· 19 min read
As the leading platform for sustainability information and data, we are proud to equip our global community with some of the best opportunities to drive the sustainable transition.
The roles featured in this review—including several exclusive postings—are sourced directly from our partner companies, the many Chief Sustainability Officers working with illuminem, and our 1,500+ illuminem Voices, the world’s largest expert network in sustainability.
To make this review truly valuable, we have complemented the listings with our unique analysis of the executive sustainability job market. In addition, each employer is transparently presented through the lens of its sustainability maturity—the universal methodology pioneered by illuminem and endorsed by leading industry figures. This provides the most comprehensive and forward-looking view of corporate sustainability performance, freely available to all.
We invite more organizations to share their own job openings with our community (contact us!). And please enjoy this month’s spotlight roles and insights on executive sustainability careers!
Spotlight insights
Sustainability hiring is accelerating, driven by multinational corporates in consumer, apparel, energy, and food (think Logitech, Visa, LEGO, Patagonia, Nestlé, Siemens). By contrast, consulting firms appear less active in the job market.
Average sustainability maturity among hiring companies still falls short of 50% (based on illuminem’s transparent methodology, endorsed by industry leaders), meaning that most of today’s employers still have the widest margin for decarbonization. At the same time, Data Hub™ shows that most new executives will lead teams of fewer than five sustainability staff, confirming that even at hiring companies, sustainability teams are not significantly expanding.
Across geographies, roles are heavily concentrated in US and European HQs—especially New York and Central Europe—yet increasingly paired with strategic “regional” mandates in SEA, LatAm, and Africa. In Europe, data- and disclosure-heavy roles dominate, while communications-driven sustainability jobs are more frequent outside Europe.
In terms of skills, persuasion of boards and CFOs emerges as the hidden superpower across nearly every job description. Energy transition expertise is also on the rise, while AI is beginning to appear—such as the “Head of AI for Sustainability” role at KPMG—though for now it remains more of a nice-to-have than a core requirement.
Among negative trends, mainly in banking, we notice that several new CSO positions have been downgraded in organizational centrality.
Finally, across functions, four skill clusters stand out:
- ESG reporting & data (MSCI, Deloitte, Wärtsilä, Hamlyn Williams)
- Strategy & transformation leadership (Visa, LEGO, Ørsted, Siemens Energy, ERM)
- Stakeholder engagement & communications (WWF, Climeworks, Weber Shandwick, OPEC)
- Operations & technical depth in EHS, carbon removal, mining, agriculture, and product circularity (Boliden, Patagonia, Carhartt, ON, FAO).
The executive-level sustainability roles you shouldn’t miss in September 2025
1. Logitech - Senior Sustainability Manager
🌎 Location: Cork, Ireland 🇮🇪
🌱 Sustainability Maturity: 76%
🏢 Industry: Consumer Goods
👤 Role: Leads end-to-end ESG regulatory disclosures, transforming complex data into clear, stakeholder-ready reports while strengthening reporting systems and cross-functional collaboration
2. Environmental Resources Management (ERM) - Partner, Supply Chain Sustainability and Strategy, Central Europe
🌎 Location: Germany 🇩🇪
🌱 Sustainability Maturity: 75%
🏢 Industry: Corporate Services
👤 Role: Drives commercial growth of sustainability advisory services across Europe, leading client engagements on ESG strategy, performance, compliance, and organizational transformation
3. Free People - Director of Sustainability & Social Impact
