Key information

  1. Reference: ST0934
  2. Date updated: 22/08/2022
  3. Level: 4
  4. Route: Business and administration
  5. Regulated occupation: No
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Details of the occupational standard

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Higher Technical Qualification

Higher Technical Qualifications (HTQs) are designed to be delivered within a course of education. Some Knowledge, Skills and Behaviours may be more safely and reliably delivered in workplace settings, so may not be fully covered by the HTQ. Some qualifications will deliver additional content or added depth and breadth through, for example, use of specialist learning environments, work placements or innovative teaching methods. Check with the qualification provider if you require further information on coverage.

Occupation summary

This occupation is found in organisations that sit within the public, private or third sectors. Corporate Responsibility & Sustainability (CR&S) Practitioners are found in all industries and are increasingly a key component of virtually all types of business models where profit and growth are a means to an even greater end, such as protecting the environment and improving societal sustainability.

The broad purpose of the occupation is to be a social conscience for the organisation, helping innovate and drive ambitions for social and environmental change and make these a reality that are embedded and implemented across the organisation. The roles and responsibilities of businesses are changing rapidly; society increasingly expects that organisations should act responsibly not just to their shareholders but also to their wider stakeholders and the broader community. Business therefore is a great platform for social and environmental change and CR&S Practitioners help to drive this by delivering an organisation’s CR&S strategy ("The Strategy"), releasing the power of business to contribute positively towards social and environmental outcomes.

In their daily work, an employee in this occupation interacts with a variety of internal and external stakeholders. Internally, CR&S practitioners interact with a wide range of staff which could be across one or multiple sites/countries. They facilitate change by helping others to understand how different roles fit within the strategy and how everyone’s contribution can impact the greater good.

Practitioners may also reach out into the community in order to work collaboratively, and in some cases to understand the views of external organisations such as charities, social enterprises, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), or local and central government. Furthermore, CR&S Practitioners are often ambassadors for their organisations, championing their CR&S strategy and expanding their network of influence in order to bring about positive impact.

An employee in this occupation will be responsible for contributing towards, and in some cases ownership of CR&S, campaigns, projects and events, making sure these are embedded by facilitating delivery. Depending on the size of the organisation, the CR&S Practitioner may be expected to contribute towards strategy design, internal and external communications and reporting, data management, research and horizon-scanning, and supporting budget management. Ultimately, they will be responsible for helping to ensure their organisation acts to embed The Strategy into every-day business practices and in turn managing risk and reputation.

This is not a routine office job; the CR&S Practitioner will typically be working on multiple initiatives covering a variety of geographies, focus areas, and stakeholders. For instance, some roles may be weighted towards managing employee volunteering initiatives or fundraising for charities. Others may have a stronger focus on topics like human rights, carbon reduction, waste management, energy efficiency and supply chain. The occupation can also encompass diversity, inclusion, health & safety, and well-being. Therefore, the CR&S Practitioner’s day-to-day responsibilities will vary depending on circumstances and in turn means they could work independently, in a team, or collaboratively with multiple stakeholders. While not the norm, this may mean occasionally working weekends or evenings to ensure delivery of CR&S initiatives and events. The CR&S Practitioner is also expected to be adaptable, able to thrive in a changeable environment, and support others through the process.

It is vital for a CR&S Practitioner to be passionate about social and environmental change, and strive to role model ethical behaviour and values. It is also imperative for the CR&S Practitioner to understand their business, the landscape and industry it operates in, and demonstrate the value of CR&S to the business.

They work typically as part of a team in medium to larger organisations and report into a senior leader who may be a CR&S specialist. Alternatively, they may report to a different department, for example Human Resources, Communications, or Marketing. It is typical for CR&S Practitioners to put together a business case, to seek permissions and consensus from senior leaders before initiating a project.

Typical job titles include:

Corporate Responsibility (CR) Administrator Sustainability Coordinator Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Administrator Community Investment Coordinator Social Impact Administrator Responsible Business Coordinator Environmental Social Governance (ESG) Administrator Philanthropy Coordinator Corporate Citizenship Administrator

Occupation duties

Duty KSBs

Duty 1 Own and deliver initiatives and campaigns that contribute to the Corporate Responsibility & Sustainability (CR&S) strategy.

K1 K2 K6 K8 K9 K11 K16 K20

S1 S2 S3 S6 S7 S8 S10 S14 S17

B1 B2 B4 B5 B6 B7

Duty 2 Identify and build internal relationships in order to foster buy-in to existing and future CR&S initiatives with the aim of integrating ethical policies and behaviour into everyday business practices.

