What is a Chief Sustainability Officer?
Occupation Description Communicate and coordinate with management, shareholders, customers, and employees to address sustainability issues. Enact or oversee a corporate sustainability strategy.
Chief Sustainability Officer Responsibilities
- Write project proposals, grant applications, or other documents to pursue funding for environmental initiatives.
- Monitor and evaluate effectiveness of sustainability programs.
- Review sustainability program objectives, progress, or status to ensure compliance with policies, standards, regulations, or laws.
- Write and distribute financial or environmental impact reports.
- 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, marketing or outreach media for sustainability projects or events.
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What a Chief Sustainability Officer Should Know
Below is a list of the skills most Chief Sustainability Officers say are important on the job.
Complex Problem Solving: Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
Speaking: Talking to others to convey information effectively.
Critical Thinking: Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
Reading Comprehension: Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
Active Listening: Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
Writing: Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
Types of Chief Sustainability Officer Jobs
- Sustainability Coordinator
- Sustainability Energy Manager
- Sustainability Manager
- Stakeholder Manager
- Environmental Sustainability Manager
Is There Going to be Demand for Chief Sustainability Officers?
In the United States, there were 308,900 jobs for Chief Sustainability Officer in 2016. There is little to no growth in job opportunities for Chief Sustainability Officer. There will be an estimated 20,000 positions for Chief Sustainability Officer per year.

The states with the most job growth for Chief Sustainability Officer are Washington, Utah, and Colorado. Watch out if you plan on working in Maine, Ohio, or Pennsylvania. These states have the worst job growth for this type of profession.
Salary for a Chief Sustainability Officer
The typical yearly salary for Chief Sustainability Officers is somewhere between $68,360 and $208,000.

Chief Sustainability Officers who work in California, District of Columbia, or Georgia, make the highest salaries.
How much do Chief Sustainability Officers make in each U.S. state?
State | Annual Mean Salary |
---|---|
Alabama | $204,590 |
Alaska | $179,630 |
Arizona | $194,360 |
Arkansas | $126,960 |
California | $228,270 |
Colorado | $198,130 |
Connecticut | $210,650 |
District of Columbia | $247,500 |
Florida | $187,870 |
Georgia | $218,590 |
Hawaii | $201,680 |
Idaho | $94,470 |
Illinois | $230,070 |
Indiana | $148,730 |
Iowa | $211,560 |
Kansas | $172,100 |
Kentucky | $152,670 |
Louisiana | $208,110 |
Maine | $152,780 |
Maryland | $198,260 |
Massachusetts | $221,810 |
Michigan | $206,660 |
Minnesota | $195,320 |
Mississippi | $112,310 |
Missouri | $167,980 |
Montana | $132,400 |
Nebraska | $220,950 |
Nevada | $215,590 |
New Hampshire | $180,250 |
New Jersey | $233,050 |
New York | $220,040 |
North Carolina | $210,050 |
North Dakota | $172,900 |
Ohio | $201,100 |
Oklahoma | $157,540 |
Oregon | $212,290 |
Pennsylvania | $231,120 |
Rhode Island | $242,350 |
South Carolina | $182,760 |
South Dakota | $251,950 |
Tennessee | $152,730 |
Texas | $239,680 |
Utah | $165,020 |
Vermont | $136,410 |
Virginia | $228,540 |
Washington | $220,730 |
West Virginia | $153,880 |
Wisconsin | $154,820 |
Wyoming | $131,020 |
Tools & Technologies Used by Chief Sustainability Officers
Below is a list of the types of tools and technologies that Chief Sustainability Officers may use on a daily basis:
- Microsoft Excel
- Microsoft Word
- Microsoft Office
- Microsoft PowerPoint
- Web browser software
- Microsoft Access
- Email software
- SAP
- Microsoft Project
- Scheduling software
- Microsoft Dynamics GP
- Teleconferencing software
How do I Become a Chief Sustainability Officer?
Education needed to be a Chief Sustainability Officer:

What work experience do I need to become a Chief Sustainability Officer?

Chief Sustainability Officers Sector

The table below shows the approximate number of Chief Sustainability Officers employed by various industries.

References:
Image Credit: Dave Dugdale via Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic
More about our data sources and methodologies.
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