Senior VP of Global Sustainability

Role Purpose & Context

Role Summary

The Senior VP of Global Sustainability leads critical workstreams for our overall sustainability programme, which directly impacts our brand reputation, regulatory compliance, and ability to attract green investment. You'll sit right at the heart of our efforts, translating complex environmental and social data into clear, actionable insights that our business units can actually use. When this role is done well, we'll hit our carbon reduction targets, our annual sustainability report will be robust and credible, and we'll avoid those awkward questions from investors. When it's not, we risk fines, reputational damage, and losing out on crucial funding. The challenge is balancing ambitious long-term goals with the day-to-day realities of a busy business. The reward? Seeing your work genuinely make a difference to the planet and our bottom line.

Reporting Structure

• Reports to: Sustainability Manager
• Direct reports: 0-2 mentees (informal)
• Matrix relationships: Senior Sustainability Lead, Sustainability Programme Manager, ESG Reporting Specialist (Senior), Lead Environmental & Social Governance Analyst,

Key Stakeholders

Internal:

• Operations Leadership (Plant Managers, Supply Chain Directors)
• Finance Team (CFO's office, Treasury)
• Product Development & R&D
• Legal & Compliance Department
• Marketing & Communications Team

External:

• External Auditors (for ESG assurance)
• ESG Rating Agencies (e.g., CDP, Sustainalytics)
• Key Suppliers & Value Chain Partners
• Industry Associations & NGOs

Organisational Impact

Scope: This role directly influences our ability to meet public sustainability commitments, stay ahead of evolving regulations like CSRD, and maintain a strong ESG profile. Your work will directly support our financial resilience by identifying and mitigating climate-related risks and unlocking opportunities for sustainable growth. Get it right, and we're seen as a leader; get it wrong, and we're playing catch-up.

Performance Metrics

Quantitative Metrics

1. Metric: GHG Emissions Reduction (Scope 1 & 2)
2. Desc: Progress against our annual and long-term Science-Based Targets for direct and energy-related emissions.
3. Target: Achieve 5-7% year-on-year reduction (absolute).
4. Freq: Quarterly, with annual verification.
5. Example: In Q2, you've identified and implemented three energy efficiency projects at our Manchester plant, contributing to a 6.2% reduction in Scope 2 emissions compared to the previous year, putting us on track for our annual target.
6. Metric: Sustainability Report Audit Findings
7. Desc: Number of material findings or non-conformities identified by external assurance providers during the annual ESG report audit.
8. Target: Zero material findings; max 2 minor observations.
9. Freq: Annually, post-audit.
10. Example: After leading the data preparation for the 2024 report, the external auditors confirmed zero material findings and only one minor observation related to a data collection process, which you've already started fixing.
11. Metric: Materiality Assessment Completion
12. Desc: Successful completion and internal sign-off of the annual double materiality assessment, informing our reporting and strategy.
13. Target: 100% completion and executive sign-off by 30 September.
14. Freq: Annually.
15. Example: You've successfully run the workshop series, gathered all internal and external inputs, and presented the prioritised material topics to the executive committee, getting their full sign-off two weeks ahead of schedule.
16. Metric: Supplier Engagement on ESG
17. Desc: Percentage of critical suppliers (by spend or impact) formally engaged on ESG performance improvement plans.
18. Target: Engage 75% of top 100 suppliers by end of year.
19. Freq: Quarterly.
20. Example: You've onboarded 15 new key suppliers to our ESG engagement platform this quarter, bringing the total to 68% of our target, and have 5 more in the pipeline for next month.

Qualitative Metrics

1. Metric: Internal Stakeholder Trust & Collaboration
2. Desc: How effectively you build relationships and get buy-in from other departments for sustainability initiatives.
3. Evidence: You're proactively consulted by Operations on new process changes. Finance includes you in early budget discussions for relevant projects. Other teams voluntarily share data without constant chasing. You're seen as a go-to expert who helps, not just dictates.
4. Metric: Quality of Insights & Recommendations
5. Desc: The depth and actionability of your analysis and the recommendations you put forward to leadership.
6. Evidence: Your presentations clearly link sustainability data to business value (risk, cost, brand). Leadership acts on your recommendations. You anticipate follow-up questions and have the data ready. Your work moves beyond 'what happened' to 'what should we do about it'.
7. Metric: Mentorship & Team Development
8. Desc: Your ability to guide and develop junior team members, helping them grow their skills and confidence.
9. Evidence: Junior analysts seek your advice and guidance. You provide constructive feedback on their work. They take on more complex tasks over time and show increased autonomy. You're actively involved in their learning and career conversations.
10. Metric: Navigating 'The Alphabet Soup'
11. Desc: Your ability to translate complex regulatory and reporting framework requirements into practical, understandable actions for the business.
12. Evidence: Legal and Finance rely on your interpretations of CSRD. You can explain the difference between GRI and SASB to a non-expert simply. You proactively identify upcoming regulatory changes and their implications for our business, giving us time to prepare.

