As organisational awareness of the importance and necessity to be sustainable continues to increase, so too does the need for senior management and human resources to understand the required skill sets, experience, and competencies of the individuals who can best develop, deliver and lead this strategy and vision. In collaboration with Business in the Community, Acre has drawn up example job descriptions and competency guides for the Sustainability Lead. These should be seen as templates rather than definitive guides, but they are symbolic of the current market for Sustainability Professionals.

1. The Changing Profile of the Sustainability Lead
By Acre Resources
&
Business in the Community
The Changing Profile of the
Sustainability Lead

2. Sustainability as necessity
As organisational awareness of the importance and
necessity to be sustainable continues to increase, so too
does the need for senior management and human resources
to understand the required skill sets, experience, and
competencies of the individuals who can best develop,
deliver and lead this strategy and vision.
The Changing Profile of the
Sustainability Lead

3. Sustainability is evolving
To get to the holy grail of sustainable business, the impact
risk, opportunity and potential for organisations through
sustainability must be understood, challenged, realigned
and developed, over and over again. Indeed we have
observed over the last 8 or so years a change in the
seemingly simple use of language; the evolution from the
widely accepted term ‘corporate social responsibility’, to
‘CR’, to the currently recognised ‘sustainability’.
The Changing Profile of the
Sustainability Lead

4. The three phases of sustainability
We’ve identified that three phases have so far emerged…
1. The Reactive Phase
2. The Proactive Phase
3. The Opportunity Phase
The Changing Profile of the
Sustainability Lead

5. The Reactive Phase
The Reactive Phase, where there is a definite recognition of
a need to engage in sustainability issues but a great deal of
uncertainty and lack of expertise at board level.
• CSR is often seen as a cost or a ‘nice to have’ rather than
core to business strategy.
The Changing Profile of the
Sustainability Lead

6. The Proactive Phase
The Proactive Phase, where the business case for CR has
been established and approved and has senior level buy in
and support.
• Where there is a development of a clear vision of CR aims
which are aligned with the organisation’s culture and
aspirations.
The Changing Profile of the
Sustainability Lead

7. The Opportunity Phase
The Opportunity Phase, where sustainability is considered a
valuable part of corporate strategy and is embedded deep
within the organisation.
• This third phase is where typically we see a move from
‘commitment’ to ‘action’; the Sustainability Lead is a
member of the Board or C-Suite. This phase has recently
been exemplified by a number of high profile
organisations’ appointment of a Chief Sustainability
Officer (CSO).
The Changing Profile of the
Sustainability Lead

8. Different skills and competencies
By necessity, these different stages require different skills
and competencies from a leader.
We have drawn up some example job descriptions and
competency guides for the Sustainability Lead at each
phase.
These should be seen as templates rather than definitive
and, as ever, they come with the caveat that although
currently relevant and applicable, they’ll change quickly as
we navigate into the next phase.
The Changing Profile of the
Sustainability Lead

9. CR Practitioner Competency Map
The Changing Profile of the
Sustainability Lead

10. Reactive Phase:
Corporate Social Responsibility Manager
The Changing Profile of the
Sustainability Lead

11. Corporate Social Responsibility Manager
Role objective
• To determine the organisation’s corporate objectives for
CSR providing expertise, advice and direction.
Responsibilities
• To develop an effective CSR programme encompassing
environment, workplace, community and marketplace
issues that will deliver agreed CSR targets
• To establish a mechanism and strategy to engage
employees
The Changing Profile of the
Sustainability Lead

12. Corporate Social Responsibility Manager
• To understand industry standards for measurement and
establish CSR performance indicators to bring the
organisation in line
• To develop and author an annual CSR report that
provides clear direction on strategy, delivery and
performance
• To establish charity partnership programmes and develop
relationships with key business contacts within partners
• To act as the main point of contact for Business in the
Community
• To manage the company’s Business in the Community CR
Index submission
The Changing Profile of the
Sustainability Lead

13. Corporate Social Responsibility Manager
• To engage internal stakeholders and establish a network
of CSR Champions within the organisation
• To establish a CSR Steering Group within the organisation
• To ensure effective communication methods are in place
to communicate business ethics, CSR targets and
performance
• To attend relevant industry events
• To act as the knowledge leader and expert for CSR
The Changing Profile of the
Sustainability Lead

