How to become a Sustainability Specialist
Official title: Sustainability Specialists
Also called: Campus Energy Coordinator, Energy and Sustainability Strategic Advisor, Sustainability Advisor, Sustainability Champion, Sustainability Consultant, Sustainability Coordinator, Sustainability Specialist, Sustainable Design Champion, Sustainable Design Consultant, Sustainable Design Coordinator
Address organizational sustainability issues, such as waste stream management, green building practices, and green procurement plans.
Main tasks
- Develop sustainability project goals, objectives, initiatives, or strategies in collaboration with other sustainability professionals.
- Monitor or track sustainability indicators, such as energy usage, natural resource usage, waste generation, and recycling.
- Assess or propose sustainability initiatives, considering factors such as cost effectiveness, technical feasibility, and acceptance.
- Provide technical or administrative support for sustainability programs or issues.
- Review and revise sustainability proposals or policies.
- Develop reports or presentations to communicate the effectiveness of sustainability initiatives.
- Create or maintain plans or other documents related to sustainability projects.
- Collect information about waste stream management or green building practices to inform decision makers.
How to become one
Typical education to start: Bachelor's degree
Ways in
- Apprenticeship: Sustainability Specialists (Nof).
- College: Business & Commerce degrees, Offered by 35 universities in the US
Pay · Outlook · AI and this job
- Median pay: $83,050 a year The middle half earn $62,640 to $114,010.
- About 1,157,600 people work in this job now, and about 1,202,300 are projected by 2035. (+3.9%)
- 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 Sustainability Specialist?
Ways in include: Business & Commerce degrees; Sustainability Specialists (Nof).
How much does a Sustainability Specialist earn in the US?
Median full-time pay is $83,050 a year (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics). The middle half earn $62,640 to $114,010.
Is a Sustainability Specialist a growing career in the US?
Yes. Employment is projected to grow 4% by 2035, from about 1,157,600 to about 1,202,300 people (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics).
Do you need a degree to become a Sustainability Specialist?
Not always. 57% of people in this job hold a bachelor's degree or higher. Ways in include: Business & Commerce degrees; Sustainability Specialists (Nof).
Will AI change the work of a Sustainability Specialist?
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 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.