Primary Traits

• Trait: Influential Diplomat
• Manifestation: You're the person who can walk into a room with a skeptical Plant Manager and leave with their commitment to a new waste reduction target. You don't just present data; you craft a narrative that shows Finance how a sustainability investment reduces long-term risk or improves brand value. You're comfortable building support across different departments, even when you don't have direct authority over them. It's about convincing, not commanding.
• Benefit: Truth is, sustainability often needs to be 'sold' internally. You'll need to persuade people with competing priorities to change their ways or invest their budget. Without that knack for diplomacy and influence, even the best ideas won't get off the ground. You're bridging gaps and getting everyone on the same page.
• Trait: Pragmatic Resilience
• Manifestation: You've heard 'no' or 'not now' more times than you can count, but it doesn't stop you. When a big project gets deprioritised due to budget cuts, you don't throw in the towel. Instead, you'll figure out a smaller, cheaper way to keep the momentum going. You understand that progress isn't always linear and that some battles need to be fought again later. It's about being persistent without being preachy.
• Benefit: Sustainability work, frankly, can be a bit of a slog. You'll face constant resource constraints, shifting priorities, and internal skepticism. If you need every initiative to sail through smoothly, you'll burn out quickly. We need someone who can absorb setbacks, learn from them, and keep pushing forward, finding alternative routes when the main road is blocked.
• Trait: Systems Thinker
• Manifestation: When someone proposes a new packaging material, you're immediately thinking about its impact on our Scope 3 emissions, its recyclability for the consumer, and how it affects our logistics costs. You see the connections between seemingly disparate parts of the business—procurement, manufacturing, marketing, finance—and understand how a change in one area ripples through the entire value chain. You anticipate unintended consequences.
• Benefit: Sustainability problems are rarely simple or isolated. A solution in one area can create a bigger problem elsewhere if you don't consider the whole picture. We need someone who can connect the dots, understand the complex interdependencies, and design solutions that actually work across the entire organisation without creating new headaches.

Supporting Traits

• Trait: Data-Driven Storyteller
• Desc: You can take a mountain of GHG data or a complex LCA report and turn it into a clear, compelling story that resonates with a board member or an operational team. It's about making the numbers mean something tangible.
• Trait: Patient Urgency
• Desc: You maintain a deep sense of urgency about our long-term sustainability goals, but you're also realistic and patient with the often slow pace of corporate change. You know when to push hard and when to build consensus slowly.
• Trait: Inherent Curiosity
• Desc: You're genuinely interested in how our business actually works, from the factory floor processes to the intricacies of our supply chain. You'll ask the 'why' questions to truly understand the operational realities behind the data.

Primary Motivators

1. Motivator: Making a Tangible Impact
2. Daily: You'll get a kick out of seeing a waste reduction programme you designed actually cut landfill waste by 10%. You're driven by the knowledge that your work contributes to a more sustainable future, not just abstract goals. It's about seeing the numbers change for the better.
3. Motivator: Solving Complex Puzzles
4. Daily: The 'Scope 3 Headache' doesn't scare you; it excites you. You enjoy digging into messy data, figuring out how different systems connect, and unravelling complicated regulatory requirements. You're a problem-solver at heart, especially when the problems have real-world implications.
5. Motivator: Influencing & Educating
6. Daily: You enjoy explaining complex sustainability concepts to colleagues, helping them understand 'the why' behind our efforts. You feel rewarded when you've successfully persuaded a department head to adopt a more sustainable practice, knowing you've changed minds and behaviours.

