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Sustainability coordinator vs sustainability specialist

The differences between sustainability coordinators and sustainability specialists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a sustainability coordinator and a sustainability specialist. Additionally, a sustainability coordinator has an average salary of $52,310, which is higher than the $49,602 average annual salary of a sustainability specialist.

The top three skills for a sustainability coordinator include data collection, employee engagement and composting. The most important skills for a sustainability specialist are HVAC, renewable energy, and logistics.

Sustainability coordinator vs sustainability specialist overview

Sustainability CoordinatorSustainability Specialist
Yearly salary$52,310$49,602
Hourly rate$25.15$23.85
Growth rate8%10%
Number of jobs9,59523,059
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 74%Bachelor's Degree, 55%
Average age4444
Years of experience44

What does a sustainability coordinator do?

A sustainability coordinator helps an organization achieve its goals when it comes to sustainability and being environmentally friendly. It is their duty to develop and support environmental programs and implement its policies and regulations in an effort to reduce environmental damages brought by an organization's operations. Moreover, they must gather and analyze data to identify which areas need improvement, conduct research to determine the ideal practices to attain sustainability, produce progress reports, and implement solutions against problem areas in adherence to the company's vision and mission.

What does a sustainability specialist do?

Sustainability specialists are professionals who are responsible for designing and executing programs on energy and resource conservation that will reduce the impact of an organization on the environment. These specialists must determine how the organization can operate in an environmentally responsible way by combining their business expertise and environmental factors. They are required to seek business solutions that will not have any adverse effect in the future by prioritizing renewable energy sources. Sustainability specialists must also help the management to make effective decisions through reports and cost-benefit analysis of proposals.

Sustainability coordinator vs sustainability specialist salary

Sustainability coordinators and sustainability specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.

Sustainability CoordinatorSustainability Specialist
Average salary$52,310$49,602
Salary rangeBetween $34,000 And $80,000Between $30,000 And $80,000
Highest paying CityNew York, NYBoston, MA
Highest paying stateNew YorkNew Jersey
Best paying companyThe Durst OrganizationMicrosoft
Best paying industryConstructionFinance

Differences between sustainability coordinator and sustainability specialist education

There are a few differences between a sustainability coordinator and a sustainability specialist in terms of educational background:

Sustainability CoordinatorSustainability Specialist
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 74%Bachelor's Degree, 55%
Most common majorEnvironmental ScienceBusiness
Most common collegeUniversity of PennsylvaniaUniversity of Pennsylvania

Sustainability coordinator vs sustainability specialist demographics

Here are the differences between sustainability coordinators' and sustainability specialists' demographics:

Sustainability CoordinatorSustainability Specialist
Average age4444
Gender ratioMale, 41.6% Female, 58.4%Male, 41.2% Female, 58.8%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 6.4% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 9.4% Asian, 8.8% White, 70.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%Black or African American, 6.4% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 9.4% Asian, 8.8% White, 70.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%
LGBT Percentage11%11%

Differences between sustainability coordinator and sustainability specialist duties and responsibilities

Sustainability coordinator example responsibilities.

  • Manage and organize all incoming/outgoing documents concerning the junior staff leadership program.
  • Develop public information programs on appropriate waste management procedures and integrate them with existing community programs.
  • Develop strategic framework and system-wide goals with supporting cross-functional team structure to streamline implementation of CSR strategy.
  • Increase production accuracy and plant efficiency by generating product availability forecasts and weekly lead-time reports to upper management.
  • Coordinate support services for individuals with developmental disabilities and their families -Determine eligibility and secure Medicaid fund services -Develop/implement treatment plans.
  • Calculated/Recommend ROI of large-value energy reduction equipment.

Sustainability specialist example responsibilities.

  • Achieve executive buy-in and trained/ supervise a team of 5 HVAC and plumbing technicians to conduct commissioning.
  • Accomplish aircraft paint refinishing procedures in accordance with OSHA state, federal and military specification.
  • Collect and report GHG, energy and water data.
  • Research the carbon neutrality of biomass in order to more accurately assess Middlebury's GHG emissions.
  • Power plant calibrations on RTD's, thermocouples, transmitters, sensors, actuators, pressure switches & control components.
  • Grant SharePoint permissions as requested to new site administrators.
  • Show more

Sustainability coordinator vs sustainability specialist skills

Common sustainability coordinator skills
  • Data Collection, 26%
  • Employee Engagement, 18%
  • Composting, 14%
  • STARS, 9%
  • Sustainability Efforts, 7%
  • Sustainability Initiatives, 4%
Common sustainability specialist skills
  • HVAC, 10%
  • Renewable Energy, 8%
  • Logistics, 7%
  • CAD, 6%
  • Cycle Management, 6%
  • Provide Management, 6%

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