Sustainability Specialist

Also called: Building Performance Specialist, Campus Energy Coordinator, Energy Analyst, Energy and Sustainability Strategic Advisor, Green Consultant

jobs advertised

courses available

Varies

estimated salary

Sustainability specialists address organizational sustainability issues, such as waste stream management, green building practices, and green procurement plans.

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.
Research or review regulatory, technical, or market issues related to sustainability.
Identify or investigate violations of natural resources, waste management, recycling, or other environmental policies.
Identify or create new sustainability indicators.
Create marketing or outreach media, such as brochures or Web sites, to communicate sustainability issues, procedures, or objectives.
Identify or procure needed resources to implement sustainability programs or projects.
Write grant applications, rebate applications, or project proposals to secure funding for sustainability projects.

Work Context

Electronic Mail — 100% responded "Every day".
Telephone — 72% responded "Every day".
Face-to-Face Discussions — 60% responded "Every day".
Work With Work Group or Team — 53% responded "Very important".
Structured versus Unstructured Work — 57% responded "Some freedom".
Contact With Others — 44% responded "Constant contact with others".
Spend Time Sitting — 57% responded "More than half the time".

Work Activities

Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates — Providing information to supervisors, co-workers, and subordinates by telephone, in written form, e-mail, or in person.
Getting Information — Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.
Developing Objectives and Strategies — Establishing long-range objectives and specifying the strategies and actions to achieve them.
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships — Developing constructive and cooperative working relationships with others, and maintaining them over time.
Making Decisions and Solving Problems — Analyzing information and evaluating results to choose the best solution and solve problems.
Analyzing Data or Information — Identifying the underlying principles, reasons, or facts of information by breaking down information or data into separate parts.
Communicating with Persons Outside Organization — Communicating with people outside the organization, representing the organization to customers, the public, government, and other external sources. This information can be exchanged in person, in writing, or by telephone or e-mail.
Interacting With Computers — Using computers and computer systems (including hardware and software) to program, write software, set up functions, enter data, or process information.

Processing Information — Compiling, coding, categorizing, calculating, tabulating, auditing, or verifying information or data.

Provide Consultation and Advice to Others — Providing guidance and expert advice to management or other groups on technical, systems-, or process-related topics.

Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards — Using relevant information and individual judgment to determine whether events or processes comply with laws, regulations, or standards.

Developing and Building Teams — Encouraging and building mutual trust, respect, and cooperation among team members.

Documenting/Recording Information — Entering, transcribing, recording, storing, or maintaining information in written or electronic/magnetic form.

Monitor Processes, Materials, or Surroundings — Monitoring and reviewing information from materials, events, or the environment, to detect or assess problems.

Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work — Developing specific goals and plans to prioritize, organize, and accomplish your work.

Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge — Keeping up-to-date technically and applying new knowledge to your job.

Training and Teaching Others — Identifying the educational needs of others, developing formal educational or training programs or classes, and teaching or instructing others.

Thinking Creatively — Developing, designing, or creating new applications, ideas, relationships, systems, or products, including artistic contributions.

Selling or Influencing Others — Convincing others to buy merchandise/goods or to otherwise change their minds or actions.

Interpreting the Meaning of Information for Others — Translating or explaining what information means and how it can be used.

Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events — Identifying information by categorizing, estimating, recognizing differences or similarities, and detecting changes in circumstances or events.

Scheduling Work and Activities — Scheduling events, programs, and activities, as well as the work of others.

Estimating the Quantifiable Characteristics of Products, Events, or Information — Estimating sizes, distances, and quantities; or determining time, costs, resources, or materials needed to perform a work activity.

Guiding, Directing, and Motivating Subordinates — Providing guidance and direction to subordinates, including setting performance standards and monitoring performance.

Monitoring and Controlling Resources — Monitoring and controlling resources and overseeing the spending of money.

Judging the Qualities of Things, Services, or People — Assessing the value, importance, or quality of things or people.

Coaching and Developing Others — Identifying the developmental needs of others and coaching, mentoring, or otherwise helping others to improve their knowledge or skills.

Resolving Conflicts and Negotiating with Others — Handling complaints, settling disputes, and resolving grievances and conflicts, or otherwise negotiating with others.

Coordinating the Work and Activities of Others — Getting members of a group to work together to accomplish tasks.

Performing Administrative Activities — Performing day-to-day administrative tasks such as maintaining information files and processing paperwork.

Detailed Work Activities

Establish organizational guidelines or policies.
Research issues related to the environment or sustainable business practices.
Investigate legal issues.
Research issues related to the environment or sustainable business practices.
Prepare proposal documents.
Advise others on business or operational matters.

Administration and Management

Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.

Law and Government

Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.

Education and Training

Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.

Reading Comprehension

Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.

Writing

Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.

Speaking

Talking to others to convey information effectively.

Active Listening

Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.

Critical Thinking

Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.

Judgment and Decision Making

Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.

Complex Problem Solving

Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.

Monitoring

Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.

Systems Evaluation

Identifying measures or indicators of system performance and the actions needed to improve or correct performance, relative to the goals of the system.

Coordination

Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.

Active Learning

Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.

Persuasion

Persuading others to change their minds or behavior.

Social Perceptiveness

Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.

Learning Strategies

Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.

Systems Analysis

Determining how a system should work and how changes in conditions, operations, and the environment will affect outcomes.

Negotiation

Bringing others together and trying to reconcile differences.

Instructing

Teaching others how to do something.

Time Management

Managing one's own time and the time of others.

Written Comprehension

The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.

Written Expression

The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.

Written Expression

The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.

Written Comprehension

The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.

Oral Comprehension

The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.

Oral Expression

The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.

Oral Comprehension

The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.

Oral Expression

The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.

Inductive Reasoning

The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).

Deductive Reasoning

The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.

Deductive Reasoning

The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.

Inductive Reasoning

The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).

Speech Clarity

The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.

Speech Clarity

The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.

Problem Sensitivity

The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem.

Problem Sensitivity

The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem.

Information Ordering

The ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).

Information Ordering

The ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).

Originality

The ability to come up with unusual or clever ideas about a given topic or situation, or to develop creative ways to solve a problem.

Originality

The ability to come up with unusual or clever ideas about a given topic or situation, or to develop creative ways to solve a problem.

Fluency of Ideas

The ability to come up with a number of ideas about a topic (the number of ideas is important, not their quality, correctness, or creativity).

Fluency of Ideas

The ability to come up with a number of ideas about a topic (the number of ideas is important, not their quality, correctness, or creativity).

Speech Recognition

The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.

Speech Recognition

The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.

Category Flexibility

The ability to generate or use different sets of rules for combining or grouping things in different ways.

Category Flexibility

The ability to generate or use different sets of rules for combining or grouping things in different ways.

Near Vision

The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).

Near Vision

The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).

Mathematical Reasoning

The ability to choose the right mathematical methods or formulas to solve a problem.

Mathematical Reasoning

The ability to choose the right mathematical methods or formulas to solve a problem.

People interested in this work like activities that include ideas, thinking, and figuring things out.

They do well at jobs that need:

Achievement/Effort

Persistence

Initiative

Leadership

Cooperation

Concern for Others

Social Orientation

Self Control

You might use software like this on the job:

Document management software

Adobe Systems Adobe Acrobat

Spreadsheet software

Microsoft Excel

Office suite software

Microsoft Office

Get started on your career:

New job opportunities are very likely in the future.

Find a job

Sustainability Specialist

Explore CalifjoSearch

Find a job

Explore CalifjoSearch

Modal Window