K5 K6 K7 K9 K12 K13 K21

S4 S5 S7 S8 S11

B1 B2 B5 B6 B7

Duty 3 Act as a business contact by actively engaging with community organisations (charities etc.) in order to drive social and environmental impact.

K6 K7 K8 K9 K12 K13 K21

S5 S6 S7 S11

B1 B5 B6 B7

Duty 4 Contribute to regular communications to promote initiatives and update colleagues across the business on CR&S best practice.

K2 K4 K6 K7 K9 K10 K23

S2 S7 S8 S9 S20

B1 B3 B5

Duty 5 Contribute to the development of the business’ CR&S strategy. Work with colleagues to devise a strategy that builds on the business’ existing social and environmental impact.

K2 K5 K10 K11 K19 K20 K23 K24 K25 K26 K27

S2 S4 S9 S10 S16 S17

B1 B3 B5 B6 B7

Duty 6 Collect and input CR&S data from across the business in order to contribute said data to industry and mandatory reporting requirements e.g. Modern Slavery Act, Gender Pay Gap etc.

K3 K4 K10 K14 K15

S9 S12 S13 S22

Duty 7 Help organise CR&S events that engage internal and external stakeholders by owning the administrative and logistical aspects.

K1 K2 K5 K6 K7 K8 K12 K13 K16 K20

S1 S2 S3 S4 S5 S6 S11 S14 S17 S22

B1 B3 B5 B7

Duty 8 Quality-assure internal and external projects and campaigns, both in the UK and where applicable in other countries, to ensure that CR&S activities are compliant with regulatory standards.

K1 K4 K18 K20 K26

S1 S6 S15 S16 S17

B2 B4 B5 B6 B7

Duty 9 Identify relevant social and environmental risks to the business and escalate internal and external stakeholders accordingly. Recognise risks to own organisation’s corporate reputation, whether through action or inaction, recommending actions to remedy the issue.

K2 K3 K10 K11 K15 K20 K21 K22 K26

S2 S9 S10 S12 S13 S17 S18

B3 B6 B7

Duty 10 Keep abreast of developments to ensure the business is aware of current and future opportunities and challenges in relation to social & environmental issues by representing the business at CR&S events and conferences.

K6 K7 K9 K21 K22 K26

S5 S7 S8 S17 S18

B2 B3 B5 B6

Duty 11 Monitor spend on CR&S activity in order to achieve targets within spend. Escalate budgetary risks to senior leaders.

K3 K4 K8 K10 K14 K15 K20

S3 S6 S9 S12 S13 S17 S20 S22

B3 B4 B6

Duty 12 Help to ensure that all colleagues, where appropriate, are trained on the practical application and integration of CR&S to their daily duties.

K2 K5 K6 K7 K12 K13 K21 K23

S4 S5 S8 S11 S20

B1 B5

Duty 13 Contribute towards the business submitting to industry/topic-specific rankings and relevant memberships to third-party accreditations which measure the social and environmental impact of the business; examples include but not limited to Business In The Community (BITC) Responsible Business Tracker, United Nations (UN) Sustainability Development Goals (SDGs), Social Mobility Employer Index, Stonewall Workplace Equality Index, GivX.

K3 K4 K9 K10 K15 K21 K22

S3 S7 S9 S12 S13 S18

B1 B3 B4 B6 B7

Duty 14 Contribute CR&S information and news towards internal and external communication channels such as internal newsletters or social media posts.

K4 K7 K9 K10 K22 K23

S5 S6 S7 S9 S18

B1 B3 B6 B7

Duty 15 Contribute to fundraising activity that enables internal and/or external CR&S projects.

K17

S14 S19 S21

B1 B3 B4 B5 B6 B7

KSBs

Knowledge

K1: Principles of project management and a range of project planning tools. Back to Duty

K2: Principles of change management and culture management. Back to Duty

K3: Potential CR&S data sources including organisational, sectoral and stakeholder. Back to Duty

K4: The types of metrics and insight evidence that help inform CR&S issues. Back to Duty

K5: How the positioning of the CR&S function within organisational and governance structures can impact CR&S performance. Back to Duty

K6: Techniques to identify/evaluate the internal and external range of potential CR&S partners. Back to Duty

K7: Techniques for managing and influencing stakeholder relationships. Back to Duty

K8: Principles of negotiating a CR&S project with an internal and/or external partner. Back to Duty

K9: Different forms of communication (written, verbal, electronic) and how to tailor the solution to the circumstances. Back to Duty

K10: Techniques for reporting on CR&S delivery against objectives. Back to Duty

K11: Principles for developing a strategy that manages the social, environmental and ethical risks and opportunities of an organisation. Back to Duty

