Q: What are the main missions and responsibilities of this role?

As the Vice President of Sustainability and Impact, your primary mission is to provide strategic leadership and governance for the company’s environmental and social agenda across all global properties. You will be responsible for creating a robust framework that includes measurable KPIs, rigorous reporting structures, and standard operating procedures that ensure consistency across diverse brands like 1 Hotels and Treehouse Hotels. Beyond governance, you will oversee operational performance tracking for carbon, water, and waste, while also acting as a key partner for the development and engineering teams. This involves integrating sustainability into the lifecycle of new properties and ensuring that existing operations, particularly in Food and Beverage, align with high-impact sustainability standards and circularity principles.

Q: Key learning opportunities for this job

You will have the opportunity to gain deep expertise in luxury-tier sustainable operations , learning how to balance high-end guest expectations with strict environmental stewardship. This role provides exposure to the latest innovations in green building engineering and circular F&B systems uniquely tailored to the lifestyle hospitality sector. Additionally, you will refine your skills in ESG investor relations and corporate storytelling, as you will be translating complex sustainability data into compelling narratives for stakeholders, owners, and global media. This provides a platform to lead the industry conversation on how luxury can authentically coexist with radical transparency and nature-driven design.

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

The ideal candidate brings significant experience in luxury hospitality or design-led global brands , demonstrating a proven ability to manage sustainability across multi-property organizations. You should possess a strong command of ESG reporting frameworks and benchmarking tools, paired with the analytical ability to interpret performance data and turn it into actionable strategy. Soft skills are equally crucial; you must be an influential communicator capable of engaging everyone from hotel owners and executive leadership to property-level engineering teams. A background that bridges technical environmental knowledge with a keen eye for brand narrative and guest experience will set you apart from more traditional sustainability practitioners.

Q: Advice to stand out and make a successful application

To stand out, your application should demonstrate a sophisticated understanding of brand-aligned sustainability . Rather than just listing technical certifications, explain how you have integrated environmental goals into the guest-facing DNA of a brand. Showcase examples where you turned operational challenges into successful brand stories that resonated with high-net-worth consumers or luxury travelers. You should also emphasize your experience with owner engagement . In a management company model, the ability to convince property owners of the ROI and strategic value of sustainability is vital. Highlighting your track record of navigating these complex commercial relationships while maintaining high environmental standards will demonstrate you are ready for this specific leadership context.

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

The role focuses heavily on operational decarbonization and resource efficiency , specifically targeting the reduction of energy, water, and food waste across the global portfolio. Given the focus of brands like 1 Hotels, there is a significant emphasis on biodiversity-positive design and the elimination of single-use plastics from the supply chain. There is also a strong focus on sustainable procurement within the food and beverage departments. You will likely spend time vetting suppliers and developing circular food systems that reduce the carbon footprint of dining experiences while enhancing the narrative of local, ethical sourcing for the guests.

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

One of the primary challenges will be standardizing sustainability performance across a portfolio of properties with varying ages, designs, and ownership structures. Driving consistent execution and data accuracy in a global context requires navigating different local regulations and infrastructure capabilities. Additionally, you may face the challenge of balancing premium service delivery with resource conservation . Maintaining the 'wealth of warmth' and luxury experience promised to guests while implementing strict waste and energy reduction measures requires creative problem-solving and constant cross-functional negotiation with operations and design teams.

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

A typical day might begin with a review of environmental performance data across the global properties to identify any deviations from targets. You could transition into a strategy session with the Development team to review design specifications for a new hotel opening, ensuring that Starwood’s sustainability standards are embedded from the start. In the afternoon, you might lead a Sustainability Governance Committee meeting to update executive leadership on progress toward annual goals. Your day could wrap up by collaborating with the Marketing and Communications teams, refining a story for an upcoming campaign that highlights a successful circularity project at one of the Treehouse properties.

Q: The main stakeholders you might be interacting with

You will interact frequently with the Senior Vice President of Operations and the Sustainability Governance Committee to align on corporate strategy. On a property level, you will be a main partner for General Managers, Engineering Directors, and F&B leads, providing them with the tools and training to succeed. Externally, you will engage with hotel owners and developers to align interests on sustainability investments, as well as consultants who support benchmarking and certifications. You will also be a key contact for Marketing and Investor Relations teams, ensuring that the company's impact narrative is accurate and compelling for the market.

Question 1

What are the main missions and responsibilities of this role?

Accepted Answer

As the Vice President of Sustainability and Impact, you will direct the environmental and social strategy across a global portfolio of lifestyle and luxury hotel brands. You will oversee the transition of high-level climate commitments into tangible operational standards, managing everything from resource efficiency and waste reduction to sustainable food and beverage programs. Your work will bridge the gap between technical performance and guest experience, ensuring sustainability is a seamless part of the brand identity.

