Sustainability & ESG Recruitment Agency

The International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB) was established by the IFRS Foundation to create a global baseline for sustainability-related disclosure. S1 is the general sustainability-related disclosures standard. S2 is the climate-related disclosures standard, which incorporates the TCFD recommendations while extending them. TCFD-trained reporters do not automatically deliver ISSB-compliant disclosures because S1 and S2 require broader governance, strategy, risk management and metrics disclosure than TCFD alone. UK entities are moving toward mandatory ISSB-aligned reporting via the UK Sustainability Disclosure Standards, and this transition is a significant driver of ESG reporting hiring in 2026.

SBTi is the Science Based Targets initiative, a partnership between CDP, UN Global Compact, WRI and WWF. It defines and validates company net zero targets aligned to the latest climate science, specifically the 1.5 degrees Celsius pathway. An SBTi-validated target involves Scope 1, Scope 2 and often Scope 3 commitments assessed against the Net Zero Standard. Corporate net zero hiring, particularly at Carbon Manager and Head of Sustainability level, is now commonly scoped around SBTi-validated or SBTi-committed targets. Practitioners with live validation experience are in strong demand.

PAS 2080 is the Publicly Available Specification for carbon management in buildings and infrastructure, setting a process-based standard for reducing whole life carbon across construction and infrastructure projects. The RICS Whole Life Carbon Assessment (second edition) is the RICS professional standard for assessing whole life carbon in buildings, including embodied and operational carbon modules (A1-A5, B1-B7, C1-C4 per the EN 15978 framework). PAS 2080 is the management process; RICS WLCA is the assessment method. Many UK public-sector and major commercial projects now require both. We screen for live delivery evidence under both.

BREEAM AP (Accredited Professional) is the BRE credential for sustainability consultants who advise on BREEAM strategy during design, but who do not themselves assess projects. BREEAM Assessor (also called Accredited Assessor) is licensed to carry out the formal BREEAM assessment leading to certification. Both are issued by BRE. Many senior sustainability consultants hold both. On UK commercial and institutional briefs, BREEAM AP is the more commonly-requested credential; Assessor is more common at specialist BREEAM consultancies.

The GHG Protocol (Greenhouse Gas Protocol) is the global accounting and reporting standard for corporate greenhouse gas emissions, developed by WRI and WBCSD. It defines Scope 1 (direct emissions from owned sources), Scope 2 (indirect emissions from purchased electricity, steam, heat and cooling) and Scope 3 (all other indirect emissions across the value chain, split into 15 categories including purchased goods, business travel, and use of sold products). Scope 3 commonly represents 70 to 90 per cent of a typical company's carbon footprint but is also the hardest to quantify. Scope 3 depth, particularly Categories 1 and 11, is the single hardest competence to hire for on senior net zero briefs.

CIBSE TM65 is the CIBSE Technical Memorandum on embodied carbon in building services, providing a methodology for calculating the embodied carbon of building services products where manufacturer environmental product declarations (EPDs) are unavailable. It sits alongside RICS Whole Life Carbon Assessment and PAS 2080 in the UK embodied carbon toolkit, and is commonly used by building services sustainability consultants and BREEAM teams. TM65 fluency is increasingly a requirement on whole life carbon briefs.

CSRD is the EU Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive, a 2022 EU directive mandating sustainability reporting aligned to the European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS) for in-scope entities. UK companies are not directly within scope, but UK entities with EU subsidiaries, EU listings, or meeting EU-threshold tests for their EU presence may be required to report under CSRD. This cross-border exposure, combined with the UK's own Sustainability Disclosure Standards programme, is shaping the hiring market for ESG reporting specialists who can cover both regimes.

Broad 2026 market ranges. Sustainability Consultant (Engineer-level) 32 to 45 thousand. Senior Sustainability Consultant 45 to 62. Associate Sustainability Consultant 65 to 85. Associate Director 80 to 105. Sustainability Director and Partner 100 to 160 plus. Head of Sustainability (in-house corporate) 75 to 130 depending on entity scale. Carbon Manager 45 to 68. Senior Carbon Manager 65 to 85. Net Zero Programme Director 90 to 140. ESG Analyst 35 to 55. ESG Manager 55 to 80. Head of ESG 80 to 140. BREEAM Assessor (experienced) 45 to 65. Passivhaus Designer 50 to 75. PAS 2080 / Whole Life Carbon Lead 55 to 80. London and corporate in-house premiums apply. Day rates for contract roles run 350 to 900.

Yes. We cover the full UK sustainability consultancy tier (including Jacobs), specialist environmental and ESG consultancies, BREEAM-specialist building services practices, the Big Four and mid-tier ESG advisory teams, and the in-house corporate sustainability functions at FTSE-listed entities, housebuilders and REITs. Candidates regularly cross these channels and we manage the moves accordingly.

Yes, all four. BREEAM AP and BREEAM Accredited Assessor (BRE). LEED AP and LEED Green Associate (USGBC/GBCI). WELL AP (IWBI). Certified Passivhaus Designer and Passivhaus Certifier (Passivhaus Institut/Trust). We verify credential currency and live project delivery evidence at shortlist stage, not just the presence of the acronym on the CV.

Yes, across all three. Permanent placements are the majority volume. Contract cover is common on ISSB transition peaks, CSRD readiness projects, CDP submission windows and BREEAM assessment surge periods. Interim Head of Sustainability and Director of Sustainability placements are used for team integration after acquisition, new-programme stand-up, and regulatory response on ESG disclosure.