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US job code 11-1011.03People-facingHigh change by 2035

Chief Sustainability Officers

Machines can already do 39% of this job's tasks. By 2035 that rises to 65%. The job changes before it disappears.

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Share of the work machines can do

Worldwide baseline, 2026 to 2050

100%75%50%25%20262035205039%Half: 2030

Chief Sustainability Officers in 2026: the short answer

  • Today: machines can do 39% of this job's tasks, and AI use is already seen in 3% of them.
  • Forecast: machines can do half of its tasks by 2030, and 65% by 2035, according to the 311 Strategic Intelligence Unit.
  • Size: 204,350 people do this job in the United States, on a median pay of $213,990 a year.
  • Contact with people: it scores 73% for contact with people.
  • Also called: Chief Sustainability Officer (CSO), Corporate Sustainability Process Manager, CSR and Sustainability VP (Corporate Social Responsibility and Sustainability Vice President), Sustainability Chancellor.

Updated by the 311 Strategic Intelligence Unit. These are worldwide baseline figures; the Workforce Starburst shows them for your country. Go deeper: How ready am I? or an executive briefing.

Machines can do today
39%of the tasks, 2026
By 2035
65%half the tasks by 2030
US median pay
$213,990a year, May 2025
US jobs
204k204,350 people
Contact with people
73%how people-facing
Step 1AnticipateWhat is changing? Free to everyone

How the work changes, task by task

The tasks that take up most of the day, with the share of each that machines can do in 2026 (dark) and 2035 (pink). Worldwide baseline.

TaskShare of the dayMachines can do2026 to 2035
Develop or execute strategies to address issues such as energy use, resource conservation, recycling, pollution reduction, waste elimination, transportation, education, and building design12%
30% to 54%
Develop sustainability reports, presentations, or proposals for supplier, employee, academia, media, government, public interest, or other groups12%
52% to 80%
Monitor and evaluate effectiveness of sustainability programs8%
25% to 50%
Supervise employees or volunteers working on sustainability projects8%
10% to 27%
Research environmental sustainability issues, concerns, or stakeholder interests6%
55% to 85%
Direct sustainability program operations to ensure compliance with environmental or governmental regulations6%
10% to 27%
Develop, or oversee the development of, sustainability evaluation or monitoring systems5%
22% to 48%
Create and maintain sustainability program documents, such as schedules and budgets5%
65% to 92%
Step 2AssessWhy should I care? Free to everyone

The skills this job runs on

The skills chief sustainability officers use most, most used first.

ManagementTeaching and trainingCommunicationAnalysis and dataLegal knowledgeCollaborationLearning aptitude and mindsetCritical thinking and problem solvingEmotional intelligenceInterpersonal skillsSelf-managementDesign and contentTrade craftsInterdisciplinary thinking

Safer jobs nearby

Jobs with a similar skill shape where machines can do less of the work by 2035.

Step 3ActWhat do I do about it? Free plan and up
What do I do about it

What should you do about it?

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Questions

When will machines do half of the tasks of Chief Sustainability Officers?

Machines can do half of its tasks by 2030. That is the worldwide baseline from the 311 Workforce Starburst, before adjusting for country.

Will AI take the job of chief sustainability officers?

Machines can do 39% of the tasks of chief sustainability officers today and 65% by 2035. The job changes before it disappears: the routine tasks move first.

Sources and citing

Tasks and their share of the day: O*NET 31.0, occupation 11-1011.03 (US Department of Labor, CC BY 4.0). Pay and jobs: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. AI use today: Anthropic Economic Index (CC BY). Scoring and forecast: the 311 Strategic Intelligence Unit; after 2035 the figures extend each trend, with lower confidence. Foresight, not advice.

Cite as: 311 Institute (2026). Chief Sustainability Officers: the outlook to 2050. 311 Workforce Starburst. https://www.311institute.com/jobs/chief-sustainability-officers/