head of sustainability recruitment agency and headhunters
your next head of sustainability, in good hands.
We combine our data, our sector experts and our AI algorithms to identify the headhunter most relevant to your role, from climate strategy to extra-financial reporting.
- no setup fees, pay on hire
- guaranteed replacement
- signed in under 26 days
they hire their sustainability leadership with muzzo
how do you hire a head of sustainability through a recruitment agency?
A head of sustainability carries the climate strategy, carbon reporting and durability reporting for a group or mid-market business. Muzzo gives your role to the headhunters who place this job most: they verify the actual initiatives taken, not just promised. Fee of 5 to 30%, paid on hire. Leaves within 3 months: we restart the search free.
how it works
you only pay if you hire
01
you describe the role
Using the form above: the role, your company, the scope. The rest is scoped in your first conversation with the Muzzo team.
02
our data chooses the headhunters
Our AI picks those who have hired the most heads of sustainability, from more than 2,500 selected headhunters.
03
you meet the best profiles
Approached and qualified by headhunters who are sustainability experts. You choose who you meet.
04
you hire, then you pay
Not before. If your new hire leaves within 3 months, we restart the search at no cost.
they hired with muzzo
Muzzo's strength is the diversity of its recruiters: there is always someone listening to our needs.
With Muzzo, I get the reactivity of a marketplace and the quality of a search firm.
let's talk about your role
Antoine and the Muzzo team help you scope your role and choose the right headhunters. Describe your role in the form: we'll call you back to discuss it.
Antoine GigomasCEO and co-founder of Muzzo
one last question?
With Muzzo, you set the fee, between 5 and 30%, and you only pay it on hire: no deposit, no fixed fees. A head of sustainability who drives only regulatory reporting and one who carries climate strategy and responsible procurement don't take the same search. The fee follows that difficulty, and the Muzzo team helps you set it.
You have a double guarantee. If your new hire leaves within 3 months, for example because the real scope doesn't match the brief, we restart the search at no cost. If no replacement is found within 4 months, we refund 50% of the fees. On average, 94% of Muzzo hires are still in post after 3 months.
sustainability leadership headhunters are ready to start
A hire signed in under 26 days, paid only on hire.
the reality
a head of sustainability is judged by what is measured, not by their words
a good head of sustainability is not looking for a job
They already drive a carbon footprint or extra-financial reporting elsewhere, and their results are documented. They don't answer job ads. A headhunter who places this role regularly knows when and how to approach them.
the same title covers very different scopes from one company to another
In some companies, the head of sustainability mainly drives regulatory reporting and stakeholder relations. In others, they also own responsible procurement or climate strategy. The headhunter starts from your real org chart, not the job title.
poor reporting exposes the company, not just its image
An approximate carbon footprint or an incomplete durability report can be challenged by an auditor or investor. The headhunter verifies the initiatives actually driven by the candidate before introducing them, not just their words.
the roles
the sustainability leadership profiles our headhunters go after for you
From climate strategy to stakeholder relations, each search goes to a headhunter who has already hired that profile.
head of sustainability
They carry the social and environmental responsibility strategy for a group or mid-market business, and report to the chief executive.
director of sustainable development
A still common title for the same scope, with more emphasis on environmental strategy than reporting.
head of extra-financial reporting
They drive data collection and drafting of the durability report required by CSRD, working closely with finance.
chief sustainability officer (CSO)
The Anglo-Saxon title for the same role, common in international groups and listed companies.
head of responsible procurement
They integrate social and environmental criteria into procurement policy, often working directly with the head of sustainability and the chief procurement officer.
head of sustainability and stakeholder engagement
They add to sustainability strategy the relationship with external stakeholders: media, NGOs, local authorities, investors.
the method
a headhunter who places heads of sustainability, not an agency that does everything
A head of sustainability is judged by what they have actually measured and published, not by their intentions. So the method starts from what the role has to deliver.
