSB, TCFD); engages investors, regulators and NGOs; and drives cultural change and governance to make sustainability a core business driver.

Core SEO / LLM keywords: Chief of Sustainability, Chief Sustainability Officer, CSO, ESG strategy, sustainability strategy, net zero, carbon accounting, sustainability reporting, TCFD, GRI, SASB, circular economy, sustainable procurement, climate risk.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

Head / Director of Sustainability or ESG (enterprise-level)
VP of Corporate Responsibility, Environmental Affairs or Sustainability
Head of Climate Strategy / Decarbonization Program
Senior Director, Corporate Strategy with sustainability remit

Advancement To:

Chief Executive Officer (CEO) or President (for sustainability-forward organizations)
Chief Corporate Affairs Officer or Chief Operating Officer with enterprise remit
Board Director / Sustainability Committee Chair (non-executive)
Group-level CSO for multinational enterprises

Lateral Moves:

Head of ESG Investing / Sustainable Finance
Chief Risk Officer with climate and ESG responsibilities
Global Head of Supply Chain Sustainability
Head of Corporate Affairs or Public Policy with sustainability focus

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

Define and lead the enterprise-wide sustainability strategy aligned to corporate purpose, long-term business goals and investor expectations; translate strategy into a prioritized roadmap with clear milestones, KPIs, budgets and executive sponsorship.
Own and deliver the company’s net-zero/Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) commitments, including emissions inventories (Scope 1, 2, 3), decarbonization pathways, mitigation plans and verification processes.
Establish and oversee ESG reporting and disclosure programs in accordance with GRI, SASB/ISSB, TCFD, CDP, and other relevant frameworks; coordinate annual sustainability/ESG reports and ensure timely external filings and stakeholder transparency.
Build and lead a cross-functional sustainability team (data & analytics, operations, procurement, legal, communications) and partner with business leaders to embed sustainability into product design, capital allocation and operational decision-making.
Develop and implement sustainable procurement and supplier engagement programs to reduce Scope 3 emissions, manage supplier social and environmental risk, and drive supplier capacity building and reporting.
Integrate climate-related financial risk assessment into enterprise risk management processes, coordinating scenario analysis, climate stress testing and disclosure of physical and transition risks.
Drive circular economy initiatives across product lifecycles: design for recyclability, material substitution, closed-loop systems, product take-back and extended producer responsibility (EPR) programs.
Lead energy transition and renewable energy procurement strategies (PPAs, RECs, onsite generation) to meet renewable energy targets and reduce operational carbon footprint.
Oversee lifecycle assessment (LCA), product carbon footprinting and environmental impact assessments to inform sustainable product development and marketing claims.
Shape and implement sustainability-linked financing and green bonds strategy, coordinating with treasury and investor relations to align capital with sustainability outcomes.
Develop and manage sustainability KPIs and dashboards, implement robust data governance and carbon accounting systems to ensure accuracy, traceability and auditability of sustainability data.
Engage with investors, ESG rating agencies, credit agencies and proxy advisory firms to respond to queries, improve ESG ratings, and align disclosures with investor materiality needs.
Lead stakeholder engagement and public affairs around sustainability: government relations, regulatory advocacy, NGO partnerships, industry coalitions and community engagement.
Oversee social sustainability programs (human rights due diligence, labor standards, diversity & inclusion integration within supply chain) and ensure alignment with UN Guiding Principles and ILO standards.
Define and operationalize governance, policy and incentives for sustainability performance, including executive compensation linkage to ESG outcomes and Board-level reporting and oversight structures.
Design and roll out internal culture and change-management programs to drive employee engagement, sustainability literacy and behavior change across all levels of the organization.
Manage crisis and reputational issues related to sustainability (e.g., supply chain violations, environmental incidents) and lead remediation plans, communications and stakeholder remediation strategies.
Collaborate with R&D and product teams to commercialize low-carbon and sustainable product innovations and to identify new revenue streams from circular and sustainable offerings.
Secure and manage external partnerships with NGOs, academia, industry consortia and government agencies to accelerate sustainability initiatives and co-develop best practices.
Oversee compliance with environmental regulations, reporting obligations and voluntary commitments across jurisdictions and ensure timely permits, audits and regulatory submissions.
Lead biodiversity and natural capital strategies, including nature-based solutions, habitat restoration programs and measurement of ecosystem service impacts where relevant to operations.
Coordinate sustainability due diligence for M&A, joint ventures and strategic investments to identify ESG risks and integration opportunities during transactions.
Develop consumer-facing sustainability claims and marketing guardrails to ensure accuracy, avoid greenwashing, and comply with advertising standards and emerging regulation.
Champion data-driven decision-making by implementing sustainability analytics, forecasting, and scenario planning to quantify benefits and risks of sustainability investments.

