Sustainability Specialists

Overview

Sustainability Specialists has a national median salary of $83,050 per year, with +3.9% projected job growth from 2025–2035. The Bureau of Labor Statistics lists a bachelor's degree as the typical education needed to enter this occupation.

Description

Address organizational sustainability issues, such as waste stream management, green building practices, and green procurement plans.

Work Values

• Achievement
• Independence
• Working Conditions

Work Styles

Responsibilities

Tasks

• Develop sustainability project goals, objectives, initiatives, or strategies in collaboration with other sustainability professionals.
• Monitor or track sustainability indicators, such as energy usage, natural resource usage, waste generation, and recycling.
• Assess or propose sustainability initiatives, considering factors such as cost effectiveness, technical feasibility, and acceptance.
• Provide technical or administrative support for sustainability programs or issues.
• Review and revise sustainability proposals or policies.

Work Activities

• Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates
• Getting Information
• Developing Objectives and Strategies
• Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships
• Analyzing Data or Information
• Making Decisions and Solving Problems
• Communicating with People Outside the Organization
• Working with Computers
• Processing Information
• Providing Consultation and Advice to Others

Detailed Work Activities

• Providing information to supervisors, co-workers, and subordinates by telephone, in written form, e-mail, or in person.
• Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.
• Establishing long-range objectives and specifying the strategies and actions to achieve them.
• Developing constructive and cooperative working relationships with others, and maintaining them over time.
• Identifying the underlying principles, reasons, or facts of information by breaking down information or data into separate parts.
• Analyzing information and evaluating results to choose the best solution and solve problems.
• Communicating with people outside the organization, representing the organization to customers, the public, government, and other external sources. This information can be exchanged in person, in writing, or by telephone or e-mail.
• Using computers and computer systems (including hardware and software) to program, write software, set up functions, enter data, or process information.
• Compiling, coding, categorizing, calculating, tabulating, auditing, or verifying information or data.
• Providing guidance and expert advice to management or other groups on technical, systems-, or process-related topics.

T-A-S-K

Technology, Abilities, Skills & Knowledge

Education

Education Levels of Current Workers

The Bureau of Labor Statistics lists a bachelor's degree as the typical education needed to enter this occupation. The chart below shows the highest level of education held by people already working in this field, ages 25 and older. It includes workers who earned more education than the job requires and workers who entered the field under earlier requirements, so the largest bar is not the entry requirement. For example, if someone finished a master's degree and then started working in this field, they are counted under “Master's degree” here, but the job itself typically asks for a bachelor's degree.

Certificates

Certifications applicable to Sustainability Specialists:

Video Resources