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Sustainability Specialist

delfort • Austria • Added on Aug 12, 2026
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This role sits at the intersection of technical reporting and cross-functional strategy, where you will manage the flow of ESG data across a global manufacturing network. You will be responsible for translating complex CSRD requirements into actionable KPIs while integrating AI-driven tools to modernize how the company tracks its environmental footprint. Your work ensures that sustainability isn’t just a separate department but a core component of operations, procurement, and sales.

The impact here is significant: you are helping a major specialty paper manufacturer navigate the transition to a circular economy. By managing assessments like EcoVadis and CDP, you directly influence the company’s market competitiveness and its ability to reduce carbon intensity across diverse international subsidiaries. This position provides the rare chance to implement AI-enabled sustainability solutions in a traditional industrial setting.

This suits someone who possesses a strong analytical mindset and at least three years of industrial ESG experience. You should be comfortable navigating matrix organizations and have a genuine interest in how digital transformation can accelerate corporate decarbonization goals.

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What are the main missions and responsibilities of this role?

The primary mission involves steering the sustainability and circular economy agenda across diverse functions including Sales, Procurement, and Operations. You will act as the technical anchor for CSRD reporting, ensuring that narrative and KPI disclosures meet audit-grade standards. Beyond compliance, you will focus on digitalizing ESG data management. This includes leveraging artificial intelligence to enhance reporting accuracy and stakeholder communication, effectively moving the company toward a more data-driven sustainability culture. Additionally, you will maintain and improve external sustainability ratings such as CDP and EcoVadis. This requires constant collaboration with corporate functions to identify performance gaps and implement circular economy requirements across the group's international subsidiaries.

Key learning opportunities for this job

A standout opportunity in this role is the exposure to AI-enabled sustainability solutions. As the company pushes for digitalization, you will learn how to apply emerging technologies to complex ESG datasets, a highly sought-after skill in the current market. You will also gain deep expertise in the CSRD/ESRS framework and greenhouse gas accounting (CCF/PCF). Given delfort's diverse industrial footprint, you will learn the nuances of sustainability within the specialty paper and packaging sectors, navigating different regulatory landscapes across Europe, Asia, and the Americas. The role offers a platform to master cross-functional project management within a matrix environment, teaching you how to influence stakeholders across different cultures and business units without direct hierarchical authority.

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

The ideal candidate brings at least three years of experience in ESG or sustainability, preferably within an industrial or manufacturing context. A solid educational background in Environmental Science or a related field provides the necessary technical foundation for this role. Technically, you must be proficient in CSRD/ESRS requirements and possess a strong understanding of carbon footprinting. An analytical mindset is essential, as the role requires interpreting vast amounts of data to drive process optimizations and circular economy initiatives. Soft skills are equally important; you should be a solution-oriented communicator fluent in both German and English. The ability to build relationships across international teams and a 'hands-on' approach to problem-solving will be critical for success in this matrix-based organization.

Advice to stand out and make a successful application

To stand out, emphasize your technical proficiency in CSRD and any experience you have with GHG accounting. The hiring team is looking for someone who can hit the ground running with reporting requirements, so providing specific examples of KPIs you have managed will be beneficial. Highlight your interest or experience in digitalization and AI. Since this is a specific focus of the role, demonstrating a forward-thinking approach to how technology can solve sustainability challenges will differentiate you from more traditional ESG candidates. Finally, showcase your ability to work in complex industrial environments. Delfort is a large, international group; showing that you understand the specific sustainability challenges of manufacturing—such as supply chain complexity and energy intensity—will resonate strongly with their needs.

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

The role focuses heavily on transparency and accountability through rigorous ESG reporting and ratings management. By improving CDP and EcoVadis scores, the role helps validate the company's sustainability claims to global customers. There is a strong emphasis on the circular economy, particularly in how it applies to specialty paper products. You will likely work on projects that aim to close material loops and reduce the environmental impact of packaging through better design and procurement strategies. Lastly, decarbonization is a core focus. By refining greenhouse gas accounting (CCF/PCF), you will help the company identify high-emission areas and track the progress of carbon reduction initiatives across their global production sites.

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

One of the primary challenges will be data harmonization across a global group with 17 subsidiaries. Ensuring consistency and accuracy in ESG data when dealing with different local systems and levels of maturity requires significant attention to detail. You may also face the challenge of driving change in a matrix structure. Successfully implementing sustainability initiatives requires buy-in from various departments like Operations and Sales, which may have competing priorities or varying levels of sustainability awareness. Keeping pace with rapidly evolving regulations is another hurdle. As CSRD standards and circular economy requirements continue to shift, you must remain agile to ensure the company remains compliant and ahead of industry benchmarks.

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

A typical day might begin with a cross-functional meeting involving procurement or operations to discuss progress on circular economy initiatives or data collection for the annual CSRD report. Your afternoon could be dedicated to data analysis and digital tools, perhaps working on an AI-driven project to automate certain ESG metrics or preparing a submission for a sustainability rating platform like EcoVadis. You will likely spend time communicating with international subsidiaries, providing guidance on sustainability requirements or benchmarking their performance against group-wide goals. The day often ends with strategic planning, where you align current tasks with the broader ESG roadmap.

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

The role offers significant strategic visibility within the company, providing opportunities to interact with senior leadership and influence the long-term ESG direction of the group. Success in this position could lead to higher-level management roles within the sustainability department or lateral moves into operational excellence, supply chain, or digital transformation, given the cross-functional nature of the work. Furthermore, the focus on innovative topics like AI positions you as a specialist in the future of ESG management, opening doors to lead high-impact, technology-driven sustainability projects on a global scale.

The main stakeholders you might be interacting with

Internal stakeholders include the Corporate Sustainability team and leads from Sales, Procurement, and Operations. You will also interact with managers at the various international subsidiaries to ensure alignment on ESG goals. Externally, you will engage with customers and suppliers, participating in benchmarking exercises and knowledge-sharing sessions to improve the overall sustainability of the value chain. You will also be the main point of contact for auditors and rating agencies (like CDP and EcoVadis), ensuring they receive accurate and comprehensive information regarding the company's ESG performance and initiatives.

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