Sustainability Specialists build complex problem solving, judgment and decision making and coordination skills that carry over to other work. Below are 25 careers ranked by how closely their skills match, with pay from BLS May 2025. The closest match is Chief Sustainability Officers (89%).
Updated October 2026 · Data: O*NET 31.0 and BLS OEWS May 2025 · How we match careers
Sorted by skill match.
| # | Career | Skill match | Median pay | Pay change | Extra education |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chief Sustainability Officers | 89% | $213,990Pay for the broader BLS group “Chief Executives” | Not compared | Graduate degree |
| 2 | Wind Energy Development Managers | 87% | $141,900Pay for the broader BLS group “Managers, All Other” | Not compared | None |
| 3 | Information Technology Project Managers | 80% | $116,580Pay for the broader BLS group “Computer Occupations, All Other” | Not compared | None |
| 4 | Climate Change Policy Analysts | 76% | $82,220Pay for the broader BLS group “Environmental Scientists and Specialists, Including Health” | Not compared | Graduate degree |
| 5 | Brownfield Redevelopment Specialists and Site Managers | 76% | $141,900Pay for the broader BLS group “Managers, All Other” | Not compared | None |
| 6 | Urban and Regional Planners | 75% | $89,320 | — | Graduate degree |
| 7 | Loss Prevention Managers | 74% | $141,900Pay for the broader BLS group “Managers, All Other” | Not compared | None |
| 8 | Business Intelligence Analysts | 74% | $120,230Pay for the broader BLS group “Data Scientists” | Not compared | None |
| 9 | Solar Sales Representatives and Assessors | 74% | $104,920Pay for the broader BLS group “Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Technical and Scientific Products” | Not compared | None |
| 10 | Document Management Specialists | 74% | $116,580Pay for the broader BLS group “Computer Occupations, All Other” | Not compared | None |
Compared with Sustainability Specialists, median —. Skill match is our estimate (0–99) from O*NET 31.0 skills, knowledge, work activities and interests, adjusted for preparation and big pay drops. Pay: BLS OEWS May 2025, national median.
How important each skill is in work as sustainability specialists (O*NET importance, scale 1–5).
The gaps that show up most often across your top 10 matches.
Free and low-cost training: use the CareerOneStop training finder below.
A concrete first step, the skills to add, and the hard parts of each job, from O*NET 31.0 education, training and work context data.
89% skill match · $213,990 (broader BLS group)
Management of Financial Resources · Systems Analysis · Social Perceptiveness
No work-context factor stands out as unusually hard in O*NET data.
87% skill match · $141,900 (broader BLS group)
Management of Financial Resources · Management of Material Resources · Operation and Control
80% skill match · $116,580 (broader BLS group)
Management of Material Resources · Management of Financial Resources · Management of Personnel Resources
If you want to stay close to what you do now, these roles are the nearest.
The closest matches are Chief Sustainability Officers (89% skill match, median $213,990), Wind Energy Development Managers (87% skill match, median $141,900) and Information Technology Project Managers (80% skill match, median $116,580), based on O*NET 31.0 data and BLS May 2025 pay.
None of the 25 closest matches pays more than sustainability specialists at the national median (BLS May 2025). Higher-paying moves usually need more training.
20 of the 25 matches usually need no more education than you have now, based on O*NET Job Zones. 5 usually need a graduate degree: Chief Sustainability Officers, Climate Change Policy Analysts and Urban and Regional Planners.
We compare the importance of skills, knowledge, work activities and interests in O*NET 31.0 for your job and every other career, then adjust for extra preparation and big pay drops. The full method is on our Methodology page.