Environmental Data & Sustainability Ratings Specialist

This position sits at the centre of G.D's non-financial disclosure machine. The main mission is to own the Group's environmental and sustainability data lifecycle, gathering inputs from energy, emissions, water, waste and circular-economy metrics, then validating and consolidating them into a single, traceable dataset that feeds internal dashboards, external ratings and regulatory reporting. Concretely, that means running the EcoVadis assessment process and the CDP questionnaires from start to finish, chasing score-relevant evidence, and making sure submissions are consistent with what the Group reports elsewhere. Alongside the ratings work, the role coordinates the Group carbon footprint calculation, covering Scope 1 and Scope 2 and supporting Scope 3, and monitors climate-related KPIs through management dashboards used by the Sustainability Committee. A significant share of the time will go into supporting the preparation of CSRD/ESRS disclosures and into handling sustainability assessment requests from customers, including those touching the supply chain via Procurement. In practice, the job is less about designing strategy and more about making sure the numbers behind that strategy are defensible. The long-term objective is to build a repeatable, audit-ready reporting cycle: benchmarked ratings, verified data, and internal processes that can absorb tightening European disclosure requirements and increasingly demanding B2B questionnaires without firefighting every year.

The learning curve here is steep and highly marketable. Working hands-on with EcoVadis and CDP is a concrete, portable skill: you will learn how scores are actually constructed, where evidence gaps cost points, and how to run corrective action plans across functions rather than in isolation. That fluency is in short supply, and it transfers to almost any large industrial group facing similar customer pressure. Exposure to CSRD and ESRS preparation is arguably the most valuable learning on offer. G.D operates within Coesia, a group of over 8,000 people, so the candidate is likely to see how double materiality, data gap analyses and assurance readiness are handled at group scale, well before reporting becomes routine. The carbon footprint work adds practical grounding in Scope 1, 2 and 3 methodologies, including the thorny boundary questions that come with a complex manufacturing and supply chain. Beyond technical frameworks, the role builds a rare combination of data engineering, audit liaison and cross-functional influencing, the ability to get HSE, Finance, HR, Procurement and Legal to deliver on a shared reporting calendar. Mentorship is likely to come from the wider Coesia sustainability organisation rather than a large standalone team, which means more autonomy and more visibility to senior decision-makers.

The posting is unusually explicit about seniority: a minimum of 8–10 years in sustainability reporting, environmental management or ESG ratings. That signals the team wants someone who has already run assessment cycles, not someone learning them. The strongest profile is likely an environmental or industrial engineer with a science or economics degree, who has spent years inside a manufacturing or energy-intensive company where data quality, boundaries and evidence trails are contested. Hands-on ownership of EcoVadis and/or CDP is close to a hard requirement, and specific knowledge of CSRD, ESRS and carbon footprint methodologies is what separates a good candidate from a great one. Technical data skills matter as much as framework knowledge: advanced Excel is assumed, and Power BI or similar dashboarding experience directly maps to the KPI-monitoring and Sustainability Committee reporting duties. Soft skills are quietly critical. The role sits between functions that do not naturally share data, so the ideal candidate combines persistence with diplomacy, capable of setting deadlines, pushing back on unreliable inputs, and explaining why traceability matters to colleagues who see reporting as overhead. Fluent English is essential, and Italian would help considerably when navigating internal relationships at a Bologna headquarters.

Be surgical about the frameworks. Generic sustainability CVs will not stand out here; one page summarising the EcoVadis and CDP cycles you personally ran, your scores, and the specific improvements you drove will. Quantify where possible (scores before and after, number of sites covered, size of the data set consolidated) because this role is fundamentally about measurable reliability rather than narrative. For the cover letter, connect G.D's context to the job's tensions. The company builds machinery for the tobacco industry, which faces particular scrutiny from customers, rating agencies and regulators. Showing that you understand why credible ESG data becomes a commercial and reputational safeguard in that sector signals you have thought about the business, not just the reporting framework. Reference CSRD/ESRS readiness and Scope 3 challenges specifically. In interviews, expect to be tested on methodology and judgment: how you handle a business unit that misses deadlines, how you would reconcile conflicting emissions factors, or how you would defend a figure to an external assurance provider. Preparing one or two concrete stories about cross-functional data collection, and about a rating in which you moved the needle, will be far more persuasive than abstract statements about being passionate about sustainability.

