Corporate social responsibility manager

Description

Corporate social responsibility managers monitor the practices of organisations and companies with regard to ethics and impact on the larger community. They advise on social responsibility and sustainability matters depending on the company’s needs. Corporate social responsibility managers promote actions that are environmentally conscious, philanthropic or related to human rights.

Other titles

The following job titles also refer to corporate social responsibility manager:

sustainable services manager
sustainability project manager
corporate responsibility director
corporate responsibility manager
chief sustainability officer
corporate sustainability director

Minimum qualifications

Bachelor’s degree is generally required to work as corporate social responsibility manager. However, this requirement may differ in some countries.

ISCO skill level

ISCO skill level is defined as a function of the complexity and range of tasks and duties to be performed in an occupation. It is measured on a scale from 1 to 4, with 1 the lowest level and 4 the highest, by considering:

  • the nature of the work performed in an occupation in relation to the characteristic tasks and duties
  • the level of formal education required for competent performance of the tasks and duties involved and
  • the amount of informal on-the-job training and/or previous experience in a related occupation required for competent performance of these tasks and duties.

Corporate social responsibility manager is a Skill level 4 occupation.

Corporate social responsibility manager career path

Similar occupations

These occupations, although different, require a lot of knowledge and skills similar to corporate social responsibility manager.

social service consultant
social security administrator
recreation policy officer
spokesperson
community development officer

Long term prospects

These occupations require some skills and knowledge of corporate social responsibility manager. They also require other skills and knowledge, but at a higher ISCO skill level, meaning these occupations are accessible from a position of corporate social responsibility manager with a significant experience and/or extensive training.

Essential knowledge and skills

Essential knowledge

This knowledge should be acquired through learning to fulfill the role of corporate social responsibility manager.

Corporate social responsibility: The handling or managing of business processes in a responsible and ethical manner considering the economic responsibility towards shareholders as equally important as the responsibility towards environmental and social stakeholders.
Strategic planning: The elements defining the foundation and core of an organisation such as its mission, vision, values, and objectives.
Corporate law: The legal rules that govern how corporate stakeholders (such as shareholders, employees, directors, consumers, etc) interact with one another, and the responsibilities corporations have to their stakeholders.

Essential skills and competences

These skills are necessary for the role of corporate social responsibility manager.

Promote sustainability: Promote the concept of sustainability to the public, colleagues and fellow professionals through speeches, guided tours, displays and workshops.
Promote human rights implementation: Promote the implementation of programs which stipulate agreements, binding or non-binding, concerning human rights in order to further improve efforts to decrease discrimination, violence, unjust imprisonment or other human rights violations. As well as to increase efforts to improve tolerance and peace, and better treatment of human rights cases.
Monitor social impact: Monitor the practices of organisations and companies with regard to ethics and impact on the larger community.
Define the corporate structure: Study different company structures and define the one that best represents the interest and goals of the company. Decide among horizontal, functional, or product structures, and managerial independency in the case of multinationals.
Promote environmental awareness: Calculate the carbon footprint of business processes and other practices in order to promote sustainability and to raise awareness for the environmental impact.
Evaluate company needs: Analyse, understand and interpret a company’s needs to determine the actions to be taken.
Coordinate operational activities: Synchronise activities and responsibilities of the operational staff to ensure that the resources of an organisation are used most efficiently in pursuit of the specified objectives.
Analyse business requirements: Study clients’ needs and expectations for a product or service in order to identify and resolve inconsistencies and possible disagreements of involved stakeholders.
Advise on social responsibility and sustainability matters: Inform others about the social responsibility of companies and organisations in society and advise about matters to prolong their sustainability.
Develop company strategies: Envision, plan, and develop strategies for companies and organisations aimed at achieving different purposes such as establishing new markets, refurbishing the equipment and machinery of a company, implementing pricing strategies, etc.
Promote inclusion: Promote inclusion in health care and social services and respect diversity of beliefs, culture, values and preferences, keeping in mind the importance of equality and diversity issues.
Promote social awareness: Promote the understanding of dynamics of social relationships between individuals, groups, and communities. Promote the importance of human rights, and positive social interaction, and the inclusion of social awareness in education.
Advise on government policy compliance: Advise organisations on how they may improve their compliance to the applicable government policies they are required to adhere to, and the necessary steps which need to be taken in order to ensure complete compliance.
Provide improvement strategies: Identify root causes of problems and submit proposals for effective and long-term solutions.
Follow company standards: Lead and manage according to the organisation’s code of conduct.

Optional knowledge and skills

Optional knowledge

This knowledge is sometimes, but not always, required for the role of corporate social responsibility manager. However, mastering this knowledge allows you to have more opportunities for career development.

Environmental policy: Local, national and international policies dealing with the promotion of environmental sustainability and the development of projects which reduce negative environmental impact and improve the state of the environment.
Public relations: The practice of managing all aspects of the image and perception of a company or individual among stakeholders and the society at large.
Project management: Understand project management and the activities which comprise this area. Know the variables implied in project management such as time, resources, requirements, deadlines, and responding to unexpected events.
Communication principles: The set of commonly shared principles in regards with communication such as active listening, establish rapport, adjusting the register, and respecting the intervention of others.

Optional skills and competences

These skills and competences are sometimes, but not always, required for the role of corporate social responsibility manager. However, mastering these skills and competences allows you to have more opportunities for career development.

Advise on risk management: Provide advice on risk management policies and prevention strategies and their implementation, being aware of different kinds of risks to a specific organisation.
Implement marketing strategies: Implement strategies which aim to promote a specific product or service, using the developed marketing strategies.
Liaise with cultural partners: Establish and maintain sustainable partnerships with cultural authorities, sponsors and other cultural institutions.
Advise on public relations: Advise business or public organisations on public relations management and strategies in order to ensure efficient communication with target audiences, and proper conveying of information.
Build community relations: Establish affectionate and long-lasting relationships with local communities, e.g. by organising special programms for kindergarden, schools and for dissabled and older people, raising awareness and receiving community appreciation in return.
Liaise with government officials: Consult and cooperate with government officials who handle matter that is relevant to you or your business.
Integrate community outreach: Integrate community outreach within conservation projects to encompass knowledge, social and emotional aspects of learning and engagement.
Oversee quality control: Monitor and assure the quality of the provided goods or services by overseeing that all the factors of the production meet quality requirements. Supervise product inspection and testing.
Ensure cross-department cooperation: Guarantee communication and cooperation with all the entities and teams in a given organisation, according to the company strategy.
Analyse community needs: Identify and respond to specific social problems in a community, delineating the extent of the problem and outline the level of resources required to address it and identifying the existing community assets and resources that are available to address the problem.

ISCO group and title

1219 – Business services and administration managers not elsewhere classified

 

 


 

 

References
  1. Corporate social responsibility manager – ESCO
Last updated on August 8, 2022