Sustainability Manager

Company OverviewHeadquartered in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, we are a U.S. developer of utility-scale solar and battery energy storage systems (BESS), backed by I Squared Capital's Energy Transition Fund. With a portfolio spanning utility-scale solar, distributed generation, and energy storage projects across multiple states, we power communities while maintaining the highest standards of environmental stewardship, social responsibility, and governance. Summary The Sustainability Manager is a critical hire who will own the development, execution, and continuous improvement of the company's Sustainability program. Reporting directly to senior leadership and working alongside the EHS Manager, this individual will serve as the internal subject-matter expert on Sustainability strategy, stakeholder reporting, regulatory compliance, and sustainability data management. The role sits at the intersection of strategy, finance, operations, and community engagement, and requires both analytical rigor and the ability to communicate meaningfully with diverse stakeholders — from institutional investors and lenders to local communities and regulators.Key ResponsibilitiesSustainability Strategy & Program Management•     Design and implement the company's sustainability strategy, aligning it with business objectives, sponsor and investor expectations, and the evolving U.S. and state regulatory landscape.•     Develop and maintain a materiality assessment, updating it regularly in response to evolving stakeholder priorities and industry trends.•     Set short-, medium-, and long-term sustainability targets — covering GHG emissions reduction, avoided-emissions methodology, biodiversity and land-use impact, supply chain, and governance benchmarks — and build the roadmaps to deliver them.•     Serve as the primary sustainability resource for the executive team and the Board, delivering regular briefings, dashboards, and recommendations.Reporting & Disclosure•     Own the preparation and publication of the company's annual Sustainability Impact Report, aligned with leading frameworks (such as GRI, ISSB, TCFD, and UN SDGs) as well as supporting the shareholders regulatory requirements including EU SFDR Article 9 considerations as well as taxonomy considerations.•     Respond to investor, lender, offtaker, and permitting-agency sustainability questionnaires and due diligence requests, including project finance ESG DD, IRA compliance attestations, and RFI responses for utility and corporate PPAs.•     Coordinate sustainability data collection across operations, finance, HR, and legal, and maintain accurate, audit-ready data with documented controls.•     Monitor and ensure compliance with environmental disclosure rules and any applicable state or federal level Sustainability mandates.Environmental Stewardship•     Track and report Scope 1, 2, and 3 greenhouse gas emissions in accordance with the GHG Protocol; develop and oversee a credible net-zero pathway.•     Manage biodiversity, land use, and habitat-related commitments across the project development lifecycle for both solar and BESS sites, partnering with development, EPC, and environmental permitting teams.•     Oversee environmental compliance monitoring and ensure that construction and operations teams adhere to environmental permits and mitigation commitments.•     Support the shareholder's sustainability undertakings — including data and evidence needed for EU SFDR Article 9 and EU Taxonomy reporting — by maintaining the underlying project-level data and KPIs. •     Evaluate and pursue third-party sustainability certifications and standards relevant to solar and storage development (e.g., Equator Principles, IFC Performance Standards for project finance, FAST-Infra Label, Envision, and battery-specific standards).Social Responsibility & Community Engagement•     Develop and manage the company's community engagement framework, ensuring early and meaningful engagement with landowners, tribal nations where applicable, local governments, environmental justice communities, and other affected stakeholders.•     Oversee the company's social impact initiatives, including community investment programs, local hiring commitments, and educational partnerships.•     Partner with HR on workforce development initiatives.•     Lead the identification and mitigation of social risks across the project pipeline, including land rights, community opposition, and labor standards.Governance & Compliance•     Develop and maintain sustainability-related policies, including a Responsible Contractor Policy, Supply Chain Sustainability Policy, Human Rights Policy, and Anti-Corruption Policy.•     Collaborate with legal and compliance teams to monitor evolving Sustainability-related regulations at the federal, state, and local levels.•     Integrate sustainability criteria into procurement and vendor management, including the evaluation of solar panel supply chain due diligence.•     Lead sustainability and ESG due diligence on M&A transactions and project acquisitions, including site-level environmental and community risk assessment.Stakeholder & Investor Relations Support•     Serve as the primary liaison to the sponsor, co-investors, joint venture partners, and project finance lenders on sustainability matters.•     Ensure adherence to shareholders sustainability-related requirements and regulatory undertakings. •     Prepare sustainability content for investor presentations, project finance information memoranda, lender ESG sections, and board materials.•     Engage proactively with industry associations and multi-stakeholder initiatives to stay current and shape industry norms.QualificationsRequired•     Bachelor's degree in Environmental Science, Sustainability, Engineering, Public Policy, or a closely related field.•     5+ years of progressive sustainability, ESG, or environmental compliance experience, preferably in renewable energy, infrastructure, or other real assets.•     Demonstrated experience producing formal sustainability or impact reports aligned with leading frameworks (GRI, ISSB/SASB, TCFD).•     Strong command of greenhouse gas accounting (GHG Protocol) and carbon reporting tools.•     Experience responding to investor and project finance lender ESG due diligence and regulatory agency questionnaires.•     Excellent written and verbal communication skills; proven ability to translate complex sustainability and ESG topics for non-specialist audiences — executives, lenders, regulators, and community stakeholders.Preferred•     Master's degree in Sustainability, Environmental Management, MBA with sustainability concentration, or equivalent.•     Professional certifications such as LEED AP, GRI Certified Sustainability Professional, CFA Sustainability Certificate, or FSA Credential (ISSB).•     Direct experience in U.S. utility-scale solar and/or battery energy storage, including familiarity with interconnection, permitting, and project finance processes.•     Familiarity with environmental justice frameworks and community benefit agreements.•     Experience conducting supply chain due diligence on solar module traceability (UFLPA) and/or battery critical mineral sourcing.•     Prior experience with IFC Performance Standards or Equator Principles in a project finance context.Core CompetenciesStrategic ThinkingData Integrity & AnalyticsCross-functional CollaborationProject ManagementStakeholder EngagementRegulatory AwarenessCommunication & InfluenceContinuous Improvement Mindset