Sustainability Engagement Manager

American Addiction Centers • Oak Brook, IL

1d • $55 - $82 • Onsite

About The Position

The Sustainability Engagement Manager will lead and coordinate enterprise-wide sustainability engagement by partnering with hospital and site-level leaders to implement, operationalize, and embed sustainability initiatives into day-to-day operations. This role drives the consistent adoption of enterprise sustainability priorities by setting clear expectations, timelines, and accountability mechanisms for participating sites and programs, and scaling successful practices to deliver measurable, system-wide impact. The manager will engage hospital sites in launching sustainability-related projects, initiatives, and pilot programs, identify and synthesize best practices, develop business cases and case studies to demonstrate impact, and build strategic partnerships with community organizations, businesses, and NGOs. This role also guides strategic planning and cross-functional integration for complex sustainability projects, provides project management and impact evaluation, collaborates with internal subject-matter experts, and guides clinical sustainability programs. The manager will engage operational leaders to report on sustainability performance and impact, partner with business and operational teams to integrate sustainability goals, and support the attainment of Joint Commission Healthcare Sustainability certification. A key aspect of this role is building and overseeing a comprehensive teammate engagement strategy, developing polished presentations, training materials, and educational resources, organizing education and engagement events, and measuring training implementation. The manager will also develop and manage project-specific tools, templates, playbooks, and digital platforms to support consistent implementation of sustainability initiatives.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Sustainability, Environmental Management, or a related field
• Minimum 5+ years’ experience supporting and executing sustainability strategy and program development, engagement, education, and implementation in a large, complex organization or hospital/health system.
• Experience must include leading enterprise or multi-site initiatives in matrixed environments, translating strategy into operational execution, and driving adoption through project management, change management, and process improvement.
• Advanced communication and change management skills, with the ability to translate complex sustainability, financial, and operational data into actionable insights, programs, and implementation approaches.
• Demonstrated experience engaging senior executives and operational leaders, effectively communicating sustainability drivers, financial considerations, performance metrics, and enterprise impact.
• Proven track record of leading strategy execution, with strong project management skills and the ability to bring complex, cross‑functional initiatives from concept through implementation in a matrixed, multi‑stakeholder environment.
• Demonstrated ability to lead through influence, providing direction, guidance, and subject‑matter expertise to advance work across diverse stakeholders without formal authority.
• Highly self‑directed and adaptable, with the ability to work independently in ambiguous environments while building strong relationships and collaborating effectively across teams, functions, and sites.
• Deep sustainability subject‑matter expertise, including the ability to support financial analysis, pro formas, business case development, and impact evaluation for sustainability initiatives, paired with strong analytical and writing skills.
• Substantive experience developing polished, executive‑ready presentations, facilitating effective meetings, navigating stakeholder alignment and conflict resolution, and balancing strategic perspective with attention to operational detail.
• Experience developing and applying impact metrics and key performance indicators to evaluate sustainability performance, adoption, and outcomes.
• Proficiency with collaboration and analytics tools (e.g., SharePoint, Excel, Teams) to support project execution, knowledge sharing, and performance tracking.

Nice To Haves

• Master’s degree (MBA, MHA, Master’s in Sustainability, Environmental Management, or a related field), ideally combined with a nursing degree or other clinical degree and relevant clinical experience.
• Preferred certifications include LEED AP, LEED Green Associate, Sustainability Excellence Professional, SASB/FSA, GRI, CPHQ, Lean, Six Sigma, PMP, or other sustainability, change management, or process improvement credentials.
• Experience in patient care or a nursing background is strongly preferred to support effective clinician engagement.
• Experience working in a healthcare environment.
• Deep sustainability subject-matter expertise.
• Experience in an engagement-focused role.
• Nursing expertise and/or experience in a clinical or healthcare administrative role is strongly preferred but not required.
• Expertise includes, but is not limited to, decarbonization, climate resilience, greenhouse gas (GHG) accounting, zero waste, sustainable procurement, clinical process improvement, lifecycle assessment, social impact, and community partnership and collaboration.
• Ability to build relationships, establish trust, and apply strong communication skills to drive engagement and adoption.
• Creative, solutions-oriented thinking.
• Ability to effectively navigate and resolve bottlenecks.
• Consistently delivers results in complex environments.
• Energized by direct engagement with teammates, leaders, and clinical partners and motivated by advancing sustainability through collaboration and influence.

Responsibilities

• Lead and coordinate enterprise-wide sustainability engagement by partnering with hospital and site-level leaders to implement, operationalize, and embed sustainability initiatives into day-to-day operations.
• Drive consistent adoption of enterprise sustainability priorities by setting clear expectations, timelines, and accountability mechanisms for participating sites and programs, and scaling successful practices to deliver measurable, system-wide impact.
• Engage hospital sites in launching sustainability-related projects, initiatives, and pilot programs.
• Identify, synthesize, and help scale best practices; develop business cases and case studies to demonstrate impact; and build strategic partnerships with community organizations, businesses, and NGOs that strengthen sustainability performance and amplify results.
• Guide strategic planning and cross-functional integration for complex sustainability projects, aligning multiple stakeholders and departments around a cohesive sustainability approach.
• Provide project management and impact evaluation by defining scope, expectations, and delivery timelines to ensure disciplined execution and measurable outcomes.
• Collaborate with internal subject-matter experts, task forces, and service-line sustainability leaders to ensure sustainability initiatives are aligned with and reinforce task force and service-line priorities.
• Guide and manage clinical sustainability programs as needed to support effective implementation and impact.
• Engage operational leaders to report on sustainability performance and impact using relevant indicators and metrics.
• Partner with business and operational teams to integrate sustainability goals into operational planning and informed decision-making.
• Support attainment of Joint Commission Healthcare Sustainability certification by coordinating sustainability metrics, documentation, and performance reporting.
• Manage preparation and reporting of sustainability strategy and progress for Joint Commission surveys.
• Build and oversee a comprehensive teammate engagement strategy, including tailored approaches for nursing and physician audiences.
• Lead development of engagement infrastructure—such as lead capture processes and a centralized teammate resource hub—to support sustainability innovation, and partner with Communications and People & Culture to deliver coordinated education and communications.
• Develop polished, impactful presentations, training materials, and educational resources to build a culture of sustainability and expand understanding of the drivers of sustainable healthcare among leaders, managers, clinicians, and teammates.
• Organize and coordinate education and engagement events, learning modules, and training opportunities through scheduling, promotion, and collaboration with subject-matter experts.
• Measure training implementation, knowledge gains, and engagement levels across leaders and teammates.
• Develop and manage project-specific tools, templates, playbooks, and digital platforms—including the enterprise Sustainability SharePoint resource site—to support consistent enterprise and site-level implementation of sustainability initiatives.
• Enable hospitals to track sustainability progress, foster site-level collaboration, and share results and impact through effective resource and file management and site-level sustainability pages.

Benefits

• Competitive compensation
• Generous retirement offerings
• Programs that invest in your career development
• Paid Time Off programs
• Health and welfare benefits such as medical, dental, vision, life, and Short- and Long-Term Disability
• Flexible Spending Accounts for eligible health care and dependent care expenses
• Family benefits such as adoption assistance and paid parental leave
• Defined contribution retirement plans with employer match and other financial wellness programs
• Educational Assistance Program

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level