🌎 Location: Philadelphia, USA 🇺🇸
🌱 Sustainability Maturity: 26%
🏢 Industry: Retail
👤 Role: Leads sustainable product initiatives by partnering with cross-functional teams to identify impact opportunities, ensure accurate product classification, and support broader sustainability goals and impact reporting
4. Capital Fund Management - Head of Sustainability
🌎 Location: Paris, France 🇫🇷
🏢 Industry: Finance
👤 Role: Lead, develop, and monitor corporate sustainability initiatives, ensure regulatory compliance, and drive engagement with stakeholders in alignment with the firm’s business goals
5. SB Energy - Director EHS and Sustainability
🌎 Location: San Francisco, USA 🇺🇸
💶 Salary: $146,000 - $163,000 EUR/yr
🏢 Industry: Energy and Mining
👤 Role: Oversees EHS and Sustainability operations, ensuring environmental compliance and performance of solar projects while driving process improvements and managing third-party partners
6. Climeworks - VP Communications
🌎 Location: Zurich, Switzerland 🇨🇭
🏢 Industry: Energy and Mining
👤 Role: Leads strategic communications, PR, branding, and crisis response to position the company as a climate innovation leader, while aligning internal and external messaging and managing a multidisciplinary team and agency partners
7. InPlanet - Chief Operating Officer
🌎 Location: São Paolo, Brazil 🇧🇷
🏢 Industry: Energy and Mining
👤 Role: Drives operations and go-to-market strategy to scale mineral-based carbon removal, aligning science, field execution, and commercial growth
8. Climate Social Club - Co-Founder
🌎 Location: Salzburg, Austria 🇦🇹
🏢 Industry: Corporate Services
👤 Role: The Co-Founder will be co-responsible for leading the organization’s growth, developing and implementing strategic plans, managing daily operations, and forming partnerships
9. Tract - Sustainability Manager - Climate
🌎 Location: Amsterdam, Netherlands 🇳🇱
🏢 Industry: Corporate Services
👤 Role: Drive industry alignment on sustainability metrics and methodologies across food and agricultural supply chains and lead the technical work to define and align actionable metrics and methodologies for carbon
10. Morgan Stanley Capital International (MSCI) - Sustainability Model Validation Lead (VP)
🌎 Location: Budapest, Hungary 🇭🇺
🌱 Sustainability Maturity: 44%
🏢 Industry: Finance
👤 Role: Leads development and execution of a sustainability model validation framework, managing a team to ensure rigorous, transparent, and compliant model performance and continuous improvement
11. Weber Shandwick - SVP Sustainability (Corporate & Public Affairs)
🌎 Location: Brussels, Belgium 🇧🇪
🏢 Industry: Corporate Services
👤 Role: Leads and grows a client portfolio of Fortune 500 organizations, providing strategic advisory, managing teams, driving business development, and ensuring financial performance and industry leadership
12. Ramboll - Head of Sustainability – Transport UK&I
🌎 Location: England 🏴
🌱 Sustainability Maturity: 70%
🏢 Industry: Transportation and Logistics
👤 Role: Leads and implements sustainability strategy for the transport sector, guiding teams and shaping senior client relationships while influencing policy to position Ramboll as a strategic advisor
13. Fairlife - Director, Sustainability
🌎 Location: Chicago, USA 🇺🇸
🌱 Sustainability Maturity: 58%
💶 Salary: $137,000 - $154,200 EUR/yr
🏢 Industry: Consumer Goods
👤 Role: Leads and executes sustainability strategies across the supply chain, driving environmental impact reduction, EPR compliance, stakeholder engagement, and sustainability reporting
14. Carhartt - Senior Manager, Sustainability
🌎 Location: Dearborn, USA 🇺🇸
🏢 Industry: Retail
👤 Role: Leads development and alignment of sustainability strategy, guiding cross-functional teams and driving organizational progress on sustainability impact and innovation
15. Adidas - Senior Director Sustainability
🌎 Location: Bavaria, Germany 🇩🇪
🌱 Sustainability Maturity: 57%
