Explore career options in sustainable business

Here you can find information on the types of careers and employment roles a sustainable business degree may land you.

You can also discover where to look for job vacancies, as well as professional associations, mentoring and international opportunities.

Opportunities

Business sustainability involves the management of financial, social and environmental risks, obligations and opportunities—frequently referred to as profits, people and planet. As such, business sustainability has emerged as global management priority.  A sustainable business major introduces you to the politics of environment and sustainability, how to create ethical and sustainable business practices, lead and manage sustainable business processes and integrate green marketing concepts.

Career fields

  • Private sector
  • Public sector
  • Energy sector
  • Environmental
  • Government

Employment roles

  • Sustainability adviser
  • Sustainability officer
  • Corporate social responsibility manager
  • Environmental, social and governance officer
  • Environmental consultant
  • Sustainability specialist
  • Sustainability reporting coordinator
  • Project officer
  • Project coordinator

Occupation snapshot

Employed

5,100

Future demand

Strong

Weekly earnings

$1,553

Part-time share

25%

This data is based on the occupation profile for sports administrators, retrieved from the Government's Jobs and Skills Australia and Your Career websites July 2024.

Your employability

To work in this kind of role you'll need excellent environmental and sustainability knowledge, good project management and analytical skills, strong communication skills, and excellent influencing skills. This role would be ideal for someone who cares about the environment and wants to help organisations manage their impact on it.

You can also build up your experience by getting involved in environmental work through charities and other groups. Volunteering is an excellent way to build up networks and gain knowledge in the field.

In addition to knowledge and skills directly related to your program of study, you will also develop a range of other skills such as teamwork, analytical, communication through academic study, employment, voluntary work, sporting and recreational activities and life experience.

Recognising the value employers place on these skills is an important factor in your graduate job search. You can further develop your employability with these resources:

Vacancies

Information on relevant vacancies can be found in a wide range of sources:

Job application resources

Craft a stand-out resume and cover letter, and learn how to prepare for job interviews.

Approach potential employers

Many work opportunities are not advertised, so we recommend approaching potential employers with the aim of researching their needs and how your skills, experience, interests and qualifications could match theirs.

This is called informational interviewing and will benefit you by:

  • clarifying your specific career direction
  • enhancing your professional network
  • increasing your chances of being offered a job.

Informational interviews

Industry outlook

The Your Career website includes helpful information such as job descriptions, employment prospects, average weekly earnings and skills requirements. Every job title in the database has a skills section to help you identify and describe essential skills for your future career.

The My Future website also has job descriptions and a useful career insight section.

The Quality Indicators for Learning and Teaching website has up-to-date information on graduate salaries, especially the Graduate Outlook Survey (GOS) National Report, which contains undergraduate salary figures.

More detailed information is available at the Labour Market Insights portal.

Professional associations

Joining a professional association is a great way to interact with people in your field who can assist you to explore your career options and potentially find employment opportunities. These associations hold regular professional development and networking events:

Students are welcome to join and often receive a discount on their membership.

Mentoring

The award-winning Industry Mentoring Program provides an excellent opportunity to further develop your employability and build professional networks.

The Program is available to students with more than 80CP as well as recent graduates.

Industry Mentoring Program

8 Decent work and economic growth12 Responsible consumption and production13 Climate action

Sustainable Development Goals

Griffith University is aligned to the United Nation's Sustainable Development Goals ( SDGs ) and is committed to promoting decent work and economic growth, advancing the principles of responsible and sustainable consumption and production, and advocating for peace, justice, and resilient institutional frameworks.

Further careers information

Careers counselling

Individual career counselling sessions are available to all current students and recent graduates.

You can book an initial appointment via CareerHub.

Book an appointment

Career planning

Our website has an array of career planning resources you can explore at any stage of your student journey.

Plan your career

Career Readiness

Check out our Career Readiness site in Learning@Griffith for additional information and resources for your career development learning:

Career Readiness

Similar career options

Please note: The content on this webpage is a guide only. Please refer to degree-specific information and accreditation requirements of your profession on the Degree and Course Finder website and with the relevant professional accreditation body for your degree.