Sustainability Specialist

The core of this role is delivery support: you help turn Portwest's group sustainability strategy into projects that business units in different countries can actually run. That includes coordinating initiatives across locations, tracking progress against targets, and keeping a clear view of where each site stands. A large share of the work is data and disclosure. You will oversee ESG data collection, analysis and reporting, support CSRD and ESRS compliance, run or contribute to materiality assessments, and prepare sustainability disclosures. Alongside that, you monitor Irish, UK and EU environmental and ESG legislation and feed the findings into compliance reviews and implementation work. There is also a carbon thread: contributing to decarbonisation initiatives and to the management of Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions. Around the edges sit the softer but visible tasks, such as sustainability and ESG training, internal communications, stakeholder engagement and support for external assessments like EcoVadis.

The clearest learning curve here is regulatory. Working under the Sustainability Programme Manager on CSRD and ESRS means direct exposure to the reporting framework that is reshaping corporate disclosure in the EU, including materiality assessment and the details of how data is gathered, checked and written up. Carbon accounting is the second area. Portwest designs, manufactures and distributes its own products, so Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions are not a theoretical exercise; you would likely learn how upstream supply chain and downstream product-related emissions are estimated and improved over time. Third, there is the commercial side of ESG. Supporting EcoVadis and other ratings, and working with global business units, teaches how sustainability performance is used in customer tenders and supplier scorecards. The role also builds project coordination and communication skills through training delivery and multi-site engagement.

The posting sets a floor of two years of industry experience, and the strongest candidates will have spent those years somewhere close to manufacturing, textiles, supply chains or another operation-heavy sector where data comes from many places. A degree in environmental science, sustainability, engineering or business with a sustainability focus is the usual background. On the technical side, a working knowledge of CSRD, ESRS and carbon reporting is listed as desirable rather than mandatory, so an applicant with solid general sustainability experience and evident analytical ability could still be competitive. Comfort with spreadsheets, data validation and reporting cycles matters more than any single certification. Soft skills carry weight too. The role involves global stakeholders, multiple simultaneous priorities and a lot of coordination without direct authority, so the ability to chase information politely and persistently and to explain regulatory requirements to non-specialists is central.

Tailor the application to reporting and delivery, not to general enthusiasm for sustainability. Pick two or three examples where you collected ESG or environmental data, worked to a framework or standard, and saw the output used in a report, a rating or a customer response, and describe them with numbers where possible. Because the role reports to the Sustainability Programme Manager and supports business units, show that you can work across functions. Mention specific exposure to CSRD, ESRS, Scope 1, 2 or 3 accounting, EcoVadis or similar assessments if you have it, and be honest if you do not; the posting treats those as desirable. Before interview, read Portwest's recent sustainability disclosures and its EcoVadis position, and come with a view on what a manufacturer with owned production facilities and 1400 styles faces in CSRD preparation. Linking your answers to the realities of a global PPE manufacturer will read as preparation rather than repetition.

The role sits at the intersection of reporting and operations. Portwest is a manufacturer with fully owned production facilities and more than 6,000 staff, so a significant part of the sustainability agenda is environmental: energy use, emissions, waste and the carbon embedded in materials and logistics. Expect a strong governance and disclosure component. CSRD and ESRS compliance, materiality assessment, ESG data quality and support for EcoVadis and other ratings point to an organisation building the structures that let it answer regulators, customers and investors with consistent information. Social topics are present but less prominent in the posting. Training, awareness and engagement across all levels of the business suggest the role also touches how employees understand and contribute to sustainability goals, which matters in a company whose products are about worker safety.

The hardest part is likely data. ESG figures for a manufacturer with production and distribution across many countries rarely arrive in one clean format, and CSRD and ESRS reporting demands consistency, traceability and comparability. Coordinating that without direct line authority over the people who hold the numbers is a genuine test. Regulatory change is a second pressure. Irish, UK and EU requirements do not move at the same pace, and a company selling into multiple markets has to track several regimes at once. Keeping compliance reviews current while also delivering projects is a balancing act. There is also the scope question. Scope 3 emissions and supply chain topics are inherently dependent on external partners, so progress can be slower than internal targets assume. A candidate should be comfortable with influence rather than control as the main working method.

A day would likely mix analysis and coordination. Morning time might go to updating ESG data, checking figures against source systems or preparing sections of a disclosure, with interruptions for questions from business units about what information is needed and by when. The middle of the day often brings meetings: a call with a regional team on a sustainability initiative, a session with procurement or operations on emissions data, or a working meeting with the Sustainability Programme Manager on CSRD preparation. Legislation tracking and summarising new requirements for colleagues is a recurring task rather than a one-off project. Variability comes with the reporting calendar. Close to deadlines, the balance shifts heavily toward data validation and drafting. At other times, training sessions, EcoVadis preparation and stakeholder engagement take more of the week.

The obvious path is within the sustainability function. A specialist who demonstrates ownership of reporting and delivery could move toward a programme manager or ESG reporting lead role, particularly if Portwest's CSRD obligations expand the team over the coming years. Growth can also be lateral. The exposure to global business units, supply chain data and commercial ratings creates a basis for moving into procurement, operations, compliance or product sustainability roles where ESG knowledge is increasingly part of the job. The less formal growth is profile. Supporting EcoVadis and external assessments, delivering training and contributing to decarbonisation projects puts the work in front of senior stakeholders, which tends to matter when internal opportunities appear.

Internally, you would work most closely with the Sustainability Programme Manager, who sets direction and to whom you report. Business units across Portwest's locations are the other constant, since they own the operations and data that sustainability reporting depends on. Expect regular contact with finance, operations, procurement and HR. Finance and operations are central to emissions and energy data, procurement to supply chain and Scope 3 questions, and HR to the training and awareness programmes mentioned in the posting. Senior management would see your outputs through reporting and progress updates. Externally, the role touches assessors and rating bodies such as EcoVadis, potential auditors or assurance providers connected to CSRD, and partners or suppliers involved in sustainability initiatives. The nature of these relationships is mostly information exchange and follow-up rather than negotiation.