How to hire a sustainability executive director

How to hire a sustainability executive director, step by step

Here's a step-by-step sustainability executive director hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a sustainability executive director job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new sustainability executive director
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   First, determine the employments status of the sustainability executive director you need to hire. Certain sustainability executive director roles might require a full-time employee, whereas others can be done by part-time workers or contractors.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   A sustainability executive director's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, sustainability executive directors from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

   Here's a comparison of sustainability executive director salaries for various roles:

   Type of Sustainability Executive Director	Description	Hourly rate
   Sustainability Executive Director	Top executives devise strategies and policies to ensure that an organization meets its goals. They plan, direct, and coordinate operational activities of companies and organizations.	$12-58
   President	Presidents are usually the highest-level executives in an organization. They oversee the whole company... Show more	$54-155
   Co-Owner	A co-owner is responsible for ensuring smooth business operations, searching for the best industrial opportunities to drive revenues and increase profitability. Some of the business co-owners' duties include planning activities for business promotions, monitoring current market trends, establishing a reliable workforce, developing product specifications, managing financial goals and cost estimates, strengthening marketing strategies, and keeping records of business papers and documents... Show more	$30-56

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Environmental Sustainability
   • CSR

   Responsibilities:

   • Prepare annual GHG emissions statement, manage annual assurance with auditors, and assist with sustainability reporting.
   • Develop policy and procedures, train business leaders and EHS auditors, conduct big acquisition/integration assessments and critical incident investigations and audits
   • Harmonize corporate philanthropy efforts to more closely align with business objectives and CSR initiatives.

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your sustainability executive director job description is a great way to entice the best and brightest candidates. A sustainability executive director salary can vary based on several factors:

   • Location. For example, sustainability executive directors' average salary in arkansas is 67% less than in california.
   • Seniority. Entry-level sustainability executive directors earn 79% less than senior-level sustainability executive directors.
   • Certifications. A sustainability executive director with a few certifications under their belt will likely demand a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for a prestigious company or an exciting start-up can make a huge difference in a sustainability executive director's salary.

   Average sustainability executive director salary

   $56,805yearly

   $27.31 hourly rate

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   Entry-level sustainability executive director salary

   $26,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 22, 2026

4. Writing a sustainability executive director job description

   A sustainability executive director job description should include a summary of the role, required skills, and a list of responsibilities. It's also good to include a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager. To help get you started, here's an example of a sustainability executive director job description:

   Sustainability executive director job description example

   Our client, a global financial services firm and a market leader in securities, asset management and credit services, is seeking an Executive Director - Head of Sustainability
   New York, NY
   
   Position Type: IT Full Time
   
   Job Summary:
   
   Our client is one of the largest asset managers in the world. They offer a wide range of products and services, including a large family of domestic and international Equity, Fixed and Multi-asset class funds for individual and institutional investors. With over 30 years of global investment experience, IM offers its clients the personalized attention and service of a boutique, the intelligence and creativity of some of the brightest professionals in the industry.
   
   The position is for a leader in Sustainability Engineering. This is a leadership role which will oversee the strategy, architecture and development efforts for the Sustainability book of work. This is a strategic hire for the growing needs for solutions across multiple business lines. A successful candidate will establish relationships with other departments and Firm best practices to ensure we leverage standards and tools available within the broader enterprise. The individual will work as part of the global development team, which is spread across 6 MSIM offices.
   
   Job Responsibilities:
   
   Problem solving and comfort with ambiguity Influencing and negotiation experience Technical and architecture experience with large complex systems Interaction with C-suite & senior stakeholders Good oral and written communication skills
   Key role requirements:
   
   Proficiency in Java, Python and Web UI technologies Experience with Data Analytics preferably with ESG data sets but other financial data complexity is acceptable Experience with Machine Learning and Data Analytics projects Leadership capability to form and lead a team Strong interpersonal skills and team spirit is required in addition to proficiency in verbal and written business communications. Result oriented mentality with ability to iterate on design within short time frames Self-starter with a can-do attitude. Experience working in a virtual or global team, strong team player Minimum of 10-15 years of experience

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are a few common ways to find sustainability executive directors for your business:

   • Promoting internally or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to meet candidates with the right educational background.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to recruit passive job-seekers.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your sustainability executive director job on Zippia to find and recruit sustainability executive director candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   During your first interview to recruit sustainability executive directors, engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. During the following interview, you'll be able to go into more detail about the company, the position, and the responsibilities.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match your ideal candidate profile. If you think a candidate is good enough for the next step, you can move on to the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new sustainability executive director

   Once you've found the sustainability executive director candidate you'd like to hire, it's time to write an offer letter. This should include an explicit job offer that includes the salary and the details of any other perks. Qualified candidates might be looking at multiple positions, so your offer must be competitive if you like the candidate. Also, be prepared for a negotiation stage, as candidates may way want to tweak the details of your initial offer. Once you've settled on these details, you can draft a contract to formalize your agreement.

   It's equally important to follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   Once that's done, you can draft an onboarding schedule for the new sustainability executive director. Human Resources should complete Employee Action Forms and ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc. They should also ensure that new employee files are created for internal recordkeeping.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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