The concept of sustainability has come a long way from being a mere buzzword for organizations. With more industries operating as dynamically as ever, consumer behaviors and regulations constantly evolving, and resource allocation being a consistent challenge, careers in sustainability now play a crucial role for companies in day-to-day operations and long-term corporate planning.
With this shift in prioritizing sustainability comes an opportunity for professionals to leverage a growing demand market, and either pursue a new career in sustainability or gain new skills to apply towards their current role. Vanderbilt University Owen Graduate School of Management and UBC Sauder School of Business have partnered to offer a sustainability certificate developed to help participants experience a tailored, personalized approach to education and gain the sustainability skills and knowledge necessary to empower themselves to make a difference in the world of corporate sustainability.
What Do Careers in Sustainability Look Like?
Before we explore careers in sustainability and the options professionals have in this field, it’s important to understand what sustainability means and why it matters. Corporate sustainability is an approach by organizations to operate more ethically and efficiently, incorporating socially and environmentally conscious economic initiatives that provide long-term value for shareholders and consumers.
Organizations and companies today need sustainability professionals to help them stay efficient and meet their sustainability goals. A career in sustainability can look very different depending on the scope of a role and specializations needed to perform in that position. Sustainability jobs range from executive-level leaders to hands-on, in-the-field engineers.
Some common positions include:
- Chief Sustainability Officer (CSO)
- Sustainability Coordinator
- Environmental Engineer
- Environmental Consultant
While careers in sustainability vary in scope and corporate level, they can also span across different industries, further emphasizing a need for specialization. Professionals often leverage their sustainability skills in industries such as public sector, energy, consultation, education, and more.
Other job titles associated with sustainability include:
- Environmental Affairs Officers
- Business Development Managers
- City Planners, Waste, and Facility Management Professionals
- Corporate and Product Sustainability Managers Renewable Energy Sales Associates
- Compliance Managers
- General and Operations Managers
- Strategy Consultant
- Transportation, Storage, and Distribution Managers
- Sourcing & Procurement Manager
- Sustainability Manager
- Sustainability Disclosure Specialist
- Principal Sustainability Analyst
How to Build a Career in Sustainability
Building a career in sustainability means pursuing a wide array of opportunities and paths at your disposal. As mentioned previously, careers in sustainability can vary, so entering a role in the engineering field means a more hands-on learning approach would be beneficial, while other roles in other fields might require a more textbook approach. Deciding which direction you want to go and what function you want to perform in sustainability helps you set the course for what training and education you need to pursue.
Sustainability also plays a huge role across different industries and organizations in meeting social impact goals and improving internal efficiency. It is quickly evolving from being a trend to being the foundational way companies operate. Having a specified area of expertise doesn’t mean you can’t incorporate sustainability knowledge and skills into your business acumen, it means the exact opposite.
Coupling a sustainability background with an industry-specific background helps boost your long-term potential in your career since sustainability is such an important and popular initiative for most of today’s industries. This also makes sustainability an important tool not just for sustainability-specific professionals, but for anyone looking to make an impact or align themselves in the direction their organization is shifting towards.
A career in sustainability begins with pursuing a quality education in sustainability. Obtaining a degree or certification helps you gain the skills you’ll need in sustainability and also helps you stay relevant and competitive in the job market. Again, a career in sustainability can look different for everybody. Whether you’re beginning your career or looking to upskill and add more relevant skills, pursuing additional education in sustainability only empowers you.
Outlook of Sustainability Careers
The sustainability field, while still new, is a growing one thanks to the growth in environmentally-minded and socially conscious consumer markets. Vanderbilt University has prioritized sustainability in its operations, with a goal to achieve carbon neutrality and zero waste by 2050. Vanderbilt has implemented several sustainability initiatives on campus, including sustainable transportation options, green building practices with the construction of LEED-certified buildings, the installation of solar panels, and sustainable food procurement.
Many research studies and reports classify sustainability careers and roles as “green jobs” when reporting them due to the environmental nature of the positions. According to LinkedIn’s Global Green Skills Report 2022, green entrepreneurship is growing faster than overall entrepreneurship worldwide. LinkedIn also found job postings requiring green skills grew at 8% annually over the past five years, the share of green talent has grown at just 6% per year over the same period, indicating a shortage of workers as demand continues to grow.
This growth in demand paves the way for professionals across roles and industries to learn new skills and leverage sustainability initiatives to potentially transform organizations’ capabilities and efficiency to be better suited to meeting sustainability goals.
The Vanderbilt Business and UBC Sauder online Global Certificate in Corporate Sustainability course is designed to provide participants with the foundation for gaining skills and knowledge needed in today’s corporate sustainability industry and for professionals looking to advance their skillsets and make an impact in their organizations. Enroll today and experience the difference in education.
*National long-term projections may not reflect local and/or short-term economic or job conditions, and do not guarantee actual job growth. The information provided is not intended to represent a complete list of hiring companies or job titles, and program options do not guarantee career or salary outcomes. Students should conduct independent research for specific employment information.