Potential Demotivators

Honestly, this role isn't for everyone. You'll spend a fair bit of time chasing data from people who don't see it as their top priority. You'll likely build some brilliant analysis that gets shelved because of shifting business priorities or budget constraints. Expect to be the bearer of 'bad news' sometimes when our performance isn't where it needs to be, and you'll need to present it constructively. If you need direct control over resources to feel effective, you'll struggle here, as much of your work relies on influence.

Common Frustrations

1. The 'Scope 3 Headache' is real – getting reliable data from suppliers is a constant battle.
2. Being told sustainability is a 'priority' but then fighting for every penny of budget or headcount.
3. The annual reporting treadmill can feel like it consumes too much time, leaving less for actual impact projects.
4. Trying to keep up with 'Regulatory Whiplash' as new standards and requirements emerge constantly.
5. Dealing with internal resistance to change, especially from long-established operational processes.

What Role Doesn't Offer

1. A quiet, predictable routine with minimal interaction with other departments.
2. Direct line management of a large team (you'll mentor, but not manage a big team at this level).
3. Unlimited budget for every sustainability initiative you propose.
4. Immediate, visible results for every project you undertake—some changes take years.

ADHD Positives

1. The varied nature of projects (reporting, strategy, data, stakeholder engagement) can be engaging and prevent boredom.
2. The need for creative problem-solving and finding alternative paths when faced with obstacles can be a strength.
3. The 'patient urgency' trait aligns well with the ability to hyperfocus on critical tasks while managing long-term goals.

ADHD Challenges and Accommodations

1. The 'Data Scavenger Hunt' and repetitive data validation can be challenging; we can provide tools for automation and structure data collection processes more rigidly.
2. Managing multiple, sometimes conflicting, stakeholder requests requires strong organisational systems; we use Asana for task management and encourage time-blocking.
3. The need to switch between deep analytical work and broad strategic thinking might require clear transitions or dedicated focus blocks.

Dyslexia Positives

1. Strong conceptual thinking and ability to see the 'big picture' (Systems Thinker) are highly valued here, especially in connecting disparate data points.
2. Excellent verbal communication skills for influencing and storytelling are crucial, often a strength.
3. The role involves visualising data in dashboards (Power BI/Tableau), which can be a more accessible way to process information.

Dyslexia Challenges and Accommodations

1. Reading and synthesising dense regulatory documents (e.g., CSRD) can be demanding; we use AI tools for summarisation and provide access to text-to-speech software.
2. Detailed report writing and proofreading are essential; we encourage using grammar and spell-checking tools (like Grammarly) and peer review processes.
3. Complex data entry and validation might be challenging; we focus on automated data flows where possible and provide templates with clear instructions.

Autism Positives

1. The deep analytical work, especially in GHG accounting or LCA modelling, can be a great fit for individuals who enjoy detailed, logical problem-solving.
2. A strong sense of integrity and adherence to ethical principles is highly valued in sustainability reporting and compliance.
3. The ability to identify patterns and systemic issues (Systems Thinker) is critical for understanding complex environmental challenges.

Autism Challenges and Accommodations

1. Navigating complex social dynamics and 'Influential Diplomat' aspects might be challenging; we offer coaching on stakeholder engagement and clear communication guidelines.
2. Unpredictable urgent requests or 'Regulatory Whiplash' can be disruptive; we aim for transparent communication about priority shifts and provide structured support.
3. Sensory considerations in open-plan offices can be an issue; we offer noise-cancelling headphones, quiet zones, and flexible working arrangements.

