The Role and Impact of a Sustainability Manager: Everything You Need to Know

Gone are the days when having a sustainability manager was optional. (We don’t think we should call them the good old days. Sustainability managers are great; today is the good old days!) (Or the green new days?)

In fact, today, as the sustainability landscape grows ever more complex, it is increasingly the case that one sustainability manager is not even enough.

To become a sustainability leader — and effectively integrate new sustainability elements like the CSRD or ESPR — companies must carefully implement a sustainability management structure that covers all bases. 

If you are in the process of putting such a structure in place, you’ve probably realized a few things. There are loads of different types of sustainability managers! Finding the right combination can be confusing and difficult! Even if you know what sustainability managers you want to hire, finding suitable candidates can be nearly impossible! 

We hear you, but there’s no need to worry. That’s exactly why we’ve created this comprehensive article. Keep reading, and you will learn everything you need to know about sustainability managers. Including key info about:

- What is a sustainability manager? 
- What does a sustainability manager do?
- Why you should hire a sustainability manager.
- How to choose the right sustainability manager for your business. 
- What is an interim sustainability manager?
- Advantages of hiring an interim sustainability manager. 
- Interim sustainability manager success stories. 
- How Dazzle can help you find your perfect interim sustainability manager. 

By following this guide, you’ll be able to implement the perfect sustainability management structure (and become a sustainability leader) in no time. 

What is a Sustainability Manager?

A sustainability manager is a skilled professional who develops, implements, and guides an organization’s sustainability strategy and related initiatives.

But as we mentioned above, the sustainability challenge has become so vast and multi-faceted, several different types of sustainability manager are usually required to cover it. (General sustainability managers who cover all things sustainability do still exist, but they are becoming rarer and rarer).

Environmental sustainability managers, corporate social responsibility (CSR) managers, sustainable product managers, energy managers, and sustainability communications managers are just some of the types companies commonly hire today. Each type of manager focuses on a particular area of sustainability, and together, they help companies achieve their sustainability goals. 

To be successful in this mission, regardless of manager type, sustainability managers must be knowledgeable and skillful in certain areas. Capable managers should be able to combine relevant environmental knowledge with business acumen, and have strong project management, communication, and leadership skills. 

(Feel free to check out our in-depth article for a more detailed look at what a sustainability manager is. Including the different types that are available).

What Does a Sustainability Manager Do?

Generally, sustainability managers make sustainability possible. Without them, companies would struggle to achieve the kind of sustainability performance that is expected of them today. 

But of course, a sustainability manager’s specific tasks and responsibilities depends on their area of focus. Below we take a look at the most common types of sustainability managers, and explore what they bring to the table. (A sustainable table of course, made from 100% recycled materials!): 

- General sustainability managers: Particularly in smaller companies, it can still be the case that one sustainability manager oversees everything in the sustainability realm. In such situations, these managers are responsible for developing and implementing all sustainability strategies and policies. Usually, this will involve tasks like ensuring compliance with relevant regulations, preparing sustainability reports, monitoring and reporting on KPIs, collaborating across departments to promote sustainable practices, and communicating the company’s sustainability efforts to stakeholders. General sustainability managers may also be hired by larger companies to oversee a team of specialized sustainability managers. 

- Environmental sustainability managers: One such specialized sustainability manager is the environmental sustainability manager. Their job is to focus solely on minimizing a company’s environmental impact. Typically, to do this, they will conduct environmental impact assessments, and implement strategies to reduce waste, water usage, carbon emissions, and energy use. They will also likely educate employees about the company’s environmental initiatives. 

- CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) managers: Who said sustainability is all about environmental performance? Well we certainly didn’t! And neither did any CSR manager. That’s because CSR managers focus on the social side of sustainability. They help companies have a positive social impact by assessing current impact, and implementing CSR initiatives to improve it. These could be community outreach, or volunteer initiatives for example. 

- ESG (Environmental, Social, Governance) managers: ESG managers also put some focus on social performance, while considering the environmental and governance side of things too. They develop strategies to integrate these three key principles into a company’s operations, in a way that aligns with stakeholder expectations. Usually this will involve working across departments, including the governance team, to integrate ESG principles. ESG managers are also often responsible for tracking key ESG metrics, and preparing ESG reports.

