The Strong Interest Inventory® Assessment analyzes individuals’ personal and vocational preferences and interests to help them narrow the job search field and find a fulfilling career. After job seekers take a comprehensive assessment, their results are compared to those of other professionals that have reported highly satisfied within their career field. Then, the inventory directs them to one or more of six categories of careers, each of which has different characteristics. For example, Chief Sustainability Officers are considered part of the Conventional career’s category, as these professionals need to be organized and have an acute attention to detail, while also being able to thrive in highly structured and hierarchical work environments, such as major corporations or governments.

Chief Sustainability Officers enact and oversee corporate sustainability strategies regarding issues such as energy use, resource conservation, recycling and waste elimination, transportation, and building design. They need to lay the groundwork to ensure that their projects are as successful as possible. For example, they may need to research environmental sustainability issues, concerns, or stakeholder interests; develop possible approaches address those concerns; and create methodologies to assess how viable each approach could be.

Possible approaches might be evaluated based on how cost effective they are, how technical feasible they are, and how well they integrate with other existing initiatives. Once a particular approach is decided upon, Chief Sustainability Officers supervise employees or volunteers as their vision is brought to life. Along the way, they also need to monitor and evaluate their programs’ effectiveness, including coordinating any pilot programs or projects that may serve as a proof of concept.

Chief Sustainability Officers need to do whatever it takes to ensure their initiatives are successful, including developing marketing or other media to promote projects or events, creating schedules and budgets, and onboarding staff or volunteers. They may also need to cross-reference their proposals with government regulations, to ensure that they are complying with relevant local, state, and federal laws. Depending on the initiative, it may also be necessary to develop reports, presentations, or proposals for other groups or partners, such as suppliers, employees, and government. Additional logistical concerns may include conducting risk assessments, writing grant applications, and distributing environmental impact reports.

The tools used by Chief Sustainability Officers are typically limited to standard office equipment, including laptop and desktop computers, smart phones, scanners, telephones and conferencing systems, and calculators. The software they use is often typical as well, including scheduling, email, web browser, word processing, project management, spreadsheet, and presentation. They may also need to use Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) software like Microsoft Planning GP or SAP, as well as database user interface and query software, such as Microsoft Access.

Successful Chief Sustainability Officers need to have an excellent command of the English language, including reading and writing, listening and speaking, as well as the ability to manage large groups of people. A background in design, building and construction is also helpful, since they need to be able to communicate design needs that may impact the environment. On a daily basis, these professionals solve complex problems and need to be able to understand and process a large amount of information, and then draw the necessary conclusions. Most Chief Sustainability Officers develop these considerable skills through formal study—42% hold a bachelor’s degree, 31% hold a master’s and 19% hold a post-baccalaureate certificate.

Though the national median Chief Sustainability Officer Salary is just over $189,000, it does vary widely around the country. In the most populous states up the east and west coasts, such as Florida, New York, California and Washington, the median salary is well over $200,000 per year. On the other hand, in more rural, less-populated states like Idaho, Arkansas and Mississippi, the median is closer to $80,000. Similarly, while employment rates are generally decreasing nationwide, certain states, like Washington, Colorado and Florida, are expected to employ more Chief Sustainability Officers to address the increasing environmental concerns in those states.

Below are some employment trends for Chief Sustainability Officers:

• Chief Sustainability Officer Salary: $91.15 hourly, $189,600 annually
• Employment: 263,000 employees
• Projected growth (2018-2028): Decline (-2% or lower)
• Projected job openings (2018-2028): 186,800

[Information retrieved from Bureau of Labor Statistics wage data and 2018-2028 employment projections]

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References

1. Bureau of Labor Statistics wage data and 2018-2028 employment projections Onetonline.org