Sustainability Support Officer

The core mission is to support the sustainability performance of Reynaers' products by keeping data accurate, timely and complete. Concretely, you would collect and follow up on data required for sustainability projects, propose improvements or automation for those collection processes, and act as the first point of contact for market questions about the EPD Tool. That includes identifying recurring issues and feeding them back into tool improvements. You would also contribute to the Cradle to Cradle certification process, helping gather data for recertification or certification at a higher level, and support upcoming environmental declarations in the context of CE marking. Market enquiries related to sustainability would land with you, and you would assist with calculating scenarios that assess the environmental impact of products. Longer term, the role is designed to grow from supporting the EPD tool to independently helping customers with their sustainability projects, and to helping develop and expand the tool year after year. The overarching goal is to make product sustainability data both reliable and useful, internally and for the market.

This role looks like a strong grounding in product-level sustainability for the built environment. You would gain hands-on experience with Environmental Product Declarations, Cradle to Cradle certification and carbon footprint calculations, which are increasingly sought-after skills in construction and manufacturing. Learning how an EPD Tool works from the inside, including testing and improving it, is a rare practical exposure for someone early in their career. You would also develop data management and process optimisation skills, since the role explicitly asks for an eye for automation and continuous improvement. Working alongside a Sustainability Expert suggests informal mentorship and a chance to absorb methodological knowledge that is hard to pick up from textbooks. If AutoCAD is used in the team, exposure to it could broaden your technical toolkit. Longer term, the progression towards independently supporting customers would build client-facing and communication skills, while the international, family-owned setting of Reynaers could offer exposure to sustainability practices across multiple markets.

The ideal candidate likely holds a Bachelor's or Master's degree in sustainability, environmental studies, environmental science or a closely related field, and is either a recent graduate or has initial experience in a supporting sustainability role. Fluency in English is essential, and knowledge of Dutch would be a strong asset given the Belgian headquarters and local stakeholder base. On the technical side, good Microsoft Office skills are expected, with AutoCAD being a nice-to-have rather than a requirement. More important is an eye for process optimisation and automation, plus a proactive mindset for continuous improvement. The role is hands-on, so a strong drive and genuine motivation to learn are probably valued above deep specialisation. Soft skills matter too: you would be fielding market questions, chasing data and working closely with a senior colleague, so clear communication, reliability and curiosity are likely to stand out. Given the company's motto of working together, a collaborative attitude would fit well.

Tailor your application to the product-sustainability angle rather than generic corporate ESG. Mention any coursework, thesis or internship involving environmental data, life cycle assessment, EPDs, Cradle to Cradle or carbon footprinting, even if small in scale. If you have worked with data collection, process improvement or tool testing, make that explicit, because the role leans on accuracy, follow-up and automation thinking. In your cover letter, connect your motivation to the built environment and to Reynaers specifically. The company makes aluminium and steel systems for windows, doors and facades, so showing that you understand why product-level sustainability data matters in construction will differentiate you. Referencing the EPD Tool and the Cradle to Cradle certification process would demonstrate that you read the posting carefully. For interviews, be ready to discuss how you would handle incomplete or late data, and how you might spot recurring issues in a support context. Highlight your language skills, especially English fluency and any Dutch, and be prepared to talk about continuous improvement. A proactive, hands-on attitude is clearly prized, so concrete examples of taking initiative will help.

The role appears centred on product sustainability rather than corporate-level ESG. That means Cradle to Cradle certification, carbon footprint calculations, environmental product declarations and the EPD Tool that Reynaers has recently introduced to the market. You would be helping to quantify and communicate the environmental performance of aluminium and steel building components, which is a tangible expression of the company's stated commitment to energy efficiency and environmental responsibility. Given Reynaers' position in the construction value chain, the data you help produce could influence how architects, specifiers and contractors choose materials. That makes accuracy and methodological consistency important: an EPD or C2C claim carries credibility only if the underlying figures stand up to scrutiny. Over time, you might also contribute to improvement initiatives that reduce the environmental impact of products, or to scenarios that test how design or material changes affect overall footprint. The emphasis is likely on transparency and verifiable performance, which sits well with the company's motto of building responsibly for future generations.

One likely challenge is data quality and availability. Sustainability data often arrives late, incomplete or in inconsistent formats from different parts of the business, and part of your job is to chase it down without letting deadlines slip. Proposing automation or process improvements sounds appealing, but may require patience and persuasion in a large, family-owned organisation with established ways of working. Another challenge is the dual audience of the EPD Tool: internal colleagues who need it to work smoothly and external customers who expect clear, credible answers. Balancing first-line support with longer-term tool development could mean frequent context switching, especially in the early months when you are still building product knowledge. Finally, the construction sector's sustainability environment is evolving quickly, with shifting regulations around CE marking, declarations and carbon accounting. Keeping up, while maintaining accuracy, is likely to be demanding for someone at the start of their career.

Your day would likely revolve around the EPD Tool, the recently launched environmental product declaration platform that Reynaers is still bedding in. You might start by triaging incoming market questions, checking whether the data behind an answer is complete, and logging the recurring issues that point to a tool improvement. Later, you could sit with the Sustainability Expert to review carbon footprint calculations or prepare data for a Cradle to Cradle submission. Because the role sits in the Research & Innovation team at the Duffel campus, you would probably move between desk-based data work and short exchanges with colleagues in R&D, operations or sales. Some days will be heavier on follow-up and administration, others on testing new tool functionalities or structuring a dataset that has arrived incomplete. As you grow into the role, the balance could shift towards independently supporting customers on sustainability enquiries, with fewer escalations to the Sustainability Expert. The rhythm is likely cyclical, intensifying around certification deadlines or product launches and easing during quieter reporting periods.

The job description itself maps a growth path: during onboarding you focus on supporting the EPD Tool, gradually building knowledge of product sustainability performance. Over time, you are expected to independently support customers with their sustainability projects and questions, and to help develop and expand the tool year after year. That suggests a shift from support to ownership within a relatively defined timeframe. In a group of Reynaers' size, with brands spanning multiple countries, there could be lateral moves into related areas such as product development, regulatory affairs or broader ESG roles, particularly as sustainability regulation tightens in construction. The international, family-owned structure might also offer opportunities to work across markets. Because the role sits in Research & Innovation, success could open doors to more technical or strategic positions, especially if you develop deep expertise in EPDs, Cradle to Cradle or carbon accounting. Visibility with customers and certification bodies may further strengthen your profile.

Your closest working relationship would be with the Sustainability Expert, who appears to be the senior counterpart you support and learn from. You would also interact regularly with colleagues in Research & Innovation, since the role sits in that team, and with operations or technical colleagues who supply the data you need. The EPD Tool itself implies ongoing contact with whoever develops or maintains it, likely IT or an external provider. Externally, you could be dealing with customers, specifiers or sales teams who raise market enquiries about sustainability and the EPD Tool. You might also interact with certification bodies or auditors in the context of Cradle to Cradle and CE marking, though probably at a supporting rather than leading level. As you gain independence, these external interactions are likely to increase. The nature of the interactions is mostly collaborative and service-oriented: you are gathering, clarifying and explaining sustainability information rather than negotiating or selling. That means strong listening and clear communication matter as much as technical accuracy.