Table 1Transition record

sustainability managertoenvironmental expert

A sustainability manager already meets 32% of what the environmental expert role asks for. The move turns on 20 required skills not yet in the profile.

From sustainability manager

32%

Overlap1

To environmental expert

15 Skills carried over

20 Required, not held

73.4 Difficulty2

Career overlap Distant match

32%

Learning distance Substantial retraining

73.4/ 100

Easy adjacentmoderatesubstantialcareer change Hard

1 Share of the environmental expert role’s weighted skill requirement already met by the sustainability manager profile. Required skills count in full, supplementary skills at 0.35. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs. 2 Combines what is missing with how specialised it is, so a gap of general skills scores easier than the same number of narrow ones.

Why

Why this move works

A environmental expert role treats 10 of its required skills as things a sustainability manager already does. These are the ones it depends on most.

advise on carbon emissions reduction
alternative energy
alternative fuels
analyse environmental data
assess environmental impact
environmental legislation

What stands in the way is 20 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.

Table 2

Table 2 · What you already bring

Of the 15 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A environmental expert role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a sustainability manager background worth leading with.

Skill the target role also needs Area

already held environmental management standards engineering, manufacturing and construction
already held environmental economics social sciences, journalism and information
already held advise on carbon emissions reduction communication, collaboration and creativity
already held alternative fuels natural sciences, mathematics and statistics
already held carry out training in environmental matters communication, collaboration and creativity
already held green building standards engineering, manufacturing and construction

All 15 carried skills, including the 10 the environmental expert role treats as required.

Table 3

Table 3 · What you would need to learn

The 34 missing skills fall into 10 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered below in the order worth working in: the areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the supplementary ones.

Skill to acquire Tier

01 communication, collaboration and creativity 6 required, 3 supplementary

required, not held provide training in sustainable tourism development and management required
required, not held advise on chemical use reduction required
required, not held advise on environmental remediation required
required, not held advise on pollution prevention required
required, not held create solutions to problems required
required, not held report on environmental issues required

optional, not held liaise with engineers optional
optional, not held liaise with local authorities optional
optional, not held write scientific publications optional

02 information skills 5 required, 3 supplementary

required, not held investigate pollution required
required, not held measure pollution required
required, not held perform environmental investigations required
required, not held report pollution incidents required
required, not held conduct environmental surveys required

optional, not held manage land resources permits optional
optional, not held apply scientific methods optional
optional, not held perform scientific research optional

03 management skills 2 required, 1 supplementary

required, not held develop environmental policy required
required, not held develop environmental remediation strategies required

optional, not held assess environmental plans against financial costs optional

04 business, administration and law 2 required

required, not held ecosystem management required
required, not held pollution legislation required

05 engineering, manufacturing and construction 1 required, 3 supplementary

required, not held pollution prevention required

optional, not held marine energy optional
optional, not held watershed development optional
optional, not held environmental engineering optional

06 natural sciences, mathematics and statistics 1 required, 2 supplementary

required, not held environmental threats required

optional, not held coastal management optional
optional, not held habitat restoration optional

4 further areas in the appendix

Table 4

Table 4 · Where to start

The 3 entries a environmental expert role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.

Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.

Appendix

Appendix · The rest of the record

All 15 skills that carry over

Skill Type

already held advise on carbon emissions reduction skill
already held alternative energy knowledge
already held alternative fuels knowledge
already held analyse environmental data skill
already held assess environmental impact skill
already held environmental legislation knowledge
already held environmental management standards knowledge
already held environmental policy knowledge
already held green building standards knowledge
already held resource-efficient technologies knowledge
already held carry out training in environmental matters skill
already held environmental design knowledge
already held environmental economics knowledge
already held monitor manufacturing impact skill
already held promote environmental awareness skill

The 4 learning areas not shown above

Skill to acquire Tier

07 handling and moving 1 required, 1 supplementary

required, not held collect samples for analysis required

optional, not held work with chemicals optional

08 assisting and caring 1 required

required, not held carry out environmental audits required

09 education 1 required

required, not held scientific research methodology required

10 constructing 1 supplementary

optional, not held inspect industrial equipment optional

14 supplementary skills, helpful but not required

Skill to acquire Tier

optional, not held coastal management optional
optional, not held habitat restoration optional
optional, not held manage land resources permits optional
optional, not held marine energy optional
optional, not held watershed development optional
optional, not held apply scientific methods optional
optional, not held assess environmental plans against financial costs optional
optional, not held environmental engineering optional
optional, not held inspect industrial equipment optional
optional, not held liaise with engineers optional
optional, not held liaise with local authorities optional
optional, not held perform scientific research optional
optional, not held work with chemicals optional
optional, not held write scientific publications optional

73 held skills the environmental expert role does not ask for

Skill Type

not needed by the target role advise on corporate social responsibility skill
not needed by the target role advise on environmental risk management systems skill
not needed by the target role advise on public relations skill
not needed by the target role advise on sustainability solutions skill
not needed by the target role advise on sustainable management policies skill
not needed by the target role advise on waste management procedures skill
not needed by the target role analyse business requirements skill
not needed by the target role analyse supply chain strategies skill
not needed by the target role apply procedures and regulations for eco-labelling skill
not needed by the target role apply systemic design thinking skill
not needed by the target role assess supplier risks skill
not needed by the target role assess the life cycle of resources skill
not needed by the target role by-products knowledge
not needed by the target role carry out energy management of facilities skill
not needed by the target role chemistry knowledge
not needed by the target role circular economy knowledge
not needed by the target role climate change impact knowledge
not needed by the target role communication principles knowledge
not needed by the target role conduct energy audit skill
not needed by the target role conduct qualitative research skill
not needed by the target role conduct quantitative research skill
not needed by the target role conduct research on food waste prevention skill
not needed by the target role coordinate environmental efforts skill
not needed by the target role corporate social responsibility knowledge
not needed by the target role corporate sustainability knowledge
not needed by the target role design indicators for food waste reduction skill
not needed by the target role develop food waste reduction strategies skill
not needed by the target role develop hazardous waste management strategies skill
not needed by the target role develop recycling programs skill
not needed by the target role emission standards knowledge
not needed by the target role energy conservation knowledge
not needed by the target role energy efficiency knowledge
not needed by the target role energy market knowledge
not needed by the target role ensure compliance with environmental legislation skill
not needed by the target role environmental management monitors knowledge
not needed by the target role evaluate company needs skill
not needed by the target role forecast organisational risks skill
not needed by the target role global standards for sustainability reporting knowledge
not needed by the target role green automotive technologies knowledge
not needed by the target role green bonds knowledge

33 further entries not listed here

10 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice

Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.

Skill to acquire Tier

required, not held ecosystem management required
required, not held environmental threats required
required, not held pollution legislation required
required, not held pollution prevention required
required, not held scientific research methodology required
optional, not held coastal management optional
optional, not held habitat restoration optional
optional, not held marine energy optional
optional, not held watershed development optional
optional, not held environmental engineering optional

Index

Other moves recorded from sustainability manager

Full index of moves from sustainability manager

Note

How this record was compiled

Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.