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Sustainability Manager

EY • Ireland • Added on Aug 11, 2026
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This senior leadership role orchestrates EY’s global sustainability strategy within the Corporate Responsibility function. You will lead high-impact programs and accelerators that mobilize teams across 150 countries to deliver climate-positive action. The core of your work involves designing workplans for global initiatives, establishing governance frameworks, and ensuring that environmental outcomes are measured and reported at the executive level.

The role sits at a cutting-edge intersection, specifically exploring how artificial intelligence can both challenge and accelerate environmental resilience. By leading programs like the SDG Accelerator and Earth Week activations, you transform corporate commitments into tangible citizen science and nature-based solutions. It is about moving beyond internal reporting to drive systemic innovation across a massive global ecosystem.

This suits someone who excels at navigating complex, matrixed organizations and possesses the strategic judgment to influence senior partners. You should be a high-level program architect who is equally comfortable talking about freshwater conservation and AI-driven tech alliances.

Job-FAQs

What are the main missions and responsibilities of this role?

The primary mission of this role is to set the global vision and roadmap for EY’s sustainability focus area, ensuring it aligns with the broader Corporate Responsibility strategy. You will be responsible for originating and overseeing flagship accelerators and campaigns, such as those focused on freshwater and climate tech, while translating high-level environmental challenges into scalable program workplans. Beyond program design, you are accountable for the performance of the sustainability portfolio. This involves defining success measures and KPIs, tracking global impact, and delivering executive-ready reporting to the Global Executive. You will also lead the 'AI x Environment' narrative, positioning the firm’s perspective on how emerging technologies can serve as a force for positive environmental impact. Finally, you act as a capability builder, designing engagement approaches that empower EY’s workforce to take measurable action. This includes rolling out sustainability skills labs and providing standards for regional teams to innovate within a consistent global framework.

Key learning opportunities for this job

Candidates can expect to gain deep expertise in the intersection of AI and environmental resilience, a rapidly evolving field that few roles offer at this scale. You will learn how to leverage large-scale technology alliances—such as with Microsoft, SAP, or IBM—to co-create sustainability solutions that have global reach. Exposure to global governance and executive-level decision forums will sharpen your ability to navigate the complexities of a multi-billion dollar professional services firm. You will also develop skills in citizen science methodologies and accelerator management, moving from theoretical sustainability to practical, innovation-focused execution.

How does the ideal candidate look like (experience, skills)?

The ideal candidate is a strategic leader with significant experience in program governance and senior stakeholder influence. You should have a proven track record of managing complex portfolios, ideally within a global or matrixed environment where you have had to drive results through collaboration rather than direct authority. Technical credibility in sustainability is essential, but it must be paired with commercial and market acumen. This means understanding how ESG topics impact different industrial sectors and being able to connect sustainability initiatives to client-facing priorities or RFPs. Cultural fluency and the resilience to work across diverse geographies and time zones are also critical for success.

Advice to stand out and make a successful application

To stand out, focus your application on your experience with cross-functional program leadership and your ability to link sustainability to business value. Highlight specific examples where you have managed external partnerships or technology alliances to achieve environmental goals, as the 'AI x Environment' angle is a distinct priority for this role. Showcase your executive communication skills by providing examples of how you have translated complex environmental data into clear narratives for leadership. Demonstrating a 'global mindset' by referencing work with international teams or scaled initiatives will also signal that you are ready for the scale of EY’s operations.

What aspects of the company's sustainability is this role likely to focus on?

The role places a heavy emphasis on nature resilience and freshwater conservation, particularly through the lens of innovation and technology. You will be at the forefront of the firm’s 'EY Ripples' program, which focuses on social impact and sustainable growth through skills-based volunteering and pro bono work. There is also a significant focus on responsible technology, specifically exploring the dual role of AI as an environmental challenge and a solution. You will likely work on decarbonization narratives and climate-positive actions that align with the firm’s broader commitments to achieve its own sustainability targets while enabling clients to do the same.

What are the main challenges someone in this role might face?

A major challenge will be driving consistent execution across highly autonomous regions and service lines. Mobilizing a global workforce of over 400,000 employees requires sophisticated influence skills and the ability to create 'one-size-fits-many' frameworks that still allow for local cultural nuances. Additionally, managing the ambiguity of emerging themes, such as the environmental impact of AI, requires a continuous learning mindset. You will need to balance the need for long-term strategic planning with the agility to respond to fast-changing market expectations and technological shifts.

How could a typical day look like for someone in this position?

A typical day might begin with a global alignment call involving the Toronto-based delivery team and GDS support to review progress on the latest SDG Accelerator. You might then spend time drafting a high-level briefing for the Global Corporate Responsibility Leader regarding the environmental outcomes of Earth Week. Afternoons could involve a collaborative workshop with technology alliance partners to scope a new climate tech program, followed by a meeting with the BMC (Brand, Marketing, and Communications) team to refine the firm’s narrative on nature resilience. The day often concludes with strategic planning focused on tracking KPIs across various global workstreams.

What are the opportunities for professional growth and development in this role?

This role offers high visibility within the Global Executive, providing a platform to transition into senior leadership positions within Corporate Responsibility or specialized ESG consulting. The exposure to global strategy and high-level alliances prepares you for Chief Sustainability Officer-level responsibilities. You will also have the opportunity to lead high-visibility projects that are central to EY’s brand identity, such as thought leadership on AI and the environment. This positions you as an industry expert at the forefront of the next wave of sustainability innovation.

The main stakeholders you might be interacting with

You will interact frequently with EY’s Global Executive leadership, particularly the Global Corporate Responsibility Leader and the Global Managing Partner for Business Enablement and Risk. These interactions are focused on strategic alignment and reporting on global impact. External stakeholders include strategic alliance partners like IBM, Microsoft, and SAP, as well as nonprofit collaborators like Acumen or Zooniverse. Internally, you will act as a primary connector between regional leads, service line partners, and the global BMC team to ensure a unified approach to environmental action.

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