🏢 Industry: Consumer Goods
👤 Role: As Senior Director Sustainability, you will play a critical role in defining the direction for Sustainability & ESG, and you will lead the execution of our environmental Sustainability program, ensuring delivery against key KPIs and targets in close collaboration across all functions
16. World Meteorological Organization (WMO) - Senior Director - Department of Earth System and Data Prediction
🌎 Location: Geneva, Switzerland 🇨🇭
🌱 Sustainability Maturity: 28%
💶 Salary: $110,012 - $207,592 EUR/yr
🏢 Industry: Energy and Mining
👤 Role: Leads and implements sustainability strategy for the transport sector, guiding teams and shaping senior client relationships while influencing policy to position Ramboll as a strategic advisor
17. Darwin Hawkins - Sustainability Director – Climate & Carbon Strategy
🌎 Location: Dublin, Ireland 🇮🇪
🏢 Industry: Corporate Services
👤 Role: You will play a key leadership role in the firm’s Advisory division, leading delivery across complex projects, shaping strategic initiatives, and mentoring a growing team
18. Dassault Systèmes - Sustainability & Business Development Expert
🌎 Location: île-de-france, France 🇫🇷
🏢 Industry: Software and IT Services
👤 Role: Serve as a commercial ambassador driving adoption of sustainability solutions, collaborating across teams to position ESG transformation as a strategic growth driver for clients and the business
19. Hamlyn Williams - Sustainability Data Controller
🌎 Location: Amsterdam, Netherlands 🇳🇱
🏢 Industry: Finance
👤 Role: Lead sustainability accounting and data management to ensure transparent ESG reporting and support strategic and regulatory goals across a diverse infrastructure portfolio
20. Deloitte - Manager - ESG Data & Transformation
🌎 Location: Milan, Italy 🇮🇹
🌱 Sustainability Maturity: 53%
🏢 Industry: Finance
👤 Role: Lead and support a team in ESG data and transformation projects for financial clients, driving business development and innovative strategy aligned with market trends and regulations
21. The Lego Group - Senior Director - Head of Sustainable Operations
🌎 Location: Billund, Denmark 🇩🇰
🌱 Sustainability Maturity: 44%
🏢 Industry: Consumer Goods
👤 Role: Lead and inspire global teams to develop and implement innovative sustainability strategies across operations, driving cultural change, partnerships, and measurable environmental impact reduction
22. Innomotics - Head of EHS Governance
🌎 Location: Frenštát pod Radhoštěm, Czech Republic 🇨🇿
🏢 Industry: Manufacturing
👤 Role: Lead global EHS strategy and governance to promote a Zero Harm culture, ensure regulatory compliance, manage risks, and drive health and safety initiatives across multiple international operations
23. J.S. Held - Country Manager – EHS / Sustainability
🌎 Location: Wiesbaden, Germany 🇩🇪
🏢 Industry: Corporate Services
👤 Role: Drive growth and market presence for EHS/Sustainability services in Germany by leading business development, client relationships, and a high-performing team aligned with global strategy
24. DSM-Firmenich - Senior Director Sustainable Operations Expertise
🌎 Location: Paris, France 🇫🇷
🏢 Industry: Manufacturing
👤 Role: Build and lead teams to develop operational and sustainability capabilities, driving energy transition programs, lifecycle analysis, and cross-industry sustainability initiatives aligned with company strategy
25. Klynveld Peat Marwick Goerdeler (KPMG) - ESG Advisory Head of AI for Sustainability
🌎 Location: Amstelveen, Netherlands 🇳🇱
🌱 Sustainability Maturity: 53%
🏢 Industry: Software and IT Services
👤 Role: Lead the global strategy and execution of ESG AI solutions, driving innovation, alignment, and scalable impact across member firms to enhance client services and profitability
26. The Lego Group - Senior Director, Circular Business Models
🌎 Location: Billund, Denmark 🇩🇰
🌱 Sustainability Maturity: 44%
🏢 Industry: Consumer Goods