The focus is environmental and disclosure-driven rather than broad CSR. Expect the bulk of the work to revolve around carbon accounting and climate reporting: consolidating Scope 1 and 2 emissions across a manufacturing footprint, supporting Scope 3 estimates, and tracking energy, water and waste metrics with backing evidence. Given G.D's machinery production and its Modern Oral and Next Generation product lines, energy intensity and supply chain emissions are likely the material environmental topics. The governance dimension is equally strong. Running EcoVadis and CDP means the role directly shapes how the Group is perceived by customers, investors and rating agencies, and the CSRD/ESRS support work ties into a wider Coesia-level reporting effort. Customer sustainability assessments, often procurement-driven, pull the role into the supply chain agenda, supporting buyers who need ESG information from suppliers. The social and governance pillars appear mainly through the ratings and assessment scope, where labour practices, ethics and supplier conduct are scored alongside environmental performance. So while the day-to-day is data-heavy and environmental, the role sits inside a framework that touches how the Group behaves as a corporate citizen, not just how much energy it consumes.

The single biggest challenge is data dependency without direct authority. The role must consolidate figures from HSE, HR, Procurement, Legal, Finance and business units, yet has no line management over them. Deadlines imposed by EcoVadis, CDP and CSRD are fixed, so the job becomes a constant exercise in chasing, cajoling and quality-checking inputs from people who have their own priorities. That dynamic is the most common source of frustration in reporting roles of this type. A second challenge is methodological. Scope 3 emissions, circular-economy metrics and ESRS data points are not settled science, and boundaries, factors and estimates will be challenged by auditors, assurance providers and customers. Building something defensible in that grey area requires judgment and the confidence to document assumptions clearly. In a sector like tobacco machinery, external scrutiny of claims is likely to be higher than average, so accuracy matters as much as ambition. Finally, there is the maturity question. If reporting processes are still developing, the candidate may spend early months building templates, controls and calendars before seeing strategic impact. Balancing that foundational work with the expectation from senior stakeholders for quick rating improvements is a real pressure in this kind of role and rewards patience as much as technical skill.

A typical day is likely split between data work and coordination. Mornings might be spent in Excel or Power BI, cleaning and reconciling environmental figures submitted by different sites or functions, cross-checking emissions calculations and updating KPI dashboards ahead of a committee review or a ratings deadline. This is quiet, detailed work, and a substantial share of the week is probably absorbed by it. Much of the rest is interaction. That could mean a call with Procurement about ESG requests from the supply chain, a session with HSE to validate energy and waste data, a discussion with Finance or Legal about what can be disclosed and how, or a briefing to the Sustainability Committee on KPI trends. During assessment season, EcoVadis and CDP submission windows, the tempo rises sharply, with document gathering, evidence uploads and internal sign-off dominating the calendar. Variability comes from external triggers: a customer sustainability questionnaire with a short turnaround, an auditor request, or a new ESRS data point to interpret. Between cycles the work is calmer and more improvement-oriented, focused on benchmarking, process design and closing gaps flagged in previous assessments.

The role is well positioned for progression within reporting and ESG functions. Success in running EcoVadis, CDP and CSRD/ESRS work builds a profile that is increasingly scarce and in demand, opening paths toward a group-level sustainability reporting lead position or a broader ESG manager role as disclosure requirements mature. Within Coesia, a group spanning many companies and 34 countries, lateral moves into group sustainability or into a different business unit are plausible for someone who performs well. Skill growth is clearly signposted: deepening expertise in carbon accounting, assurance readiness and data systems, plus the credibility that comes from interacting directly with auditors, customers and senior committees. Gaining visibility with the Sustainability Committee is itself a growth channel, the people who see your dashboards are often the people who sponsor your next move. A less obvious opportunity is the chance to build processes from a relatively early stage. Designing the templates, controls and reporting calendars that a growing disclosure agenda requires leaves a tangible legacy and demonstrates the kind of ownership that stands out in internal promotion processes, especially in a group that coordinates sustainability across multiple operating companies.

Internally, the role is a connector rather than a specialist working alone. The most frequent partners are likely HSE, who hold much of the environmental data, and Finance, given the assurance and reporting overlap. Procurement is a key ally because of supply chain ESG requests, while HR and Legal appear around social and governance data points and disclosure boundaries. Business unit contacts across G.D and the wider Coesia group supply the underlying figures and are effectively the role's data providers. The Sustainability Committee is the senior audience. The candidate prepares KPI reporting, analyses and action-plan monitoring for it, so interactions there are periodic but high-stakes, shaping how sustainability performance is seen at leadership level. Direct management relationships depend on where the function reports, but a sustainability lead or the wider Coesia team is the likely day-to-day reference. Externally, relationships include auditors and assurance providers, who test the reliability of reported data, and customers, whose sustainability assessments must be answered accurately and on time. Rating agencies such as EcoVadis and CDP act as frameworks rather than people, but the interaction through their platforms and feedback loops is a recurring part of the job, along with occasional benchmarking engagements with peers and industry bodies.