Sustainability Manager, Assurance

Core Responsibilities: Assurance Program Leadership and Operations Manage day-to-day operations of the GHG/ESG assurance function and execute department strategies to achieve agreed key performance metrics. Build, maintain, and continuously improve an assurance methodology, including engagement acceptance, independence and conflict checks, scoping, risk assessment, materiality, evidence planning, sampling, review, issue resolution, documentation, and statement issuance. Establish repeatable templates, workpapers, review protocols, records-retention practices, and quality-control checkpoints that support consistent, audit-ready delivery. Plan the engagement portfolio, assign resources based on competence and independence, monitor capacity, and surface delivery, quality, budget, or client risks early. Define and monitor program measures such as on-time delivery, budget performance, review findings, rework, client feedback, staff utilization, and corrective-action closure. Maintain awareness of relevant assurance, GHG accounting, sustainability reporting, and regulatory developments; translate changes into practical updates to methods, training, and client guidance. Engagement Delivery and Technical Oversight Lead and review GHG and ESG assurance engagements from discovery and proposal development through planning, fieldwork, reporting, and closeout. Scope work, estimate effort, develop workplans and budgets, identify required expertise, and document the criteria, organizational and operational boundaries, intended users, level and type of assurance, materiality, and deliverables. Evaluate GHG emissions sources, categories, calculation methods, emission factors, estimates, data controls, supporting evidence, consolidation approaches, and reporting boundaries across Scope 1, Scope 2, and relevant Scope 3 categories. Assess ESG metrics, management assertions, reporting processes, data lineage, internal controls, and alignment with applicable reporting criteria and client commitments. Apply professional judgment and professional skepticism; identify risks of material misstatement, design responsive procedures, evaluate evidence, and resolve exceptions or limitations. Perform or direct interviews, walkthroughs, analytical procedures, recalculations, sampling, source-document review, control testing, and site or system-level validation, as appropriate to the engagement. Review workpapers and client-ready deliverables for accuracy, completeness, traceability, consistency, and clear communication of findings, conclusions, recommendations, and limitations. Prepare, review, and when authorized, approve or sign assurance statements in accordance with applicable standards, licensing requirements, and internal authority protocols. Maintain clear separation between advisory support and independent assurance activities, escalating independence, ethics, quality, or scope concerns promptly. People Leadership and Capability Building Lead a team of individual contributors by setting clear expectations, assigning work, providing timely feedback, and guiding professional development and achievement. Coach team members in assurance concepts, GHG/ESG technical topics, project management, client communication, documentation, and quality review. Assess team competence for assigned work, identify capability gaps, and implement training, supervised practice, and qualification pathways. Create a collaborative, accountable, and inclusive team environment in which risks and quality concerns are raised early and lessons learned are shared. Conduct quality reviews that strengthen judgment and independence while helping team members become more capable and self-sufficient over time. Client, Commercial, and Cross-Functional Leadership Build trusted relationships with senior client stakeholders while maintaining objectivity, confidentiality, and appropriate assurance boundaries. Facilitate discovery, planning, status, issue-resolution, and closeout discussions; communicate technical matters in clear, practical language. Contribute to proposals, statements of work, pricing assumptions, presentations, and solution development for assurance and assurance-readiness services. Collaborate across sustainability, energy, engineering, procurement, data, and compliance teams to coordinate expertise and deliver integrated client outcomes. Document decisions, assumptions, limitations, dependencies, and changes to scope; manage expectations and obtain timely resolution of client information requests. Use lessons learned to improve delivery methods, tools, training materials, and service offerings.

Requirements: Bachelor's degree in sustainability, environmental science, engineering, accounting, business, data analytics, public policy, or a related field, or equivalent relevant experience. Four to seven years of progressive experience in sustainability, climate, environmental, ESG, GHG accounting, audit, verification, or assurance services, including experience leading projects or workstreams. Current Lead Certified Sustainability Assurance Practitioner (LCSAP) or Practicing Certified Sustainability Assurance Practitioner (PCSAP) credential under Account Ability's AA1000 program, or an equivalent Lead or Practicing certified practitioner credential under the applicable ISSA standard. Demonstrated experience conducting and reviewing audit, verification, or assurance activities and producing defensible, client-ready workpapers and reports. Working knowledge of GHG accounting principles and the GHG Protocol, including Scope 1, Scope 2, and relevant Scope 3 inventories, boundaries, calculation methodologies, emission factors, data quality, and controls. Ability to manage people, multiple engagements, priorities, schedules, budgets, quality standards, and risks in a dynamic virtual environment. Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, including the ability to work with incomplete information and document assumptions and limitations. Strong written, verbal, facilitation, and presentation skills, with the ability to explain complex technical information clearly to varied audiences. Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel and proficiency in Word, Power Point, collaborative cloud-based work environments, and data-management or visualization tools. High integrity, sound professional judgment, confidentiality, attention to detail, and commitment to independence and ethical conduct.

Ideal Qualifications: Graduate-level education or relevant credentials in sustainability assurance, GHG verification, auditing, accounting, environmental management, or a related field. Experience applying AA1000AS and related Account Ability principles, and familiarity with other applicable assurance or verification standards and regulatory requirements. Experience with sustainability reporting mechanisms and disclosure frameworks such as GRI, SASB Standards, CDP, EU CSRD, GRESB, TCFD recommendations, and other relevant reporting criteria. Experience designing or scaling a quality management system, assurance methodology, reviewer hierarchy, competency model, training program, or engagement-acceptance process. Experience with sustainability software, GHG data platforms, database or query tools, statistical analysis, data visualization, or automation. Experience serving healthcare, commercial real estate, higher education, hospitality, industrial, data center, or public-sector clients. Success in this role: Assurance engagements are accurate, defensible, useful, delivered on time and within scope, and supported by complete, traceable documentation. Program operations are predictable; capacity, quality, independence, technical, schedule, and budget risks are identified and addressed early. Team members receive clear direction and feedback, build relevant competencies, and become increasingly capable and independent.