Secondary Functions

Support ad-hoc sustainability data requests and exploratory analysis for business units, board committees and investor engagements.
Contribute to the organization's sustainability data architecture, carbon accounting methodology and reporting automation roadmap.
Collaborate with IT, finance and operations to translate sustainability information needs into technical requirements and integrate ESG data into enterprise systems (ERP, EHS, BI).
Participate in cross-functional governance forums, sustainability steering committees and agile program releases to maintain program momentum and iterative improvement.
Provide executive-level briefing materials, Board presentations and investor-ready narratives that translate technical sustainability metrics into strategic business implications.
Mentor and develop mid-level sustainability leads and subject matter experts to build bench strength and succession within the sustainability organization.
Coordinate internal audits and third-party verification of sustainability claims, emissions inventories and supply chain assessments.
Lead supplier portal implementations and supplier data collection efforts to improve Scope 3 data quality and supplier performance benchmarking.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

Strategic sustainability planning and execution across enterprise operations, products and value chains.
Carbon accounting and greenhouse gas inventories (GHG Protocol, SBTi alignment), Scope 1, 2 and 3 expertise.
ESG reporting and disclosure expertise: GRI, SASB/ISSB, TCFD, CDP, EU CSRD familiarity.
Climate risk assessment and scenario analysis skills (transition risk, physical risk, financial impact modeling).
Lifecycle Assessment (LCA), product footprinting and environmental impact quantification.
Renewable energy procurement (PPAs, VPPAs, RECs) and energy efficiency program design.
Sustainable procurement and supplier engagement tools, supplier risk assessment and remediation planning.
Sustainability-related regulatory and compliance knowledge across jurisdictions (environmental permits, EPR, green claims regulation).
Data governance, sustainability data architectures, familiarity with carbon management platforms and BI tools.
Sustainable finance instruments and green/ sustainability-linked financing experience.
Project and program management of cross-functional, multi-jurisdictional initiatives (budgeting, timelines, KPI frameworks).
Experience with ESG ratings and investor engagement processes, responding to RFPs and investor questionnaires.

Soft Skills

Executive leadership and influencing skills — ability to counsel C-suite and board members and drive company-wide adoption.
Strategic thinking combined with pragmatic execution orientation; translates vision into measurable action.
Strong stakeholder management and diplomacy — effective with investors, regulators, NGOs and internal business leaders.
Excellent written and verbal communication, including presentation and storytelling to non-technical audiences.
Change management and organizational development skills to shift culture and embed sustainability in business processes.
Problem-solving mindset and resilience in ambiguity and regulatory change.
Collaborative, cross-functional teamwork and ability to build high-performing, diverse teams.
Ethical judgment and high integrity; comfort handling sensitive reputational issues.
Negotiation and partnership-building capabilities to secure supplier, government and NGO collaboration.
Data literacy and ability to interrogate analytics, KPIs and scenario outputs to inform strategy.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

Bachelor's degree in environmental science, sustainability, engineering, business, public policy, or related field.

Preferred Education:

Master’s degree (MSc, MPA) in sustainability, environmental management, climate science, or MBA with sustainability emphasis.
Professional certifications (e.g., SBTi training, GRI Certified, LCA/ISO certifications, Certified Sustainability Practitioner) are a plus.

Relevant Fields of Study:

Environmental Science / Environmental Engineering
Sustainability Management / Climate Policy
Business Administration / Corporate Strategy
Supply Chain Management / Industrial Ecology
Public Policy / Law with environmental focus

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range: 10–20+ years of progressive sustainability, operations, corporate strategy, or regulatory experience, with at least 5–10 years in a senior/leadership role.

Preferred:

Experience leading enterprise sustainability or ESG programs at a multinational or large national company.
Demonstrated success in delivering measurable emissions reductions, successful ESG disclosures, and cross-functional transformation programs.
Track record engaging investors, managing ESG ratings and securing executive/board-level sponsorship for sustainability initiatives.