Chief Sustainability Officer Job Description

A Chief Sustainability Officer leads how the company manages its environmental and social impact. They set the sustainability strategy, own ESG reporting, and drive targets on energy, emissions, waste, safety and community. The role connects sustainability to business value and to what investors and regulators now expect. A good CSO sets credible targets, delivers measurable improvements, produces accurate ESG reports, and embeds sustainability into how each function operates rather than leaving it as a side project.

Detail	For this role
Department	Leadership and Senior Management
Level	Leadership
Reports to	Chief Executive Officer
Direct reports	ESG Manager, Sustainability Analyst, EHS Coordinator
Experience	12+ years in sustainability, EHS or a related field, with senior leadership experience

Chief Sustainability Officer job description template

Copy this job description, replace the text in square brackets and post it on your careers page or a job portal.

Job title: Chief Sustainability Officer

Department: Leadership and Senior Management

Reports to: Chief Executive Officer

Location: [City], [office, branch or site]

About the role

Key responsibilities

Set the sustainability and ESG strategy, and get targets approved by the board.
Own ESG reporting for investors and regulators, and keep the data accurate and auditable.
Drive targets on energy, emissions, water and waste across sites and operations.
Work with operations and supply chain to cut environmental impact and cost together.
Lead health, safety and environment programmes, and track incidents and improvements.
Build responsible sourcing standards, and assess suppliers against them.
Run community and social programmes, and measure their outcomes.
Keep the company aligned with environmental and ESG disclosure requirements.
Train and engage employees so sustainability becomes part of daily work.
Report ESG performance and risks to the leadership team and board.

Requirements

Degree in environmental science, engineering or a related field
Sustainability or ESG certification is an advantage
Experience running sustainability or EHS programmes
12+ years in sustainability, EHS or a related field, with senior leadership experience

KRAs and KPIs for a Chief Sustainability Officer

Key result areas for the appraisal form, each with a KPI you can measure every month or quarter.

Key result area	How to measure it
Emissions	Emissions or energy intensity reduced to the target for the year
ESG reporting	ESG report published on time with accurate, auditable data
Waste and water	Waste and water targets met across the agreed sites
Safety	Reportable safety incidents reduced to the agreed level
Responsible sourcing	Key suppliers assessed against ESG standards on schedule
Compliance	Environmental and disclosure obligations met with no major findings

Skills and tools

Sustainability strategyESG reportingCarbon and energy managementEnvironment health and safetyResponsible sourcingStakeholder engagementData and disclosureProgramme management

Tools used day to day: ESG reporting software, Carbon accounting tools, MS Excel, EHS management systems, Audit checklists.

Reporting line and career path

Moves up from: ESG Manager, Head of EHS, Sustainability Lead
Next roles: Chief Operating Officer, Chief Risk Officer

Interview questions for a Chief Sustainability Officer

How would you set credible emissions targets that the business can actually hit?
How do you make sure ESG data is accurate enough to survive an audit?
How do you turn sustainability from a cost into something that also saves money?
Walk me through how you would assess our suppliers on ESG.
How do you get operations teams to own sustainability rather than resist it?
How do you prepare the company for tighter ESG disclosure requirements?

Managing a Chief Sustainability Officer in ZeniaHR

AttendanceOffice based on a General shift with regular visits to plants and sites for audits and EHS reviews. A web punch from the office network or a mobile app punch on site visits is enough. Keep attendance rules lenient.LeavePlan leave away from the ESG reporting season and external assessment windows. Record time off in the leave calendar so the ESG and EHS team know who signs off on data and site actions while the CSO is away.Performance and KRAsReview against emissions, reporting, safety and compliance targets. Set the KRAs above as weighted goals in an annual [review cycle](/hrms/features/performance/), with a quarterly review of the sustainability metrics and audit actions.

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Frequently asked questions

What does a Chief Sustainability Officer do?

A Chief Sustainability Officer leads the company's environmental and social strategy. They set ESG targets, own ESG reporting, drive improvements in energy, emissions, waste and safety, build responsible sourcing standards, and keep the company aligned with disclosure rules. Their job is to reduce impact, meet investor and regulator expectations, and connect sustainability to business value.

Why do companies appoint a Chief Sustainability Officer?

Companies appoint a Chief Sustainability Officer as investors, customers and regulators demand credible action and disclosure on environmental and social impact. Having one senior owner makes ESG a real business priority rather than a side project. The role also helps manage risks like energy cost, resource scarcity and reputation, and finds savings alongside impact reductions.

What qualifications does a Chief Sustainability Officer need?

Most hold a degree in environmental science, engineering or a related field, with long experience in sustainability, ESG or environment health and safety programmes. A sustainability or ESG certification helps. The role also needs strong data and reporting skills and the ability to work across operations, supply chain and finance.