- Sustainable supply chain managers: For some companies, incorporating sustainability into the supply chain alone can be a real challenge, never mind the entire operation. In such cases, sustainable supply chain managers can be hired to make the supply chain more sustainable. Typically, they might do this by prioritizing suppliers and partners with strong sustainability credentials, and working with them to optimize sustainability performance throughout the supply chain. 

- Sustainable product managers: Putting the focus on the products the company is supplying, sustainable product managers focus on creating the most sustainable products possible. This can include tasks like market research, competitor analysis, materials research, product and production process development, and environmental performance tracking.

- Energy managers: All business processes require energy, but it only takes one kind of sustainability manager to minimize that energy usage. That is the job of the energy manager. Usually, this role comes with responsibilities like conducting energy audits, assessing alternative energy options, dealing with energy supplier contracts, and ultimately, implementing energy-reduction strategies and initiatives.

- Sustainability communications managers: Once a company has made all these sustainability strides, it would be silly not to tell the world about all the good work. That’s where the sustainability communications manager comes in. They help companies tell their sustainability story effectively — both internally and externally — by crafting powerful messages that resonate with stakeholders on an emotional level. This might involve various types of content creation and distribution, sustainability report preparation, media relation management, and cross-departmental coordination to ensure consistency of messaging. 

- Sustainability reporting managers: With the introduction of regulations like the CSRD, it is becoming increasingly common for companies to hire a manager to focus on sustainability reporting specifically. Sustainability reporting managers put all their energy into making sure all reports comply with applicable standards and regulations. To do this, they should take the lead in sustainability data collection and analysis, while also translating that data into a clear, transparent, compelling report. 

(If you like, we have also written an article dedicated to this topic specifically, where you can find more detail about what each type of sustainability manager does).

Why You Should Hire a Sustainability Manager 

If you read through the previous section — or pursued your curiosity even further by reading the more in-depth article — you probably got a good idea of what each type of sustainability manager can offer. 

If you need to overcome any particular sustainability challenge, hiring the appropriate specialized manager should allow you to do that. (That probably answers the ‘why you should hire a sustainability manager’ question already, doesn’t it?). 

Moving away from particular challenges for a moment, it is also true that any type of sustainability manager will offer you the following benefits:

- Enhanced brand reputation: By hiring any type of sustainability manager, you are demonstrating a commitment to sustainability. Investors, customers, and other key stakeholders are likely to notice this and see it as a positive. And once your sustainability manager(s) get to work, they will help to improve your performance in key sustainability areas. This will only do one thing to your brand image, and it won’t be a bad thing!

- Innovation and competitive advantage: Combine this brand image boost with the innovative approach sustainability managers typically take, and what you get is a clear advantage over your competitors. (Don’t let them hire the best sustainability managers first!)

- Employee engagement and retention: As well as hiring the best talent, showing a commitment to sustainability can help you hold on to it. Most young professionals today prioritize companies with values that match their own. If you put a comprehensive sustainability management structure in place, it will show all your current and potential employees that you really mean business. They’re likely to respond to that and want to work (and keep working) for you over your competitors. 

(You guessed it! We’ve also written an article that dives deeper into this question. Check it out if you’d like to know more about when you should hire each type of sustainability manager). 

How to Choose the Right Sustainability Manager for Your Business 

If you’ve read this far, you must be pretty interested in this whole ‘hire a sustainability manager’ idea. Maybe you’re already sold. 

Well, you definitely won’t regret it. If you can find the right manager or combination of managers that is. Achieving that is rarely an easy task, but if you take the following into account during your search, it’s very possible. Regardless of what manager types you’re looking for:

- The very first thing you should do is clearly determine what you want to achieve by hiring a sustainability manager. By specifying the area of focus, you can make sure you are searching for the right manager combination from the beginning. 

- When looking at different candidates, an impressive track record is the most important thing to look for first. 

- You should then consider each manager’s education, as well as specified and general sustainability expertise. 

- Any candidate worth hiring should have strong project management and communication skills, as well as a strategic mindset.

- There is no point in hiring a manager who is not a good cultural fit.

- Carefully take into account the value each candidate can offer, in order to maximize your budget. 

- Consider hiring an interim sustainability manager. 

As you’ll see in the following sections, interim sustainability managers offer several added benefits. Choosing the interim option could be the best way to get the most out of your budget. As well as adding extra flexibility to your management team.

(Have a look at our more detailed post to learn more about each aspect of choosing your ideal sustainability manager).

