The Five Highest Paid Sustainability Roles – And How to Get Them

With environmental knowledge and skills in high demand, senior roles in sustainability are attracting increasingly generous pay cheques.

Few people work in sustainability for the salary.

It’s a career path that’s more likely to attract those with passion, purpose and a desire to make a difference.

But that doesn’t mean it isn’t possible to secure a generous remuneration package too.

Demand for skilled sustainability professionals has never been higher, with the overall number of job adverts up 91% compared to a few years ago.

As a result, the most senior leadership roles overseeing now command generous salaries.

The expectations from hiring managers for these roles is high. They all require several years of relevant experience, as well as technical qualifications in many cases. They often expect candidates to have led and managed teams too.

But meet these criteria and they offer dynamic and rewarding leadership positions with a highly competitive salary too.

To provide an insight into exactly what you can expect to earn in these roles, here’s a look at five of the best paid. Though it’s impossible to provide precise salaries, which can vary widely depending on the size of the company, the location and the scope of the role, we’ve provided the range on offer as a clue into what you can aspire to.

Note: all salaries were pulled from LinkedIn postings and will vary greatly depending on size and location of company.

1. Chief Sustainability Officer

Average salary: $186,000 to $328,000

What: There’s a reason that Chief Sustainability Officers (CSOs) can command high salaries, with responsibility for creating and executing an organisation’s overall sustainability strategy. That includes analysing current business operations to spot opportunities and risk, communicating new policies to all stakeholders and acting as ‘the face’ of sustainability at the firm.

How: There is no set route to becoming a CSO, but you’ll need 10+ years of relevant experience, preferably within the business or sector you are targeting, whether in environmental management, communications or consultancy. That experience will likely need to include time spent in leadership and managing a team too.

Top three skills: Commercial know how, influencing, and ‘big picture’ thinking (see our previous post on skills and our CSO playbook here)

2. Corporate Sustainability Vice President

Average salary: $178,000 to $203,000

What: VPs of sustainability are the driving force behind ESG policies at an organization, integrating a sustainability lens into all strategic development decisions, be it product, communications or technical. They spearhead innovation and work closely with heads across different departments to execute sustainability goals and policies with a focus on longer term impact.

How: As with the role of CSO, there’s no direct route to becoming a VP for sustainability or sustainable development, but, any candidate will need to demonstrate several years of prior experience in a leadership role with a solid grasp of both the technical and commercial elements that shape sustainability policies.

Top three skills: Innovative, the ability to motivate and inspire a team, and forward-thinking

3. Senior Environmental Consultant

Average salary: $92,000 to $149,070

What: Environmental consultants work as external support to organizations, brought in for a fixed time period on projects that require specialist environmental insight. They provide expert assessment and
advisory services for these clients on a variety of matters, from carbon reduction programmes to improving diversity and inclusion.

How: A Bachelor’s degree in a topic such as environmental sciences or environmental studies could
come in very handy. You may also need to have built up several years’ experience working internally at an organization on sustainability programmes in order to demonstrate the credibility that allows consultants to add value.

Top three skills: Highly adaptive, great at working independently and a natural problem solver

4. Director of Public Affairs

Average salary: $165,000 to $209,000

What: Public affairs directors oversee all government relations on behalf of an organization and work with various stakeholders to shape public policy related to sustainability as well as ensure compliance once it’s in force. They’re also at the helm of external communications on the topic, working to create
a positive public image.

How: Bachelor's degree in communications, public relations, journalist or political sciences. A minimum of 7-10 years of experience working in public affairs or related roles, and a proven track record of developing and executing successful public affairs strategies. A strong grasp of the regulatory landscape on sustainability.

Top three skills: Calm under pressure, excellent communication and the ability to think strategically

5. Environmental Health and Safety Director

Average salary: $120,000-$184,000

What: Environmental health and safety directors are responsible for leading programs that protect people from environmental and workplace hazards. They may also be tasked with promoting and maintaining the health and safety culture within an organisation and ensuring all safety protocols are adhered to by staff.

How: Due to its technical nature, you’ll need a bachelor’s degree in a field such as environmental health, safety engineering or occupational health and likely have around five years’ experience already working in the field in order to apply for a leadership role.

Top three skills: Attention to detail, communication and analytical mindset