14. Corporate Social Responsibility Manager
Skills and experience
• Previous CSR experience within a corporate environment
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively with
business heads and department leaders
• Excellent written and verbal communications skills
• Excellent organisational and project skills
The Changing Profile of the
Sustainability Lead

15. Corporate Social Responsibility Manager
Key competencies
Data Gathering - Gathers data, analyses issues and breaks
them down into their component parts. Makes systematic
and rational judgements based upon relevant information.
Engages Others - Makes it easy for people to get involved
in CR activities. Fosters the long term learning and
development of others in order to make CR part of
everyone’s knowledge and skill set.
The Changing Profile of the
Sustainability Lead

16. Corporate Social Responsibility Manager
Operational - Ensures the CR strategy goals are met by
bringing the strategy to life and building CR into business as
usual activities.
Organises and schedules events, activities and resources.
Sets up and monitors schedules, timescales and plans.
In particular, is able to bring the CSR strategy to life using
personal conversations, organising CSR activities and
actively linking new/existing activity to CSR.
The Changing Profile of the
Sustainability Lead

17. Corporate Social Responsibility Manager
Technical Expert - Seeks to understand the technical
aspects of CSR work. Continually seeks out best practice to
maintain technical currency and identify new approaches.
The Changing Profile of the
Sustainability Lead

18. Corporate Social Responsibility Manager
KPIs
• Employee Engagement score, particularly in relation to
CSR measures
• Quality of Carbon measurement (Scope and Reliability)
• CR Report distribution and use
• Number of employees volunteering in CSR initiatives
• Number of CSR Champions
• Ethical policy compliance
• CR Index performance
The Changing Profile of the
Sustainability Lead

19. Corporate Social Responsibility Manager
Reporting lines
• CSR Manager reports into Director of HR / HSE /
Corporate Affairs
• No direct reports
• Shared administrative support function
Salary
£50,000 + benefits
The Changing Profile of the
Sustainability Lead

20. Proactive Phase:
Corporate Responsibility Director
The Changing Profile of the
Sustainability Lead

21. Corporate Responsibility Director
Role objective
• To develop, fine tune and implement the corporate
responsibility strategy to focus on community impact,
engaging staff and customers, and to reinforce the
brand’s ethical stance and profile.
The Changing Profile of the
Sustainability Lead

22. Corporate Responsibility Director
Responsibilities
• To clearly articulate, internally and externally, the
organisation’s CR values and approach, widening the CR
issues base
• To develop and implement an effective community
strategy which engages staff, uses and develops the core
talents of the organisation, makes a positive contribution
to communities in which the organisation operates, and
builds external profile
The Changing Profile of the
Sustainability Lead

23. Corporate Responsibility Director
• To develop, communicate and manage an employee
volunteering and employee giving programme to achieve
high levels of employee participation
• To develop, communicate and implement environmental
strategy
• To manage/coordinate/engage a third party in the
measurement of the organisation’s carbon strategy;
footprint, consumption, response to legislation, and
reporting on results
• To determine and communicate the organisation’s
carbon and waste reduction targets and strategy, and
ensure progress is monitored and reported
The Changing Profile of the
Sustainability Lead

24. Corporate Responsibility Director
• To develop and instigate a behavioural change strategy
to raise employee awareness of carbon and waste
reduction at work and at home
• To assess the validity of the charity partnerships
programme against corporate strategy and review,
developing, where appropriate, new partnerships or
initiative frameworks to ensure meaningful and impactful
partnerships deliver value to both partners and
compliment charity/NGO and corporate strategy
• To establish a robust framework to measure and report
on social return on investment
The Changing Profile of the
Sustainability Lead

25. Corporate Responsibility Director
• To work with procurement to develop and implement a
sustainable procurement strategy and influence the CR
performance of the supply chain and deliver on the
organisation’s CR commitments
• To write the content for the CR Annual Report
supporting the brand and delivering world class reporting
• To manage the CR budget
• To manage CR Team and key relationships with other
department Directors and business heads
The Changing Profile of the
Sustainability Lead

26. Corporate Responsibility Director
Skills and experience
• Educated to degree level (or equivalent) ideally with a CR
related post graduate qualification
• Solid understanding of CR issues and of the social and
political environment
• Strategic thinker who is able to translate strategy into
robust plans with clear deliverables
• Proven track record of partnership working, project
management and the successful delivery of CR
programmes
The Changing Profile of the
Sustainability Lead