Key Responsibilities

Experience Levels Responsibilities

1. Level: Senior Professional (L3)
2. Responsibilities: Lead the annual double materiality assessment process end-to-end, from stakeholder engagement to presenting the final prioritised topics to the executive team. This means organising workshops, gathering feedback, and making sure we're focused on what truly matters.
3. Own the collection, validation, and reporting of our Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions data, ensuring it's 'Assurance-Ready Data' for external auditors. Get this wrong, and we face reputational damage and potential fines.
4. Design and implement specific sustainability improvement projects, like a new waste reduction programme in a key manufacturing site or a supplier engagement initiative for a critical raw material. You'll be responsible for the project plan, tracking progress, and reporting on outcomes.
5. Mentor two junior sustainability analysts, providing regular code reviews, helping them unstick tricky data problems, and guiding them on their career development. You'll be their go-to person for technical and project guidance.
6. Prepare detailed sections of our annual sustainability report, ensuring alignment with GRI, SASB, and TCFD standards, and getting everything ready for external assurance. This involves a lot of writing, data checking, and coordinating with other teams.
7. Act as a subject matter expert on specific sustainability topics, like circular economy principles or sustainable finance, providing internal training and advice to other departments when they need it.
8. Keep our internal data management systems (like Workiva or Persefoni) up-to-date with accurate information, making sure everything is tracked properly and ready for reporting. Yes, it's tedious but absolutely essential.
9. Supervision: You'll have bi-weekly check-ins with your Sustainability Manager, mainly for strategic alignment and to discuss any major roadblocks. For your day-to-day project work, you're expected to be largely autonomous, bringing solutions, not just problems.
10. Decision: You'll have full technical decision-making authority within your project scope (e.g., choosing the best methodology for a GHG calculation, selecting a specific data collection tool). You can recommend but not approve budgets above £10K. For any significant changes to project timelines or scope, you'll need to consult with your Sustainability Manager. You're expected to flag potential risks and propose solutions before they become big issues.
11. Success: You'll know you're succeeding when your projects are delivered on time and within scope, your data is consistently accurate and passes audit with flying colours, and junior team members are actively seeking your guidance and growing under your mentorship. Ultimately, your work directly contributes to our improved ESG ratings and compliance.

Decision-Making Authority

• Type: Project Methodology Selection (e.g., LCA approach)
• Entry: Proposes options to manager for approval.
• Mid: Selects methodology for routine projects, consults manager for novel ones.
• Senior: Defines and approves methodology for complex projects, informs manager.
• Type: Budget Allocation for Small Initiatives (up to £10K)
• Entry: Requests budget from manager with justification.
• Mid: Proposes budget for approval, manages spend once approved.
• Senior: Recommends budget allocation, manages approved spend, flags variances to manager.
• Type: External Stakeholder Communication (e.g., responding to NGO queries)
• Entry: Drafts responses for manager review and approval.
• Mid: Responds to routine queries with manager oversight, escalates complex ones.
• Senior: Leads communication on specific topics, consults manager on sensitive issues, manages direct engagement.
• Type: Mentee Development Plan
• Entry: N/A
• Mid: Provides informal guidance, flags development needs to manager.
• Senior: Develops and oversees individual development plans for mentees, with manager input.

Competency Requirements

Foundation Skills (Transferable)

These are the core human skills that underpin everything you do in this role. They're about how you think, how you communicate, and how you get things done with and through others.

• Category: Communication & Influence
• Skills: Active Listening: Genuinely hearing and understanding concerns from operational teams or senior leadership, even when they're not explicitly stated.
• Persuasion & Negotiation: Convincing internal stakeholders to adopt new practices or allocate resources, often without direct authority. This isn't about being pushy; it's about building a compelling case.
• Clear & Concise Reporting: Translating complex sustainability data and concepts into understandable reports and presentations for diverse audiences, from factory workers to the board.
• Cross-functional Collaboration: Working effectively with teams like Finance, Legal, Operations, and R&D to gather data, implement projects, and achieve shared goals.
• Category: Problem-Solving & Strategic Thinking
• Skills: Root Cause Analysis: Digging deep to understand why a sustainability challenge exists, rather than just treating symptoms. For example, why is waste increasing in a certain plant?
• Systems Thinking: Seeing the interconnectedness of different parts of the business and anticipating how a change in one area might impact others (e.g., new packaging impacting logistics and carbon footprint).
• Pragmatic Solution Design: Developing realistic, implementable solutions to sustainability challenges, considering operational constraints and business realities.
• Risk Identification & Mitigation: Proactively spotting potential ESG risks (e.g., regulatory changes, supply chain issues) and proposing ways to address them before they become problems.
• Category: Adaptability & Resilience
• Skills: Navigating Ambiguity: Being comfortable working with incomplete information or shifting priorities, and still finding a way forward.
• Learning Agility: Quickly grasping new sustainability regulations, reporting frameworks, or technical concepts and applying them to our business.
• Dealing with Setbacks: Maintaining motivation and finding alternative approaches when projects face delays, budget cuts, or internal resistance.
• Prioritisation: Effectively managing multiple projects and demands, knowing what to focus on when everything feels urgent.