👤 Role: Drive the strategic development and execution of circular business models, leading cross-functional innovation and teams to extend product life and advance the circular economy
27. On - Senior Lead – Sustainability Design
🌎 Location: Zurich, Switzerland 🇨🇭
🏢 Industry: Consumer Goods
👤 Role: Lead the integration of sustainability into design processes by driving cross-functional collaboration to embed sustainable thinking from concept to execution
28. CB Richard Ellis (CBRE) - Sustainability Director
🌎 Location: Dallas, USA 🇺🇸
🌱 Sustainability Maturity: 74%
🏢 Industry: Corporate Services
👤 Role: Lead the development and execution of sustainability strategies for investor clients, aligning with global ESG standards and client goals
29. Partnerships in Environmental Management for the Seas of East Asia (PEMSEA) - Executive Director
🌎 Location: Manila, Philippines 🇵🇭
🏢 Industry: Corporate Services
👤 Role: Provide strategic leadership to coordinate and drive the implementation of a regional sustainable development strategy for the Seas of East Asia through a multisectoral, intergovernmental partnership
30. Gensler - Sustainability Director
🌎 Location: Chicago, USA 🇺🇸
🏢 Industry: Construction
👤 Role: Your focus will be to shape sustainable project outcomes while positioning Gensler as a leader in climate action and resilience
31. The World Resources Institute (WRI) - Lead, Economics of Climate and Green Growth
🌎 Location: India 🇮🇳
🏢 Industry: Corporate Services
👤 Role: Lead research and strategy at the intersection of climate and development, guiding teams and partners to deliver impactful insights for India’s green economic transition
32. Terraformation - Senior Corporate Counsel
🌎 Location: USA 🇺🇸
💶 Salary: $130,000 - $150,000 EUR/yr
🏢 Industry: Energy and Mining
👤 Role: Determine and resolve a wide range of legal issues related to structuring, financing, funding, and implementing reforestation projects around the world
33. Oceansvision - Senior Program Director
🌎 Location: USA 🇺🇸
💶 Salary: $140,000 - $185,000 EUR/yr
🏢 Industry: Corporate Services
👤 Role: Bring strategic leadership and vision to our cutting-edge work in the marine ecosystem repair program
34. Atlassian - Director, Sustainability Governance
🌎 Location: Seattle, USA 🇺🇸
🌱 Sustainability Maturity: 59%
🏢 Industry: Software and IT Services
💶 Salary: $125,170 - $181,369 EUR/yr
👤 Role: This is a high-impact role at the intersection of sustainability, compliance, and governance, shaping how Atlassian meets evolving regulatory requirements
35. Siemens Energy - Senior Strategy Manager Decarbonization & Sustainability
🌎 Location: Berlin, Germany 🇩🇪
🌱 Sustainability Maturity: 36%
🏢 Industry: Energy and Mining
👤 Role: Shape the future of Gas Services by leading the charge on decarbonization and sustainability initiatives
36. Neko London - Sustainability Strategist
🌎 Location: London, England 🏴
💶 Salary: $55,000 - $75,000 EUR/yr
🏢 Industry: Corporate Services
👤 Role: Advice on sustainability strategy whilst also leading with clients and internal teams on the delivery of ESG and integrated reporting
37. Arctic Business - Co-Founder
🌎 Location: Norrbotten County, Sweden 🇸🇪
🏢 Industry: Consumer Goods
👤 Role: As our Tech Co-Founder, you will be responsible for the technical development of our products and processes. You’ll be working hands-on with material R&D, product testing, and scaling production methods — while shaping the technical strategy of the company
38. United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) - Chief, Sustainable Energy and Just Transitions
🌎 Location: Vienna, Austria 🇦🇹
🏢 Industry: Energy and Mining
👤 Role: Lead and manage energy and climate programs to support sustainable industrial development, strengthen partnerships, mobilize funding, and oversee results in alignment with global commitments
39. Marble - Founder in Residence, Energy Flexibility