27. Corporate Responsibility Director
• Proven experience in delivering and managing change
through organisations
• Proven track record of understanding CR measurement
metrics including the implementation of a robust data
management approach
• Ability to see how CR goals fit within and enhance
corporate strategy
• Demonstrable ability to understand risk avoidance
(financial and reputational) and commercial awareness to
use CR to save and make money
• Previous experience reporting into Board level
The Changing Profile of the
Sustainability Lead

28. Corporate Responsibility Director
• Previous budgetary experience
• Demonstrable management and personnel development
ability
Key competencies
Collaboration - Works cooperatively with colleagues and
partners to build consensus and deliver desired outcomes
for the organisation.
The Changing Profile of the
Sustainability Lead

29. Corporate Responsibility Director
Communication - Communicates clearly and in a
compelling manner to both individuals and groups. Uses
appropriate communication tools, style and language for
the audience. Inspires others to get involved in CR related
activities.
Influence — Gains support for the CR agenda by persuading
and convincing others. Understands others and influences
them in a way that results in acceptance, agreement or
behaviour change. In particular, is able to clearly articulate
the business case for CR.
The Changing Profile of the
Sustainability Lead

30. Corporate Responsibility Director
Organisational Awareness - Understands the business.
Identifies who the real decision makers are and the
individuals who can influence them. Predicts how new
events or situations will affect individuals and groups within
the organisation.
Organisational Commitment - Willing to align own
behaviour with the needs, priorities and goals of the
organisation, and acting in ways that promote
organisational needs.
The Changing Profile of the
Sustainability Lead

31. Corporate Responsibility Director
Strategic - Demonstrates a broad based view of issues,
events and activities and sees their longer term impact or
implications. Identifies patterns and connections between
situations to identify underlying issues in complex situations.
The Changing Profile of the
Sustainability Lead

32. Corporate Responsibility Director
KPIs
• People engaged in internal speaking opportunities
• Stakeholders engaged through external communication
opportunities
• Value of external exposure as a result of CR
• Carbon reduction and resulting costs saved
• Waste reduction
• ‘Clean’ environmental audit
• Community Investment and return on that investment
(for the business and beneficiaries)
The Changing Profile of the
Sustainability Lead

33. Corporate Responsibility Director
• Improvement in Employee Engagement score,
particularly in relation to CR measures
• Budget management
• Risks mitigated using CR
• Employee giving
• Employee volunteering and connection to performance
of volunteers
• % of suppliers complying with procurement policies
(including audit compliance)
• Number of employees volunteering in CR initiatives
The Changing Profile of the
Sustainability Lead

34. Corporate Responsibility Director
• Number of CR champions (Senior Management and
other staff levels)
• CR Index performance
• Use and distribution of CR report
Reporting lines
• CR Director reports into the Board
• Direct management of CR Team (2-4 people)
• Project lead of large cross functional teams on specific
projects
The Changing Profile of the
Sustainability Lead

35. Corporate Responsibility Director
• Budgetary management and reporting
Salary
£80,000 + bonus + benefits
The Changing Profile of the
Sustainability Lead

36. Opportunity Phase:
Chief Sustainability Officer
The Changing Profile of the
Sustainability Lead

37. Chief Sustainability Officer
Role objective
• To explore activities that will make a significant
difference to shareholder value whilst at the same time
reviewing the company’s management of sustainability
impacts and risks to reputation.
Responsibilities
• To look for initiatives that, on their own or in total,
represent a strategic opportunity
• Revenue generation
• Acquisitions
The Changing Profile of the
Sustainability Lead

38. Chief Sustainability Officer
• New financing opportunities
• Major cost savings, particularly around energy efficiency
• To review and enhance the business structure, often
separating out a ‘green products’ portfolio
• To incorporate the drivers of change into an executive
remuneration system
• To change the reporting structure so that the
sustainability function reports directly to the CEO
• To review and enhance the business structure, often
separating out a ‘green products’ portfolio
• To incorporate the drivers of change into an executive
remuneration system
The Changing Profile of the
Sustainability Lead

