RecordMove

Sustainability manager to environmental 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.

Fig. 1 · Skill transfer ESCO v1.2.1 · directional

From sustainability manager

Distant match

To environmental expert

15 You already bring

20 Still to learn

49 Skills in the target role2

Learning distance Substantial retraining

73.4/ 100

adjacentmoderatesubstantialcareer change

1 How much of what an environmental expert is expected to do is already part of a sustainability manager’s work. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs, because moving into a speciality is not the same problem as moving out of one. 2 Every skill the environmental expert role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.

Why

Why this move works

An environmental expert role treats 10 of its required skills as things a sustainability manager already does. You would walk in with these on day one.

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. An 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 may need to learn

The 34 missing skills fall into 10 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered in the order worth working in. Areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the optional ones. Nothing here is a verdict on you: it is a list of what this particular job asks for that your current one does not.

Skill to pick up Tier

01 communication, collaboration and creativity 6 required, 3 supplementary

still to learn provide training in sustainable tourism development and management required
still to learn advise on chemical use reduction required
still to learn advise on environmental remediation required
still to learn advise on pollution prevention required
still to learn create solutions to problems required
still to learn 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

still to learn investigate pollution required
still to learn measure pollution required
still to learn perform environmental investigations required
still to learn report pollution incidents required
still to learn 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

still to learn develop environmental policy required
still to learn develop environmental remediation strategies required

optional, not held assess environmental plans against financial costs optional

04 business, administration and law 2 required

still to learn ecosystem management required
still to learn pollution legislation required

05 engineering, manufacturing and construction 1 required, 3 supplementary

still to learn 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

still to learn 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 an 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 pick up Tier

07 handling and moving 1 required, 1 supplementary

still to learn collect samples for analysis required

optional, not held work with chemicals optional

08 assisting and caring 1 required

still to learn carry out environmental audits required

09 education 1 required

still to learn scientific research methodology required

10 constructing 1 supplementary

optional, not held inspect industrial equipment optional

14 supplementary skills, helpful but not required

Skill to pick up 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 pick up Tier

still to learn ecosystem management required
still to learn environmental threats required
still to learn pollution legislation required
still to learn pollution prevention required
still to learn 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

FAQ

Common questions about this move

Can a sustainability manager become an environmental expert?

Yes, and it is a substantial move. A sustainability manager already covers 32% of what an environmental expert is expected to do: 15 skills carry over, 10 of which the environmental expert role treats as required.

What skills does a sustainability manager need to become an environmental expert?

20 required skills are missing, plus 14 optional ones. They fall into 10 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by communication, collaboration and creativity. The single most important is ecosystem management.

How hard is the move from sustainability manager to environmental expert?

Its learning distance is 73.4 out of 100, which is the substantial band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.

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.