we define the scope and regulatory obligations
CSRD reporting or not, carbon footprint, responsible procurement, stakeholder relations: the brief lists what the role will actually cover and by when.
a headhunter who places heads of sustainability
Among more than 2,500 selected headhunters, your role goes to those who place the most in sustainability leadership.
initiatives verified by reference
The headhunter asks the profile for a carbon footprint or durability report they actually drove, then cross-checks the result with former colleagues.
the figures
sustainability leadership and CSRD in figures
source: INSEE, businesses in France, 2023 edition (mid-market businesses) (opens a new window), 2021 data
hiring a head of sustainability: what you need to know
why use a headhunter to hire a head of sustainability?
A head of sustainability carries climate strategy, durability reporting and sometimes responsible procurement for a group or mid-market business. Good profiles are already driving these initiatives elsewhere and don't answer job ads.
A headhunter who places this role regularly knows how to approach them and asks the right questions: what regulatory obligation to cover, what budget, what access to the chief executive. This page covers the leadership role; for site safety and environment, see our health and safety manager page.
CSRD, the reporting that partly created this role
According to the State Sustainability Portal, companies subject to CSRD must today exceed 250 employees, €50m turnover or €25m balance sheet. The Omnibus Directive I, adopted by the European Union on 18 March 2026, will raise these thresholds to more than 1,000 employees and more than €450m turnover, which should reduce by 80% the number of companies in scope in France. These new thresholds will only apply after transposition into French law, expected by 19 March 2027 at the latest: until then, the current thresholds remain in force.
Even once this threshold is raised, many mid-market businesses and large groups will remain in scope: according to INSEE, France had 6,200 mid-market businesses in 2021, employing 3.5 million full-time equivalent employees. Many of these, and larger companies beyond, are looking for a head of sustainability able to produce this reporting, whether mandatory or voluntary.
head of sustainability, director of sustainable development, CSO: which title to hire?
These titles often cover the same role, with nuances of origin. 'Director of sustainable development' emphasises environmental strategy, 'head of sustainability' covers both social and environmental aspects, and 'chief sustainability officer' is the most common title in international groups.
What matters for hiring is the real scope: regulatory reporting alone, or climate strategy and responsible procurement as well. Specify that in the brief rather than relying on title alone.
how do you assess a head of sustainability at interview?
The CV lists certifications and stated commitments. The interview has to show something else: a carbon footprint or durability report actually published, with the method and data collected.
Ask a concrete example: an emissions reduction plan with figures, a supplier excluded for not meeting social criteria, a durability report certified by external auditors. The headhunter does this first screen before introducing anyone, and verifies these initiatives with references.
head of sustainability or health and safety manager: which to hire?
The health and safety manager owns safety and environment for an industrial site day to day: accidents, discharges, local regulatory compliance. The head of sustainability carries group strategy: climate, reporting, responsible procurement, stakeholder relations.
The two roles complement each other but are not hired the same way. For site safety and environment, see our health and safety manager page.
your questions about hiring a head of sustainability
According to the State Sustainability Portal, the Omnibus Directive I, adopted by the European Union on 18 March 2026, will raise the thresholds for CSRD application to more than 1,000 employees and more than €450m turnover, against 250 employees and €50m today. These new thresholds will only apply after transposition into French law, expected by 19 March 2027 at the latest: until then, the current thresholds apply. If you are near these thresholds, a head of sustainability can prepare this reporting before it becomes mandatory.
According to INSEE, France had 6,200 mid-market businesses in 2021, employing 3.5 million full-time equivalent employees: many are below the new regulatory thresholds, but their customers or investors are already asking for voluntary durability reporting.
The health and safety manager owns safety and environment for a site, day to day. The head of sustainability carries group strategy: climate, reporting, responsible procurement, stakeholder relations. For site safety, see our health and safety manager page.
The headhunter asks for facts: a published carbon footprint, an emissions reduction plan with figures, a durability report certified by external auditors. They cross-check with references. You meet profiles whose initiatives are verified, not just stated.