39. Chief Sustainability Officer
• To change the reporting structure so that the
sustainability function reports directly to the CEO
• To introduce the latest analytical tools to assess the
organisation’s performance in the future business arena
• To identify partnerships, outsourcing and collaboration
opportunities; these may include:
— Exploring the possibility of outsourcing energy management to
an ESCO
— Pioneering collaborations with competitors to form voluntary
industry standards to reduce industry business risks
— Partnering with NGOs to give consumer confidence in the supply
chain
The Changing Profile of the
Sustainability Lead

40. Chief Sustainability Officer
— Engaging in constructive dialogue with policy makers to reduce
uncertainty in the policy framework
• To engage with key stakeholders to work to:
— Introduce enhanced training for managers across the
organisation
— Communicate the benefits of the organisation’s forward-facing
strategy to financial analysts
— Build reputational capital
The Changing Profile of the
Sustainability Lead

41. Chief Sustainability Officer
Skills and experience
• Rounded commercial skill set with a developed
combination of operational and business issues
• The ability to analyse operational and product risk as well
as consumer and shareholder drivers leading to new
opportunities in changing markets
• A strong grasp of technology innovation
• The ability to express a vision that articulates impact on
an organisation’s financial statements
• Previous and demonstrable experience using analytical
tools and commercial language
The Changing Profile of the
Sustainability Lead

42. Chief Sustainability Officer
• The ability to form a close relationship with the FD/CFO
• The credibility to engage with policy makers to shape
policy and understand how policy frameworks will unfold
• The leadership and inspirational ability to engage the
organisation and people in the ‘journey’
• The gravitas and media awareness to manage a
company’s reputation; communicating with stakeholders
and tailoring messages specific to shareholders, lenders,
employees, neighbours, governments and members of
the value chain
The Changing Profile of the
Sustainability Lead

43. Chief Sustainability Officer
Key CSR competencies
Collaboration - Works cooperatively with colleagues and
partners to build consensus and deliver desired outcomes
for the organisation.
Influence — Gains support for the CSR agenda by
persuading and convincing others. Understands others and
influences them in a way that results in acceptance,
agreement or behaviour change. In particular, motivates
others to achieve desirable CSR outcomes.
The Changing Profile of the
Sustainability Lead

44. Chief Sustainability Officer
Integrity - Walks the talk by acting in a way that is
consistent with their values and what they say. Builds
credibility and trust through being open and honest about
success and failure.
Organisational Commitment - Willing to align own
behaviour with the needs, priorities and goals of the
organisation, and acting in ways that promote
organisational needs.
The Changing Profile of the
Sustainability Lead

45. Chief Sustainability Officer
Self Confident - Shows belief in your capability to
accomplish a task and select an effective approach to a task
or problem.
Strategic - Demonstrates a broad based view of issues,
events and activities and sees their longer term impact or
implications. Identifies patterns and connections between
situations to identify underlying
issues in complex situations.
The Changing Profile of the
Sustainability Lead

46. Chief Sustainability Officer
KPIs
• Value of external exposure as a result of sustainability
• Value of the organisation’s sustainable business
reputation
• Carbon reduction and resulting costs saved
• Waste reduction
• Community investment and return on that investment
(for the business and beneficiaries)
• Budget management
• New business as a result of sustainability strategy
The Changing Profile of the
Sustainability Lead

47. Chief Sustainability Officer
• Reduction of cost in financing because of CSR
• Public Policy influence
• Senior Management Team’s performance appraised on
their sustainability metrics
• Risks mitigated using sustainability strategy
• % of suppliers complying with procurement policies
(including audit compliance)
• Number of sustainability champions (Senior Management
and other staff levels)
• Use and distribution of sustainability report
The Changing Profile of the
Sustainability Lead

48. Chief Sustainability Officer
• Innovation arising from organisational expertise in
sustainability
Reporting lines
• CSO is a member of the Board or C-Suite
• CSO links the Board to the Director of Corporate Affairs,
the Director of HR, the Director of HSE, and the Director
of Corporate Responsibility
The Changing Profile of the
Sustainability Lead

49. Chief Sustainability Officer
Salary
£200,000 + benefits
The Changing Profile of the
Sustainability Lead

50. Contact information
Please feel free to visit our websites and download the job
descriptions.
If you have any comments or would like to contribute to our
works in progress, or indeed would like to discuss how
Business in the Community and Acre can support your
business in terms of strategy consulting or recruitment,
please do get in touch.
www.bitc.org.uk
www.acre-resources.com
The Changing Profile of the
Sustainability Lead