Functional Skills (Role-Specific Technical)

These are the specific methodologies, technical skills, and industry knowledge you'll need to hit the ground running and lead our sustainability workstreams.

Technical Competencies

• Skill: Sustainability Reporting Frameworks
• Desc: Deep, practical knowledge of implementing and reporting against GRI, SASB, TCFD, and the EU's CSRD/ESRS. This includes understanding the nuances of each and how to create a cohesive, multi-framework report that stands up to scrutiny.
• Level: Expert
• Skill: GHG Protocol Accounting & SBTi
• Desc: Mastery of calculating and reporting Scope 1, 2, and the notoriously difficult Scope 3 emissions across all 15 categories. You'll also be comfortable with setting and validating Science-Based Targets (SBTi).
• Level: Expert
• Skill: Double Materiality Assessment
• Desc: The ability to lead a robust process to identify and prioritise sustainability topics based on both their impact on the business (financial materiality) and the business's impact on society and the environment (impact materiality).
• Level: Advanced
• Skill: Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)
• Desc: Methodological understanding of conducting cradle-to-grave or cradle-to-gate assessments to quantify the environmental impact of products and services, informing eco-design and circularity initiatives.
• Level: Advanced
• Skill: Stakeholder Engagement & Mapping
• Desc: A structured approach to identifying, prioritising, and engaging with internal (employees, executives) and external (investors, NGOs, communities, regulators) stakeholders to build trust and inform strategy.
• Level: Advanced

Digital Tools

• Tool: ESG Reporting Platforms (Workiva, Persefoni, Watershed)
• Level: Advanced
• Usage: Configuring data collection workflows, building custom dashboards, and managing the audit trail for assurance providers for our annual ESG report.
• Tool: Data Analysis & Visualisation (Excel, Power BI, Tableau)
• Level: Expert
• Usage: Building complex financial and environmental models in Excel, and creating/maintaining interactive dashboards in Power BI or Tableau to track key performance indicators.
• Tool: ERP & Data Sources (SAP S/4HANA, Oracle NetSuite)
• Level: Advanced
• Usage: Working with IT/Finance to define data extraction requirements and automate data flows from ERP systems into our ESG platforms, understanding data lineage.
• Tool: LCA Software (SimaPro, GaBi)
• Level: Expert
• Usage: Building complex LCA models from scratch, interpreting results, and identifying hotspots for environmental impact reduction in product design and supply chain.
• Tool: GRC & Compliance Platforms (OneTrust, ServiceNow GRC)
• Level: Intermediate
• Usage: Using modules within these platforms to track regulatory changes (e.g., CSRD, CSDDD) and managing compliance tasks related to ESG reporting and risk management.
• Tool: Collaboration & Project Management (Asana, MS Planner, MS Teams/SharePoint)
• Level: Expert
• Usage: Designing and managing complex, cross-functional project plans for sustainability initiatives, and using collaboration tools to drive engagement and maintain momentum across workstreams.

Industry Knowledge

• Area: Sustainable Finance & Climate Risk
• Desc: Understanding how climate-related risks and opportunities (as defined by TCFD) translate into financial terms, including physical risk modelling, transition risk analysis, and the basics of green bonds or sustainability-linked loans.
• Area: Circular Economy Principles
• Desc: Knowledge of circular design, waste reduction strategies, and material efficiency, and how to apply these concepts to product development and operational processes.
• Area: Supply Chain Sustainability
• Desc: Understanding the challenges and best practices for assessing and improving environmental and social performance within complex global supply chains, including supplier engagement programmes.

Regulatory Compliance Regulations

• Reg: EU Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) & European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS)
• Usage: Leading our internal readiness programme for CSRD, ensuring data collection, double materiality assessment, and reporting processes are fully compliant. You'll be the go-to person for interpreting these standards.
• Reg: UK Streamlined Energy and Carbon Reporting (SECR)
• Usage: Ensuring our annual energy and carbon reporting meets SECR requirements, working closely with Finance and Legal teams.
• Reg: Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD)
• Usage: Structuring our climate risk disclosures around TCFD's four pillars (Governance, Strategy, Risk Management, Metrics & Targets) and integrating climate risk analysis into our overall strategy.

