Sustainability manager to recycling specialist
A sustainability manager already meets 36% of what the recycling specialist role asks for. The move turns on 14 required skills not yet in the profile.
64.6/ 100
1 How much of what a recycling specialist 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 recycling specialist role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A recycling specialist role treats 8 of its required skills as things a sustainability manager already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- advise on waste management procedures
- circular economy
- develop recycling programs
- ensure compliance with environmental legislation
- environmental legislation
- manage recycling program budget
What stands in the way is 14 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.
Table 2 · What you already bring
Of the 13 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A recycling specialist 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.
- already held manage recycling program budget management skills
- already held develop recycling programs management skills
- already held train staff to reduce food waste communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held conduct research on food waste prevention information skills
- already held design indicators for food waste reduction information skills
- already held develop food waste reduction strategies management skills
All 13 carried skills, including the 8 the recycling specialist role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 23 missing skills fall into 7 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.
- still to learn update licenses required
- still to learn carry out environmental audits required
- still to learn ensure compliance with waste legislative regulations required
- still to learn obtain relevant licenses required
- still to learn oversee quality control required
- optional, not held manage health and safety standards optional
- still to learn inspect recycling procedures required
- still to learn maintain recycling records required
- still to learn monitor legislation developments required
- still to learn build business relationships required
- still to learn train staff on recycling programs required
- optional, not held educate on recycling regulations optional
- optional, not held manage contracts optional
- optional, not held use different communication channels optional
- still to learn coordinate shipments of recycling materials required
- still to learn identify new recycling opportunities required
- optional, not held arrange equipment repairs optional
- optional, not held ensure equipment availability optional
- optional, not held recruit employees optional
- still to learn follow recycling collection schedules required
- optional, not held follow procedures to control substances hazardous to health optional
- still to learn hazardous waste storage required
1 further area in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a recycling specialist role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 inspect recycling procedures practise this
- 02 update licenses practise this
- 03 build business relationships practise this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 13 skills that carry over
- already held advise on waste management procedures skill
- already held circular economy knowledge
- already held develop recycling programs skill
- already held ensure compliance with environmental legislation skill
- already held environmental legislation knowledge
- already held manage recycling program budget skill
- already held promote environmental awareness skill
- already held waste management knowledge
- already held analyse environmental data skill
- already held conduct research on food waste prevention skill
- already held design indicators for food waste reduction skill
- already held develop food waste reduction strategies skill
- already held train staff to reduce food waste skill
The 1 learning area not shown above
- optional, not held operate recycling processing equipment optional
9 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held arrange equipment repairs optional
- optional, not held educate on recycling regulations optional
- optional, not held follow procedures to control substances hazardous to health optional
- optional, not held ensure equipment availability optional
- optional, not held manage contracts optional
- optional, not held manage health and safety standards optional
- optional, not held operate recycling processing equipment optional
- optional, not held recruit employees optional
- optional, not held use different communication channels optional
75 held skills the recycling specialist role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role advise on carbon emissions reduction skill
- 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 alternative energy knowledge
- not needed by the target role alternative fuels knowledge
- 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 environmental impact 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 carry out training in environmental matters skill
- not needed by the target role chemistry 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 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 develop hazardous waste management strategies 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 environmental design knowledge
- not needed by the target role environmental economics knowledge
- not needed by the target role environmental management monitors knowledge
- not needed by the target role environmental management standards knowledge
- not needed by the target role environmental policy 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
35 further entries not listed here
1 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice
Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.
- still to learn hazardous waste storage required
Common questions about this move
Can a sustainability manager become a recycling specialist?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. A sustainability manager already covers 36% of what a recycling specialist is expected to do: 13 skills carry over, 8 of which the recycling specialist role treats as required.
What skills does a sustainability manager need to become a recycling specialist?
14 required skills are missing, plus 9 optional ones. They fall into 7 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by assisting and caring. The single most important is inspect recycling procedures.
How hard is the move from sustainability manager to recycling specialist?
Its learning distance is 64.6 out of 100, which is the substantial band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.
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.