Sustainability Officer

The core of the role is keeping the company's biofuel and renewable energy flows compliant. Day to day, this means managing incoming Proof of Sustainability documents from suppliers, finalising monthly biomass balances for refineries and terminals in VTA CEEMAS, and making sure the numbers match what the commercial teams have contracted. You will own the ISCC certification cycle, including preparing for the annual audits, coordinating with auditors, and leading recertification. That also involves working with commercial departments on contracts, sustainability requirements in those contracts, and evaluating supplier performance. Beyond the routine, the position supports forecasts and reporting on biofuel obligations and bio-related revenue streams. You will advise renewables traders on how to achieve optimal greenhouse gas savings and help meet bio requirements in export markets and at national level, coordinating with IT and specialist teams. Tracking German and EU regulation and communicating with authorities and associations rounds out the mandate. In practice, this is a compliance, reporting, and advisory role embedded in a trading and refining business.

The steepest learning curve will be in your first full ISCC certification cycle: preparing documentation, coordinating with auditors, and understanding what evidence stands up. That knowledge is marketable and not easily acquired elsewhere. You will likely gain hands-on experience with the CEEMAS system, biomass balance reporting, and the mechanics of Proof of Sustainability administration. Working alongside renewables traders on greenhouse gas savings means you will learn how compliance decisions affect commercial outcomes, which is a perspective many sustainability hires lack. Regulatory tracking on German and EU sustainability rules will keep you current in a rapidly shifting area around renewable energy and biofuels. The company's export involvement adds another layer: you will learn how bio requirements differ across countries and how to coordinate their internal implementation with IT and specialist teams.

The posting asks for a Bachelor or Master in business, science, or engineering, so the educational bar is broad. A strong grasp of German and English is non-negotiable, since you will work with German authorities, EU regulations, and international suppliers and colleagues. Experience with biofuels, greenhouse gas quotas, or the oil and gas industry is desirable, which signals the team wants someone who can contribute from day one rather than learn the market from zero. Technically, MS Office is required and SAP or VTA CEEMAS is preferred. Knowledge of German and EU sustainability legislation, the biofuels market, and CO2 certificate trading is listed as an advantage. The analytical demands are real: monthly biomass balances, forecasts, and supplier performance assessments all require comfort with numbers and data reconciliation. Beyond hard skills, the role needs someone who is diplomatic with traders, precise with auditors, and patient with IT and commercial departments. The ability to explain regulatory requirements to people who care about the commercial outcome is probably as important as knowing the regulation itself.

Rosneft Deutschland is under the trusteeship of the Bundesnetzagentur, so before you write anything, think about what that means for the role. The sustainability function here is about compliance with biomass and biofuel certification rules, not about building a green strategy from scratch. A cover letter that shows you understand the difference between managing obligations and promoting a vision will read as informed. Name the specific frameworks in your application. ISCC certification, Proof of Sustainability documentation, VTA CEEMAS, monthly biomass balance reports, greenhouse gas quota calculation, and the German and EU rules that govern them. If you have worked with any of these, say exactly what you did, not just that you have experience. Mentioning a concrete audit you supported or a reporting cycle you closed will carry more weight than a general statement about your interest in renewable energy. Prepare for the interview to test both sides of the role. You will likely discuss how you handle the annual ISCC audit, how you deal with suppliers whose documentation is incomplete, and how you work with traders who need a quick answer on greenhouse gas savings. The language requirement is serious: expect the process to move between German and English, so be ready to explain technical points in both.

The focus here is not general ESG strategy but the sustainability compliance side of biofuel and renewable energy trading. The role revolves around Proof of Sustainability documentation, biomass balancing, ISCC certification, and greenhouse gas quota obligations. That means the environmental dimension is largely about meeting legal renewable energy targets and making sure the company can demonstrate where its bio products come from and what they save in emissions. Governance is central: audits, certification, regulatory tracking, and communication with authorities. The social side is less visible in the posting, though supplier performance assessment and working with diverse stakeholders touch on it lightly. The company's refineries are described as among the most modern in Western Europe, and rising energy efficiency is a stated goal. A sustainability officer here is more likely to work on the compliance and market side of renewable products than on decarbonisation projects inside the refineries themselves, though the two are connected through reporting and obligations.

The biggest challenge is that the certification system does not wait. Monthly biomass balances and annual ISCC audits have fixed deadlines, and if supplier documentation is late or incomplete, you are the one who has to chase it and still deliver the report. Working with external suppliers on Proof of Sustainability means depending on people outside your control. Balancing regulatory rigour with commercial pressure is another. Renewables traders need quick advice on greenhouse gas savings and contract terms, and a compliance answer that is technically correct but slows a deal can create friction. You will have to explain the boundaries clearly without being seen as the department that only says no. The trusteeship context adds ambiguity. Rosneft Deutschland is under Bundesnetzagentur administration, which has its own reporting and transparency expectations. Decision-making may involve people beyond the normal business line, and priorities could shift. Someone in this role needs to be comfortable operating in a structure where the governance is not standard for a private company.

No two days will look exactly the same, but a typical day will involve checking incoming documents and data in VTA CEEMAS, updating biomass balances, and responding to questions from commercial teams or traders. You might spend part of the morning reconciling numbers and the afternoon on the phone with a supplier whose Proof of Sustainability is incomplete or with a colleague in IT working on a system fix. During audit season, the rhythm changes. You will be compiling evidence, preparing colleagues for interviews, and acting as the point of contact for ISCC auditors. Outside that period, you may be tracking new German or EU regulations, drafting internal guidance, or attending meetings with authorities and associations. The role sits between several functions, so expect regular interaction. Traders will want quick answers on greenhouse gas savings, commercial colleagues will need contract language checked, and management will want updates on obligations and forecasts. Some home office is possible, but the coordination-heavy nature of the work means presence in the Berlin office matters.

The role sits at a specific intersection: biofuel compliance, certification management, and trading support inside an oil refining company. From here, a natural path could be towards a regulatory or compliance lead position, especially if you take ownership of the ISCC certification cycle and become the person auditors and authorities turn to. The exposure to renewable energy markets, greenhouse gas quota trading, and export-country bio requirements gives you knowledge that many sustainability generalists do not have. This could open doors to roles in trading houses, biofuel producers, or certification bodies. The coordination with IT and commercial teams also builds project management experience that transfers laterally into operations or supply roles. The company is small (88 employees) and in trusteeship, which means visible roles can shift quickly. High-visibility work on audits or new regulatory implementations might lead to broader responsibility, but the structure is not a large corporate ladder. Growth here is more likely horizontal and expertise-driven than a traditional promotion track.

Internally, the closest working relationship will be with the renewables traders, who rely on you for advice on greenhouse gas savings and sustainability requirements in contracts. You will also work regularly with the commercial departments on supplier contracts and performance assessments, and with IT on the internal implementation of bio requirements for export and national markets. Externally, you will deal with biofuel suppliers and their documentation of Proof of Sustainability, as well as ISCC auditors during annual audits and recertifications. Authorities, associations, and other stakeholders in the German and EU regulatory space will be part of your mandate to track developments and communicate on compliance matters. Given the trusteeship, there may be interactions with representatives of the Bundesnetzagentur or others involved in overseeing the company. The role sits between the commercial side of the business and the regulatory environment, so you will likely be translating between two worlds on a daily basis.