This role is critical because Starwood Hotels positions nature-inspired hospitality as its core value proposition rather than a secondary corporate goal. You will lead the decarbonization of physical assets while influencing how thousands of guests interact with sustainability daily through brand storytelling and circular design. It is a rare opportunity to define the future of responsible luxury at a global scale.

This suits someone who is a veteran of the hospitality or design-led industries and can navigate the complexities of multi-property management with a visionary but data-driven mindset.

Question 2

Key learning opportunities for this job

Accepted Answer

You will have the opportunity to gain deep expertise in luxury-tier sustainable operations, learning how to balance high-end guest expectations with strict environmental stewardship. This role provides exposure to the latest innovations in green building engineering and circular F&B systems uniquely tailored to the lifestyle hospitality sector. Additionally, you will refine your skills in ESG investor relations and corporate storytelling, as you will be translating complex sustainability data into compelling narratives for stakeholders, owners, and global media. This provides a platform to lead the industry conversation on how luxury can authentically coexist with radical transparency and nature-driven design.

Question 3

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

Accepted Answer

The ideal candidate brings significant experience in luxury hospitality or design-led global brands, demonstrating a proven ability to manage sustainability across multi-property organizations. You should possess a strong command of ESG reporting frameworks and benchmarking tools, paired with the analytical ability to interpret performance data and turn it into actionable strategy. Soft skills are equally crucial; you must be an influential communicator capable of engaging everyone from hotel owners and executive leadership to property-level engineering teams. A background that bridges technical environmental knowledge with a keen eye for brand narrative and guest experience will set you apart from more traditional sustainability practitioners.

Question 4

Advice to stand out and make a successful application

Accepted Answer

To stand out, your application should demonstrate a sophisticated understanding of brand-aligned sustainability. Rather than just listing technical certifications, explain how you have integrated environmental goals into the guest-facing DNA of a brand. Showcase examples where you turned operational challenges into successful brand stories that resonated with high-net-worth consumers or luxury travelers. You should also emphasize your experience with owner engagement. In a management company model, the ability to convince property owners of the ROI and strategic value of sustainability is vital. Highlighting your track record of navigating these complex commercial relationships while maintaining high environmental standards will demonstrate you are ready for this specific leadership context.

Question 5

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

Accepted Answer

The role focuses heavily on operational decarbonization and resource efficiency, specifically targeting the reduction of energy, water, and food waste across the global portfolio. Given the focus of brands like 1 Hotels, there is a significant emphasis on biodiversity-positive design and the elimination of single-use plastics from the supply chain. There is also a strong focus on sustainable procurement within the food and beverage departments. You will likely spend time vetting suppliers and developing circular food systems that reduce the carbon footprint of dining experiences while enhancing the narrative of local, ethical sourcing for the guests.

Question 6

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

Accepted Answer

One of the primary challenges will be standardizing sustainability performance across a portfolio of properties with varying ages, designs, and ownership structures. Driving consistent execution and data accuracy in a global context requires navigating different local regulations and infrastructure capabilities. Additionally, you may face the challenge of balancing premium service delivery with resource conservation. Maintaining the 'wealth of warmth' and luxury experience promised to guests while implementing strict waste and energy reduction measures requires creative problem-solving and constant cross-functional negotiation with operations and design teams.

Question 7

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

Accepted Answer

A typical day might begin with a review of environmental performance data across the global properties to identify any deviations from targets. You could transition into a strategy session with the Development team to review design specifications for a new hotel opening, ensuring that Starwood’s sustainability standards are embedded from the start. In the afternoon, you might lead a Sustainability Governance Committee meeting to update executive leadership on progress toward annual goals. Your day could wrap up by collaborating with the Marketing and Communications teams, refining a story for an upcoming campaign that highlights a successful circularity project at one of the Treehouse properties.

Question 8

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

Accepted Answer

This is a high-visibility executive role where you will directly influence the long-term business strategy of one of the world's most innovative hospitality groups. Success in this position could lead to broader global responsibilities within the Starwood Capital Group ecosystem or a transition into a chief-level corporate leadership role. You will also build a prestigious professional network of owners, developers, and sustainability innovators. By positioning the company as a leader in responsible luxury, you will establish yourself as a top-tier industry authority, opening doors to high-level advisory positions and global speaking platforms in the ESG and hospitality sectors.

Question 9

The main stakeholders you might be interacting with

Accepted Answer

You will interact frequently with the Senior Vice President of Operations and the Sustainability Governance Committee to align on corporate strategy. On a property level, you will be a main partner for General Managers, Engineering Directors, and F&B leads, providing them with the tools and training to succeed. Externally, you will engage with hotel owners and developers to align interests on sustainability investments, as well as consultants who support benchmarking and certifications. You will also be a key contact for Marketing and Investor Relations teams, ensuring that the company's impact narrative is accurate and compelling for the market.

Vice President, Sustainability & Impact

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