What is an Interim Sustainability Manager? 

Before we dive further into the advantages interim sustainability managers offer, let’s first quickly define exactly what an interim sustainability manager is.

An interim sustainability manager is a sustainability manager that can be hired on a temporary basis. Every different type of sustainability manager can be hired in an interim capacity. And during their interim spell, they should offer equivalent knowledge and expertise compared to full-time managers. Interim sustainability managers can be quickly onboarded, without fuss, to deal with any sustainability challenges you may have. 

You should consider choosing the interim option if you need extra help with urgent sustainability projects, require specialized expertise for a short time, or maybe if your existing head of sustainability requires some additional support. Interim sustainability managers also come in handy in times of expansion into new markets, for crisis management, and for maternity or sick leave cover.

(Go check out our in-depth post to learn more about interim sustainability managers, including what you should look for when hiring one). 

Advantages of Hiring an Interim Sustainability Manager  

We’ve said it before and we will say it again; today, hiring the right combination of sustainability managers is crucial for any company’s long-term success. 

Putting the right structure in place can bring you significant advantages compared to your competitors, and help you become an industry leader. If you’d like to add even more advantages on top of those advantages, you should consider the interim sustainability manager option. Here’s what it can offer:

- Cost-efficiency: You only need to pay interim managers for the short time they work. This makes them a very cost-effective option, especially when you only require short-term help with a particular project or challenge.

- Flexibility: Interim sustainability managers allow you to be very flexible. When your sustainability needs are high you can easily bring them in. When things calm down again, you can quickly decrease your sustainability team to match. Your sustainability workforce can match the required work at all times.

- Faster onboarding: New challenges and requirements are always popping up in the world of sustainability. Thankfully, you can onboard interim sustainability managers rapidly, and without fuss. So you can quickly deal with anything sustainability throws your way.

- Perfect for maternity cover and sick leave: One of your full-time sustainability employees needs to take some time out for whatever reason? No need to worry. Within days you can find a ready-made interim replacement, and it should feel like nobody ever left!

- Great for crisis management: Crisis, what crisis!? With rapid onboarding and specialized skills, hiring the appropriate interim sustainability manager can help you deal with any sustainability-related crisis promptly, and effectively. 

- Objective perspective: As they come from outside your organization, interim sustainability managers can bring with them a new perspective. They can see things that otherwise might be missed or ignored. It’s a great way to help you think outside the box when needed.

(Have a look at this post for a more detailed look at the advantages interim sustainability managers offer).

Interim Sustainability Manager Success Story: USPA 

With all the advantages interim sustainability managers offer, you would expect them to deliver results. And from our direct experience, they absolutely do! 

One example of this recently is that of The U.S. Polo Assn (USPA), an industry-leading clothing brand that is officially part of the United States Polo Association. When their sustainability director Jessica Lenhart went on maternity leave earlier this year, they asked Dazzle to help them find an experienced interim sustainability manager to fill in the expertise gap. 

The whole process went very well, and according to Jessica: "Dazzle made finding an expert sustainability freelancer to provide maternity leave coverage seamless. From start to finish, they made sure everything was taken care of, and our freelancer was everything we had hoped for. Everyone throughout the process was professional, organized, and wonderful to work with. I would highly recommend Dazzle for anyone looking for a sustainability freelancer."

This is just one example of the positive results interim sustainability managers can deliver. It would be our absolute pleasure to deliver similar results for you. 

(For a more detailed look at what the USPA project entailed, why not check out our dedicated interim sustainability manager success story article). 

Dazzle Can Help You Find the Perfect Interim Sustainability Manager

A couple of sections back we said that ‘within days you can find a ready-made interim replacement’. And we meant it. (If you let Dazzle help you that is!)

That’s because the Dazzle platform offers access to the world’s best sustainability freelancers on demand.

We have numerous interim sustainability managers of all types, ready to help you with any sustainability challenges you may have. And when you hire through Dazzle, top expertise and a great track record is guaranteed, because we extensively pre-screen all of our freelancers. 

On top of this, for maximum flexibility, you can choose to work with our freelancers on a project-based, on-demand, or interim basis. 

So if you need specialized interim sustainability help ASAP, please don’t hesitate to contact us today.

We will have several suitable manager profiles ready for you within hours, and you’ll be well on your way to smashing your sustainability goals.