Sustainability Jobs in Illinois

Job Title

Manager, Sustainability & Financial Reporting

Job Description Summary

The Manager, Sustainability & Financial Reporting will be a key member of the Global Controllership team. This role will be primarily responsible for assisting with the company’s sustainability reporting, including the EU’s Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (“CSRD”) and EU Taxonomy. This individual will support the effective management and control of sustainability data, including over greenhouse gas (“GHG”) emissions, and drive compliance with current and future sustainability regulations globally. This role will also participate in various external reporting initiatives such as statutory reporting, SEC reporting, system implementations, developing global policies, technical accounting transactions and control remediations as needed.

This position will report to the Senior Director, Global Controllership and partner closely with other teams within Global Controllership, Finance, Global Corporate Sustainability, Legal, HR and Operations. A successful candidate will be a hands-on, adaptable, professional with experience in financial reporting and a forward-looking approach to leveraging AI tools, who can effectively lead cross-functional teams in a fast-paced, dynamic environment.

Job Description

Responsibilities:

• Monitor, interpret and assess emerging sustainability regulations, determine applicability by jurisdiction, and evaluate impacts to financial statements, disclosures and reporting processes
• Review global and regional sustainability disclosures to ensure consistency and compliance with regulatory requirements
• Lead the integration of sustainability metrics into financial reporting, including to facilitate required EU Taxonomy disclosures
• Perform disclosure gap assessments (including for revised European Sustainability Reporting Standards), document technical positions, conduct peer benchmarking and supervise the execution of remediation plans to address compliance gaps
• Partner cross-functionally to design and operationalize sustainability reporting processes and support the sustainability operating model and governance objectives globally
• Assist with the maintenance of the company’s internal controls related to sustainability data, including understanding the inventory management plan, updating process flowcharts and maintaining risk & control matrices
• Support the Global Corporate Sustainability team throughout limited assurance engagements, acting as a key liaison with external auditors
• Perform technical accounting research on reporting topics and complex accounting issues
• Contribute to the adoption of new accounting standards and policies globally; provide comprehensive consulting to process owners at a high technical level to drive continuous improvement
• Support broader external reporting and controllership workstreams, such as SEC filings, statutory reporting, process improvements, trainings and special projects as needed
• Supervise, coach and develop team members, including reviewing work performed by the sustainability reporting senior associate
• Leverage AI tools (e.g., Claude (Anthropic), Microsoft 365 Copilot, ChatGPT) to automate recurring tasks, accelerate research and generate technical materials, memos or policies
• Collaborate with the Global Corporate Sustainability team throughout the implementation of sustainability reporting systems (e.g., Workiva and/or Watershed), ensuring alignment with reporting requirements, data governance and internal controls
• Develop and maintain strong relationships with key business partners

QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance or Sustainability
• CPA preferred
• Minimum 6 years public accounting experience and/or experience in financial reporting or sustainability reporting
• Experience with a global company and/or foreign operations, preferred
• Management experience preferred (project management experience also preferred)
• Understanding of ESG reporting frameworks (CSRD, ISSB, GRI), working with ESG-related assurance engagements and limited assurance reviews, preferred
• Excellent oral and written communication skills including the ability to build and manage relationships with partners at all levels
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to interpret complex data and make recommendations for continuous improvement
• Leadership and relationship management skills, with a demonstrated ability to collaborate cross-functionally and influence senior stakeholders
• Self-starter with a focus on process improvement and project management
• Highly flexible and adaptable to frequent change

Cushman & Wakefield also provides eligible employees with an opportunity to enroll in a variety of benefit programs, generally including health, vision, and dental insurance, flexible spending accounts, health savings accounts, retirement savings plans, life, and disability insurance programs, and paid and unpaid time away from work. In addition to a comprehensive benefits package, Cushman and Wakefield provide eligible employees with competitive pay, which may vary depending on eligibility factors such as geographic location, date of hire, total hours worked, job type, business line, and applicability of collective bargaining agreements.

The compensation that will be offered to the successful candidate will depend on factors such as whether the position is covered by a collective bargaining agreement, the geographic area in which the work will be performed, market pay rates in that area, and the candidate’s experience and qualifications.

The company will not pay less than minimum wage for this role.

The compensation for the position is: $119,000.00 - $140,000.00

Cushman & Wakefield is an Equal Opportunity employer to all protected groups, including protected veterans and individuals with disabilities. Discrimination of any type will not be tolerated.

In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act Amendments Act (ADAAA), if you have a disability and would like to request an accommodation in order to apply for a position at Cushman & Wakefield, please call the ADA line at 1-888-365-5406 or email Accommodations@cushwake.com. Please refer to the job title and job location when you contact us.