🌎 Location: Paris, France 🇫🇷
🏢 Industry: Software and IT Services
👤 Role: We are looking for a seasoned operator, an entrepreneurial engineer, or a power industry insider who can bring a creative take on this problem. Your mission: to create a high-impact company with Marble
40. Nestlé - Sustainability Executive
🌎 Location: Bandar Utama, Malaysia 🇲🇾
🌱 Sustainability Maturity: 66%
🏢 Industry: Consumer Goods
👤 Role: Lead and coordinate ESG data systems and support sustainability projects, communication, and reporting to drive impact within the market and align with global initiatives
41. Cushman & Wakefield - Senior Consultant Sustainability & ESG
🌎 Location: Berlin, Germany 🇩🇪
🌱 Sustainability Maturity: 38%
🏢 Industry: Real Estate
👤 Role: Drive sustainable impact in the real estate market together with investors, tenants and network of partners
42. Neustark - Senior Account Executive for Carbon Storage Solutions
🌎 Location: Vienna, Austria 🇦🇹
🏢 Industry: Energy and Mining
👤 Role: Drive sales and business development for carbon storage solutions by building executive relationships, leading the sales cycle, and expanding the market in collaboration with leadership
43. Blue Forest - Director of Partnerships and Project Expansion
🌎 Location: USA 🇺🇸
💶 Salary: $131,920 EUR/yr
🏢 Industry: Finance
👤 Role: Oversee the portfolio of launched Forest Resilience Bonds (FRBs) and other ecosystem restoration conservation finance projects, where active restoration is ongoing and finance is being deployed to support the pace and scale of work
44. Land Trust Alliance - Chief Operating Officer
🌎 Location: Washington D.C., USA 🇺🇸
🏢 Industry: Finance
👤 Role: The COO drives enterprise-wide operational strategy, performance management, and organizational effectiveness. This role ensures that internal systems, infrastructure, risk management, and talent capabilities are fully aligned with the organization’s mission and future direction
45. Klynveld Peat Marwick Goerdele (KPMG) - Director (MPA) Technology, Sustainability, and Innovation
🌎 Location: UK 🇬🇧
🌱 Sustainability Maturity: 53%
🏢 Industry: Corporate Services
👤 Role: Grow, deliver and lead our MPA business, working with our leadership team, client organisations and other KPMG teams to develop our offerings and value propositions
46. Wärtsilä - Sustainability Officer
🌎 Location: Kampen, Netherlands 🇳🇱
🌱 Sustainability Maturity: 49%
🏢 Industry: Manufacturing
👤 Role: Drive sustainability initiatives across reporting, compliance, circularity, and emissions reduction, while leading internal boards, promoting best practices, and identifying cost-saving and business opportunities
47. GEA Group - Head of Sustainability
🌎 Location: Oelde, Germany 🇩🇪
🌱 Sustainability Maturity: 62%
🏢 Industry: Manufacturing
👤 Role: Develop sustainability strategies within the Business Unit Separators, and drive internal change management, report on KPIs, and manage stakeholder engagement to support corporate sustainability goals
48. Patagonia - Director of Merchandising & Planning
🌎 Location: Amsterdam, Netherlands 🇳🇱
🌱 Sustainability Maturity: 44%
🏢 Industry: Consumer Goods
👤 Role: Lead the regional product strategy and inventory management to drive long-term brand positioning, quality growth, and financial health across EMEA
49. PT Renewables - Head of Sustainability
🌎 Location: London, England 🏴
🏢 Industry: Energy and Mining
💶 Salary: $90,000 EUR/yr
👤 Role: As Head of Sustainability, you will set the strategic direction for the consultancy’s Energy & Sustainability services, ensuring best-in-class delivery for clients across multiple sectors. This is a senior leadership position that blends strategy, technical expertise, and people leadership
50. Ørsted - Head of Corporate Strategy
🌎 Location: London, England 🏴
🌱 Sustainability Maturity: 60%
🏢 Industry: Corporate Services
👤 Role: Drive the corporate strategic agenda and ‘connecting the dots’ by formulating and supporting the execution of our corporate strategy
