How to become a Chief Sustainability Officer
Official title: Chief Sustainability Officers
Also called: Chief Sustainability Officer (CSO), Corporate Sustainability Process Manager, CSR and Sustainability VP (Corporate Social Responsibility and Sustainability Vice President), Sustainability Chancellor, Sustainability Chief, Sustainability Director, Sustainability Initiatives Vice President (Sustainability Initiatives VP), Sustainability Manager, Sustainability Programs Director, Sustainable Design Director
Communicate and coordinate with management, shareholders, customers, and employees to address sustainability issues. Enact or oversee a corporate sustainability strategy.
Main tasks
- Monitor and evaluate effectiveness of sustainability programs.
- Develop or execute strategies to address issues such as energy use, resource conservation, recycling, pollution reduction, waste elimination, transportation, education, and building design.
- Develop, or oversee the development of, sustainability evaluation or monitoring systems.
- Supervise employees or volunteers working on sustainability projects.
- Develop sustainability reports, presentations, or proposals for supplier, employee, academia, media, government, public interest, or other groups.
- Develop, or oversee the development of, marketing or outreach media for sustainability projects or events.
- Identify and evaluate pilot projects or programs to enhance the sustainability research agenda.
- Create and maintain sustainability program documents, such as schedules and budgets.
How to become one
Top executives typically need at least a bachelor's degree and considerable work experience to enter the occupation.
Typical education to start: Bachelor's degree
Read the full guide from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Ways in
- College: Business & Commerce degrees, Offered by 35 universities in the US
Pay · Outlook · AI and this job
- Median pay: $213,990 a year The middle half earn $129,540 to $356,200.
- About 291,600 people work in this job now, and about 300,900 are projected by 2035. (+3.2%)
- People already use generative AI for some of this work. Microsoft Research rates its AI applicability as medium.
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Questions people ask
How do I become a Chief Sustainability Officer?
Top executives typically need at least a bachelor's degree and considerable work experience to enter the occupation.
How much does a Chief Sustainability Officer earn in the US?
Median full-time pay is $213,990 a year (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics). The middle half earn $129,540 to $356,200.
Is a Chief Sustainability Officer a growing career in the US?
Yes. Employment is projected to grow 3% by 2035, from about 291,600 to about 300,900 people (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics).
Do you need a degree to become a Chief Sustainability Officer?
Usually. 73% of people in this job hold a bachelor's degree or higher.
Will AI change the work of a Chief Sustainability Officer?
People already use generative AI for some of this work. Microsoft Research rates its AI applicability as medium.
Sources
- Microsoft Research: Working with AI: AI applicability by occupation (2025-12-22 (built on O*NET 29.0)), CC BY 4.0, retrieved 2026-10-03
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Employment Projections (2025-35 (released 2026-08-27)), Public domain (BLS), retrieved 2026-10-03
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Occupational Outlook Handbook (2025-35 edition (published 2026-08-27)), Public domain (BLS); photographs excluded, retrieved 2026-10-03
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2025), Public domain (BLS), retrieved 2026-10-03
Updated 2026-10-03
This page includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.