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VDL ETG Almelo logo

Sustainability Engineer

VDL ETG Almelo • Netherlands • Added on Sep 24, 2026
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As a Sustainability Engineer at VDL ETG Almelo, you will bridge the gap between high-level policy and everyday practical execution. You will own the collection and analysis of environmental data, coordinate carbon footprint reduction initiatives, and manage compliance across diverse operations.

The semiconductor and high-tech supply chains are undergoing major transformations. By steering the sustainability strategy from Almelo, you will directly influence how complex industrial manufacturing addresses stringent international customer expectations and evolving European regulations like CSRD. Your work helps embed measurable ESG practices into a family-owned engineering powerhouse.

This suits someone who brings an engineering or environmental science background, thrives in a technical industrial environment, and excels at translating complex compliance requirements into concrete internal actions.

Job FAQs

What are the main missions and responsibilities of this role?

The successful candidate will take charge of translating sustainability goals into technical reality. This involves shaping the location's sustainability program, setting up robust data collection frameworks, and tracking progress across environmental, social, and governance pillars. Day-to-day work centers heavily on executing carbon and waste reduction projects.\n\nAdditionally, the role carries a heavy reporting mandate. You will oversee compliance reporting for key industrial standards like REACH, RoHS, and Conflict Minerals, ensuring the business meets the rigorous expectations of international high-tech clients. You will also supply critical ESG information upward to feed into the parent company’s broader CSRD and CDP disclosures.

Key learning opportunities for this job

This position offers an excellent vantage point to master complex industrial compliance frameworks such as REACH, RoHS, and the Responsible Business Alliance (RBA) standards. Operating within a high-tech manufacturing facility provides hands-on insight into how large-scale supply chains adapt to strict climate goals.\n\nFurthermore, you will gain practical experience in data governance and corporate reporting under the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD). Working alongside the central sustainability experts of the VDL Groep provides valuable mentorship, exposing you to best practices implemented across a multibillion-euro corporate network.

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

The ideal candidate holds a Bachelor's or Master's degree in Environmental Science, Sustainable Technology, or Industrial Engineering. You should possess a solid baseline understanding of ESG regulations and a natural affinity for technical, industrial environments where sustainability intersects with physical production processes.\n\nStrong data-handling skills and a pragmatic, solution-oriented mindset are essential. Because you will be driving change across different corporate functions, excellent communication skills in both Dutch and English are required to get diverse internal teams on board with your initiatives.

Advice to stand out and make a successful application

To stand out, your application should clearly demonstrate your ability to bridge data analysis with industrial operations. Instead of just stating your passion for sustainability, highlight specific instances where you have turned data insights into concrete carbon, waste, or energy reduction projects within a technical environment.\n\nTailor your motivation letter to reflect the unique culture of VDL ETG, which combines the ambitious demands of international semiconductor clients with the pragmatic, collaborative mindset of a family business. Showing familiarity with high-tech supply chain challenges will immediately set you apart.

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

The primary focus lies heavily on decarbonization and regulatory material compliance. Due to the nature of semiconductor and high-tech manufacturing, tracking energy consumption, cutting Scope 1 and 2 emissions, and minimizing production waste are central to the role’s environmental mandate.\n\nOn the governance and supply chain side, the role ensures the company meets strict international customer mandates. This means a strong emphasis will be placed on supplier engagement, auditing conflict minerals, and managing hazardous substances to maintain a clean, resilient, and socially responsible value chain.

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

One of the chief hurdles will be managing the data complexity inherent in high-tech manufacturing. Gathering accurate, auditable ESG metrics from various departments and suppliers requires persistent follow-up and the creation of structured tracking systems where none might currently exist.\n\nBalancing the high-velocity production demands of an industrial business with long-term sustainability goals can also create friction. You will need to build strong business cases to convince busy production and purchasing managers that investing time in ESG initiatives aligns with their operational targets.

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

A typical day could start with analyzing energy consumption logs to identify technical optimization opportunities in the production hall, followed by a meeting with the facility team to review a waste reduction project. Later, you might jump on a call with the purchasing department to discuss how to evaluate a key supplier's compliance with conflict mineral guidelines.\n\nIn the afternoon, your focus might shift toward corporate reporting, where you compile location-specific data for the upcoming VDL Groep CSRD review. You will likely end the day responding to an international client's sustainability inquiry or updating internal compliance tracking sheets.

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

This role offers significant visibility, as you will be the central node for sustainability at the Almelo site while interacting regularly with the central VDL Groep teams. Successfully establishing the local ESG program positions you as a strategic internal expert within a global industrial collective.\n\nAs the sustainability department matures, opportunities to step into higher-level project management or regional ESG leadership roles within the wider VDL network are highly plausible. The technical compliance expertise gained here is also highly transferable and coveted across the global manufacturing sector.

The main stakeholders you might be interacting with

Internally, you will interact closely with operational department heads, facility managers, and the procurement team to implement carbon reduction and supply chain policies. You will also collaborate frequently with fellow sustainability engineers at other VDL ETG sites and coordinate with the Energy & Climate Advisor at the VDL Groep level.\n\nExternally, your main touchpoints will be the sustainability and quality assurance teams of major international clients, who require strict compliance data, as well as supply chain partners whom you will engage to elevate their own ESG performance.

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