51. World Meteorological Organization (WMO) - Chief - Joint Climate and Health Office
🌎 Location: Geneva, Switzerland 🇨🇭
🌱 Sustainability Maturity: 28%
💶 Salary: $163,984 EUR/yr
🏢 Industry: Health Care
👤 Role: Lead WMO’s global climate-health initiatives, partnerships, and teams to drive innovative solutions addressing climate-related health risks worldwide
52. Wikimedia Foundation - Engineering Manager, Security and Privacy
🌎 Location: EU 🇪🇺
🏢 Industry: Software and IT Services
👤 Role: Lead the security and privacy engineering group in our Product Safety and Security team, and to advise the Foundation on security and privacy issues
53. Signet Jewelers - VP of Sustainability & Social Impact
🌎 Location: Irvin, USA 🇺🇸
🌱 Sustainability Maturity: 48%
🏢 Industry: Consumer Goods
👤 Role: Develop and execute strategies to reduce the environmental impacts of Signet’s buildings, operations and events, as well as its responsible sourcing initiatives
54. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) - Chief, Livestock Innovation, Climate and Post Harvesting Solutions Branch
🌎 Location: Rome, Italy 🇮🇹
🏢 Industry: Health Care
👤 Role: Lead FAO’s sustainable livestock transformation efforts through strategic guidance, technical expertise, resource management, and global stakeholder engagement
55. World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) - Senior Director, Climate Communications
🌎 Location: Washington D.C., USA 🇺🇸
🌱 Sustainability Maturity: 37%
💶 Salary: $123,748 - $177,918 EUR/yr
🏢 Industry: Corporate Services
👤 Role: Lead strategic climate communications at WWF to amplify climate initiatives, align messaging across teams, and elevate visibility through media, events, and stakeholder engagement
56. Statkraft - VP Sustainability Reporting
🌎 Location: Oslo, Norway 🇳🇴
🌱 Sustainability Maturity: 46%
🏢 Industry: Energy and Mining
👤 Role: The function shall ensure standardisation, high quality, and efficient processes related to sustainability reporting, in addition to supporting business areas and other support functions
57. Industrial Electric Manufacturing (IEM) - Director of Environmental, Sustainability, and Governance
🌎 Location: Jacksonville, USA 🇺🇸
🏢 Industry: Manufacturing
👤 Role: Drive enterprise-wide emissions reduction strategies across company-owned facilities, fleets, and energy consumption
58. International Finance Corporation (IFC) - Senior Environmental and Social Development
🌎 Location: Manila, Philippines 🇵🇭
🌱 Sustainability Maturity: 34%
🏢 Industry: Finance
👤 Role: Lead environmental and social due diligence, portfolio oversight, and advisory initiatives for high-impact infrastructure investments, ensuring IFC standards and advancing sustainable risk management practices
59. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) - Natural Resources Management Officer
🌎 Location: Ankara, Turkey 🇹🇷
🏢 Industry: Corporate Services
👤 Role: Lead and support investment operations in food security, rural development, and natural resource management, while providing technical expertise, capacity building, and policy guidance
60. Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) - Director of the Andean Region - Infrastructure and Energy
🌎 Location: Bogota, Colombia 🇨🇴 or Lima, Peru 🇵🇪
🏢 Industry: Finance
👤 Role: Lead and oversee strategic infrastructure and energy project development, execution, and client relationships across the Andean region to drive operational impact and business growth
61. Egon Zehnder - Head of Sustainability
🌎 Location: Zurich, Switzerland 🇨🇭
🌱 Sustainability Maturity: 31%
🏢 Industry: Corporate Services
👤 Role: Lead global sustainability strategy, ensure regulatory compliance, manage projects and teams, and embed sustainability into business operations across multiple offices
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