K12: Techniques that recognise and utilise the comparative strengths and weaknesses across teams and across the organisation. Back to Duty

K13: Techniques to motivate individuals to work together to meet CR&S requirements. Back to Duty

K14: The principles of data management including how to manipulate and store data needed for CR&S projects. Back to Duty

K15: Techniques that compare a range of qualitative and quantitative data on CR&S performance. Back to Duty

K16: Factors that contribute to successful CR&S event management. Back to Duty

K17: The principles of CR&S fundraising. Back to Duty

K18: Quality assurance techniques for monitoring the delivery of CR&S work. Back to Duty

K19: The importance & impact of the sector specific factors (the legislation, guidance and best practice) when developing a CR&S strategy. Back to Duty

K20: The principles of risk management including conducting and reviewing risks affecting a CR&S strategy. (for example safeguarding risk). Back to Duty

K21: Horizon scanning techniques for keeping up to date with the CR&S landscape (including evolving best practice and what other organisations are doing). Back to Duty

K22: Principles of CR&S related budget management. Back to Duty

K23: The different ways in which people learn and how this links to embedding CR&S ethos. Back to Duty

K24: How responsible corporate approaches bring mutually compatible organisation and societal benefits. Back to Duty

K25: The range of sustainable practices available to any organisation including in-house practices, partner policies, and outputs. Back to Duty

K26: How CR&S delivery is impacted by the environment, social and governance agendas affecting industry. Back to Duty

K27: How CR&S Strategy influences talent management, reputation and branding. Back to Duty

Skills

S1: Select and implement project management and planning tools applicable to the type of project/ campaign lifecycle. Back to Duty

S2: Assess the effectiveness of change and identify opportunities to improve outcomes, guiding and supporting others to deliver results. Back to Duty

S3: Balance own CR&S workload to prioritise competing demands and achieve key performance indicators. Back to Duty

S4: Utilise strengths of internal organisational structures to help build self-sustaining CR&S populations. Back to Duty

S5: Tailor approach to maintaining new/existing external stakeholder relationships to achieve progress on plans (e.g objectives, key initiatives and shared interests). Back to Duty

S6: Contribute to the negotiation of external CR&S projects of mutual benefit. Back to Duty

S7: Adopt a communication method that takes account of the audience and is suitable for the circumstances. Back to Duty

S8: Recommend opportunities for external engagement, articulating the mutual benefits and risks. Back to Duty

S9: Contribute to written reports on CR&S performance in line with organisational requirements. Back to Duty

S10: Contribute to the drafting of the CR&S strategy. Back to Duty

S11: Adjust leadership style to achieve results, having regard to the needs of the individual/teams involved. Back to Duty

S12: Select data that is relevant to the CR&S issue being considered. Back to Duty

S13: Analyse data to form evidence-based conclusions on CR&S performance. Back to Duty

S14: Deliver CR&S events in accordance with contractual arrangements. Back to Duty

S15: Quality assure own and others work in accordance with organisational requirements Back to Duty

S16: Contribute to reporting externally on CR&S Strategy and delivery in line with industry and legislative requirements. Back to Duty

S17: Identify own organisations CR&S opportunities and threats. Escalate risks within own organisation when needed. Back to Duty

S18: Research the CR&S landscape, escalating best practice opportunities within own organisation. Back to Duty

S19: Apply management techniques needed to deliver CR&S projects within budget. Back to Duty

S20: Train colleagues in CR&S techniques, tailoring the learning style to the circumstances. Back to Duty

S21: Identify and deliver initiatives that may raise funds for CR&S projects. Back to Duty

S22: Identify and apply relevant IT solutions to CR&S issues. Back to Duty

Behaviours

B1: Actively champion the CR&S agenda/ethos. Back to Duty

B2: Committed to developing self and others in ways that support CR&S engagement. Back to Duty

B3: Works within own level of authority, seeking support when needed. Back to Duty

B4: Takes the lead in helping others to achieve CR&S results. (within limits of own role). Back to Duty

B5: Seeks innovative ways to add value to CR&S issues while remaining objective. Back to Duty

B6: Stand by difficult CR&S decisions and hold your team/organisation to account. Back to Duty

B7: Ethical and non-judgmental Back to Duty

BTEC Level 5 Higher National Diploma in Sustainable Business Management for England

Qualification type: HTQ

Qualification level: 5

Applicant: Pearson

Awarding body: Pearson

Approval date: 01/01/0001

Occupational pathway: N/A

Placement: No

Aligned occupational standards

ST0934 Corporate responsibility and sustainability practitioner


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