Essential Prerequisites

• Proven experience (5+ years) in a dedicated sustainability role, demonstrating increasing responsibility and leadership of projects.
• A track record of successfully managing complex data sets, particularly environmental data, and preparing it for external reporting or assurance.
• Demonstrable experience in influencing cross-functional teams and senior stakeholders to achieve sustainability outcomes, even without direct authority.
• A solid understanding of global sustainability trends, key reporting frameworks (GRI, SASB, TCFD), and emerging regulations (like CSRD).
• Experience in mentoring junior colleagues or leading small project teams, providing guidance and constructive feedback.

Career Pathway Context

If you've been a Sustainability Specialist who's ready to step up and lead bigger workstreams, or a consultant who wants to get hands-on within a corporate setting, this role could be a great fit. We're looking for someone who's already shown they can own significant projects and guide others.

Qualifications & Credentials

Emerging Foundation Skills

• Skill: Advanced Prompt Engineering & LLM Application for ESG
• Why: AI is rapidly transforming how we process information and generate content. Competitors are already using advanced LLMs to draft reports, summarise regulations, and even analyse sentiment around ESG topics in minutes. Those who master this will significantly boost their productivity and strategic input.
• Concepts: [{'concept_name': 'Context Windows & Token Limits', 'description': 'Understanding how much information an LLM can process at once and how to optimise inputs for complex ESG data.'}, {'concept_name': 'RAG (Retrieval Augmented Generation)', 'description': 'Using LLMs with our proprietary data (e.g., internal reports, policies) to generate highly accurate and context-specific sustainability content.'}, {'concept_name': 'Output Validation & Hallucination Detection', 'description': "Developing robust methods to verify the accuracy of AI-generated content, especially for public disclosures, to avoid 'Greenwashing Guardrails' issues."}, {'concept_name': 'Prompt Chaining for Complex Analysis', 'description': 'Breaking down large sustainability analysis tasks into smaller, sequential prompts to achieve more sophisticated outcomes.'}]
• Prepare: This month: Experiment with Claude or ChatGPT to summarise lengthy regulatory documents or draft initial sections of internal memos.
• Next quarter: Identify one repetitive reporting task and explore how an LLM API could automate a significant portion of its narrative generation.
• Within 6 months: Work with IT to pilot a RAG-based system for querying internal sustainability data and generating insights.
• Ongoing: Share your learnings and best practices with the team, helping others adopt these tools responsibly.
• QuickWin: Start using generative AI today to draft email summaries, meeting notes, or even initial outlines for presentations. It's low-risk and immediately boosts efficiency.

Advancing Technical Skills

• Skill: Advanced Supply Chain Decarbonisation Modelling
• Why: The 'Scope 3 Headache' isn't going away, and regulatory pressure on value chain emissions is intensifying. We need to move beyond basic calculations to sophisticated modelling that identifies specific intervention points, quantifies impact, and builds actionable reduction pathways with suppliers.
• Concepts: [{'concept_name': 'Input-Output vs. Spend-Based vs. Activity-Based Data', 'description': 'Understanding the nuances and appropriate application of different Scope 3 calculation methodologies for greater accuracy.'}, {'concept_name': 'Supplier Engagement Platforms & Data Integration', 'description': 'Working with platforms that facilitate data exchange and performance tracking with thousands of suppliers.'}, {'concept_name': 'Marginal Abatement Cost Curves (MACC)', 'description': 'Using economic analysis to prioritise decarbonisation projects based on cost-effectiveness and emission reduction potential.'}, {'concept_name': 'In-setting vs. Offsetting Strategies', 'description': 'Developing strategies for reducing emissions within our own value chain versus purchasing carbon credits.'}]
• Prepare: This quarter: Take an advanced course on Scope 3 accounting and value chain decarbonisation strategies.
• Next 6 months: Lead a pilot project to deep-dive into one challenging Scope 3 category (e.g., purchased goods and services) and develop a detailed reduction plan.
• Within 12 months: Research and propose a new tool or methodology for more granular supply chain emissions tracking.
• Ongoing: Engage directly with key suppliers to understand their decarbonisation challenges and opportunities.
• QuickWin: Identify our top 10 Scope 3 emission hotspots and begin initial conversations with those suppliers about data sharing and potential reduction initiatives.

