# Chief Sustainability Officers

> Communicate and coordinate with management, shareholders, customers, and employees to address sustainability issues. Enact or oversee a corporate sustainability strategy.

- Edition: Data verified Nov 2026 · CollegesRef 2026–27 edition
- Page: https://www.collegesref.com/careers/chief-sustainability-officers
- SOC code: 11-1011.03
- Career family: Management
- Median annual pay: $213,990 (10th percentile $75,700, 90th percentile $507,730)
- Projected growth: As fast as average, +3.2%
- Openings a year: 19,100
- Typical entry education: Bachelor's degree
- Bright outlook: no
- Data years: BLS 2025 wages · 2025–35 projections
- Pay and outlook are for the broader BLS group "Chief executives".

## Interest profile (code EIC)

| Interest area | Score (0–100) |
| --- | ---: |
| Realistic (R) | 17 |
| Investigative (I) | 63 |
| Artistic (A) | 25 |
| Social (S) | 43 |
| Enterprising (E) | 95 |
| Conventional (C) | 58 |

## What you'd do

- Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates (importance 95/100)
- Getting Information (importance 95/100)
- Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships (importance 92/100)
- Making Decisions and Solving Problems (importance 91/100)
- Developing Objectives and Strategies (importance 88/100)
- Communicating with People Outside the Organization (importance 87/100)
- Interpreting the Meaning of Information for Others (importance 86/100)
- Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work (importance 84/100)
- Thinking Creatively (importance 83/100)
- Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge (importance 83/100)

## Skills

Critical Thinking, Writing, Active Listening, Complex Problem Solving, Reading Comprehension, Speaking, Judgment and Decision Making, Persuasion, Social Perceptiveness, Systems Analysis

## Knowledge

English Language, Administration and Management, Law and Government, Communications and Media, Building and Construction, Customer and Personal Service, Education and Training, Economics and Accounting, Sales and Marketing, Transportation

## Also called

Chief Environmental Commitment Officer (CECO), Chief Green Officer (CGO), Chief Sustainability Officer (CSO), Climate Change and Sustainability Manager, Corporate Sustainability Manager, Corporate Sustainability Process Manager, CSR and Sustainability VP (Corporate Social Responsibility and Sustainability Vice President), Energy and Sustainability Manager, Energy Sustainability Manager, Energy, Sustainability, and Infrastructure Manager

## Majors that lead here (NCES CIP–SOC crosswalk, 4-digit CIP)

- [Business Administration, Management and Operations](https://www.collegesref.com/programs/5202) (CIP 5202, 2,372 colleges)
- [Business/Commerce, General](https://www.collegesref.com/programs/5201) (CIP 5201, 975 colleges)
- [Finance and Financial Management Services](https://www.collegesref.com/programs/5208) (CIP 5208, 924 colleges)
- [Entrepreneurial and Small Business Operations](https://www.collegesref.com/programs/5207) (CIP 5207, 919 colleges)
- [Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods](https://www.collegesref.com/programs/5213) (CIP 5213, 631 colleges)
- [International Business](https://www.collegesref.com/programs/5211) (CIP 5211, 569 colleges)
- [Public Administration](https://www.collegesref.com/programs/4404) (CIP 4404, 482 colleges)

## Colleges with strong outcomes (College Scorecard, 2025)

| College | Program | Earnings 1 yr | Earnings 4 yrs | Median debt |
| --- | --- | ---: | ---: | ---: |
| [Washington University in St Louis WUSTL](https://www.collegesref.com/college/washington-university-in-st-louis-wustl-3172) | Finance and Financial Management Services | $108,590 | $185,551 | $20,750 |
| [Carnegie Mellon University](https://www.collegesref.com/college/carnegie-mellon-university-406) | Business Administration, Management and Operations | $97,419 | $160,783 | $19,000 |
| [University of Notre Dame-South Bend IN](https://www.collegesref.com/college/university-of-notre-dame-south-bend-in-3005) | Finance and Financial Management Services | $141,543 | $160,313 | $19,500 |
| [Georgetown University-DC](https://www.collegesref.com/college/georgetown-university-dc-1068) | International Business | not reported | $159,452 | $13,500 |
| [New York University NYU](https://www.collegesref.com/college/new-york-university-nyu-1866) | Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods | $111,101 | $158,559 | $13,250 |
| [University of Pennsylvania UPENN](https://www.collegesref.com/college/university-of-pennsylvania-upenn-3009) | Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods | $125,147 | $153,279 | $11,250 |
| [Boston College](https://www.collegesref.com/college/boston-college-285) | Finance and Financial Management Services | $92,127 | $147,746 | $18,650 |
| [Wake Forest University](https://www.collegesref.com/college/wake-forest-university-3149) | Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods | not reported | $146,608 | not reported |

## Related careers

- [Sustainability Specialists](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/sustainability-specialists): $83,050 median pay
- [Climate Change Policy Analysts](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/climate-change-policy-analysts): $82,220 median pay
- [Industrial Ecologists](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/industrial-ecologists): $82,220 median pay
- [Wind Energy Development Managers](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/wind-energy-development-managers): $141,900 median pay
- [Environmental Scientists and Specialists, Including Health](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/environmental-scientists-and-specialists-including-health): $82,220 median pay
- [Urban and Regional Planners](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/urban-and-regional-planners): $89,320 median pay

## Sources

- [O*NET Database](https://www.onetcenter.org/database.html), version 31.0 (CC BY 4.0)
- [BLS Employment Projections](https://www.bls.gov/emp/tables.htm), version 2025-35, data year 2025 (Public domain (U.S. government work))
- [BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics](https://www.bls.gov/oes/tables.htm), version 2025, data year 2025 (Public domain (U.S. government work))
- [NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk](https://nces.ed.gov/ipeds/cipcode/resources.aspx?y=56), version 2020, data year 2020 (Public domain (U.S. government work))

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. CollegesRef has modified all or some of this information.