Corporate responsibility and sustainability practitioner

Corporate responsibility and sustainability practitioners make sure that businesses work in an ethical way.

Also known as: Corporate responsibility administrator, sustainability officer

• Starter salary£24,000 a year
• Experienced£50,000 a year
• Typical hours35 to 39 a week
• Green jobYes

What you'll do

In this job, you could:

• plan a corporate responsibility and sustainability strategy for your company
• persuade internal departments, partners and community groups of the benefits of your plans
• assess the likely impact of your organisation's projects
• stay up to date with policy and legislation and promote best practice
• manage a budget
• write internal and external communications

Working environment

You could work in the community, from home or in an office.

Skills and knowledge you'll need

You'll need:

• the ability to use your initiative
• leadership skills
• the ability to come up with new ways of doing things
• the ability to work well with others
• excellent verbal communication skills
• business management skills
• persistence and determination
• customer service skills
• to be able to use a computer and the main software packages confidently

How to become a corporate responsibility and sustainability practitioner

You can get into this job through:

• a university course
• a college course
• an apprenticeship

University

You could do a degree or postgraduate qualification that includes units on corporate responsibility and sustainability, for example:

• environment and sustainability
• energy and engineering
• transport and logistics
• economics
• community development
• business management

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

• 2 to 3 A levels, or equivalent, for a degree
• a degree in any subject for a postgraduate course

College

You could take a course in environmental sustainability or business management.

This may help you get some of the knowledge and skills you need to apply for trainee or apprenticeship roles.

Entry requirements

Entry requirements for these courses vary.

Apprenticeship

You could begin by doing a:

• Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability Practitioner Level 4 Higher Apprenticeship
• Sustainability Business Specialist Level 7 Degree Apprenticeship

These apprenticeships can take between 2 and 3 years to complete.

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

• 4 or 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C) and A levels, or equivalent, for a higher or degree apprenticeship

Volunteering

An understanding of the role of sustainability is highly valued by employers and you may have an advantage if you have experience of fundraising, working with volunteers or volunteering yourself.

You can find opportunities through the National Council for Voluntary Organisations and Do IT .

Restrictions and requirements

You may need a driving licence for some jobs.

Career path and progression

You could work for private companies, non-government organisations, charities or public bodies.

With experience you could move to more senior positions either within your own organisation or by switching to a larger company.

You might also work as a consultant, specialising in particular regulatory areas, such as net zero, modern slavery, or social and environmental impact assessments.

Professional and industry bodies

You could join the Institute of Sustainability and Environmental Professionals (ISEP) or Institute of Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability (ICRS) to:

• gain professional recognition
• find training opportunities
• make industry contacts

Guides for this industry

• Environmental Sciences: pay, interviews and getting started →

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Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0