Education Requirements

• Level: Minimum
• Req: Bachelor's degree in Environmental Science, Sustainability, Business, Engineering, or a related quantitative field.
• Alts: We're open to candidates with exceptional relevant professional experience (8+ years) in corporate sustainability or ESG consulting, even without a degree, if you can clearly demonstrate the required knowledge and skills.
• Level: Preferred
• Req: Master's degree in a relevant field (e.g., Environmental Management, Sustainable Development, MBA with a sustainability focus).
• Alts: Relevant professional certifications and a strong portfolio of sustainability projects can often compensate for a lack of a Master's.

Experience Requirements

You'll need roughly 5-8 years of hands-on experience in corporate sustainability, ESG reporting, or a closely related field. This isn't an entry-level role; we're looking for someone who's already owned significant projects, navigated complex data challenges, and influenced stakeholders in a previous role. Experience leading specific workstreams or mentoring junior colleagues is a big plus.

Preferred Certifications

• Cert: GHG Protocol Certification
• Prod: World Resources Institute (WRI)
• Usage: Demonstrates a deep understanding of carbon accounting, which is central to our work.
• Cert: GRI Certified Sustainability Professional
• Prod: Global Reporting Initiative (GRI)
• Usage: Shows expertise in the most widely used sustainability reporting framework.
• Cert: SASB FSA Credential
• Prod: Value Reporting Foundation (now IFRS Foundation)
• Usage: Indicates a strong grasp of financially material sustainability issues, crucial for investor relations.
• Cert: Certified Internal Auditor (CIA) with ESG focus
• Prod: The Institute of Internal Auditors (IIA)
• Usage: Valuable for understanding internal controls and assurance processes for ESG data, especially with CSRD coming into play.

Recommended Activities

• Attending industry conferences (e.g., GreenBiz, Responsible Business Summit) to stay current on trends and network.
• Participating in webinars and online courses on emerging regulations (e.g., EU Taxonomy, CSDDD).
• Engaging with professional bodies or working groups focused on specific sustainability challenges (e.g., circular economy, climate risk).
• Reading key publications and thought leadership from organisations like WBCSD, WRI, or the WEF.

Career Progression Pathways

Entry Paths to This Role

• Path: Sustainability Specialist (L2) within our Organisation
• Time: 2-3 years
• Path: ESG Consultant from a Professional Services Firm
• Time: 3-5 years of consulting experience
• Path: Environmental Manager or CSR Lead in a Smaller Organisation
• Time: 4-6 years

Career Progression From This Role

• Pathway: Sustainability Manager (L5)
• Time: 3-5 years in the Senior role

Long Term Vision Potential Roles

• Title: Director of Sustainability (L6)
• Time: 5-8 years from Senior VP
• Title: Chief Sustainability Officer (CSO) / VP of Global Sustainability (L7)
• Time: 8-12+ years from Senior VP
• Title: Head of ESG Investments (Financial Sector)
• Time: 7-10 years from Senior VP

How Zavmo Delivers This Role's Development

DISCOVER Phase: Skills Gap Analysis

Zavmo maps your current competencies against all requirements in this job description through conversational assessment. We evaluate your foundation skills (communication, strategic thinking), functional skills (CRM expertise, negotiation), and readiness for career progression.

Output: Personalised skills gap heat map showing strengths and priorities, estimated time to competency, neurodiversity accommodations.

DISCUSS Phase: Personalised Learning Pathway

Based on your DISCOVER results, Zavmo creates a personalised learning plan prioritised by impact: foundation skills first, then functional skills. We adapt to your learning style, pace, and neurodiversity needs (ADHD, dyslexia, autism).

Output: Week-by-week schedule, each module linked to specific job responsibilities, checkpoints and milestones.

DELIVER Phase: Conversational Learning

Learn through conversation, not boring modules. Zavmo uses 10 conversation types (Socratic dialogue, role-play, coaching, case studies) to build competence. Practice difficult QBR presentations, negotiate tough renewals, and handle churn conversations in a safe AI environment before facing real clients.

Example: "For 'Stakeholder Mapping', Zavmo will guide you through analysing a complex enterprise account, identifying key decision-makers, and building an engagement strategy."

DEMONSTRATE Phase: Competency Assessment

Zavmo automatically builds your evidence portfolio as you learn. Every conversation, practice scenario, and application example is captured and mapped to NOS performance criteria. When ready, your portfolio supports OFQUAL qualification claims and demonstrates competence to employers.

Output: Competency matrix, evidence portfolio (downloadable), qualification readiness, career progression score.