The Sustainability Manager will drive day-to-day implementation of IAAPA’s internal sustainability work by coordinating initiatives, strengthening processes, and engaging staff across the association. Working closely with the Global Sustainability Director, this role ensures that sustainability actions move from planning to execution—through clear procedures, data tracking, and consistent follow-through. While the primary focus is on IAAPA’s internal operations, the role may also support selected member-facing projects by contributing practical insights, tools, and resources that help members advance their own sustainability efforts.
The Sustainability Manager will play a key role in advancing IAAPA’s sustainability ambitions by embedding sustainability across IAAPA’s Expos—where the association has its greatest visibility, impact, and opportunity to lead—as well as guiding the sustainability journey for the association’s internal operations overall.
This role will report to the Global Sustainability Director and collaborate closely with Expo Operations and Sponsorship teams to integrate sustainability into planning, delivery, and evaluation.
During the first nine months, the Manager, Sustainability will serve as the sustainability and project lead for IAAPA’s first Expo certification, ensuring IAAPA Expo Europe in London achieves certification toward ISO 20121(or similar standard) in September 2026.
This role will also support IAAPA’s broader sustainability initiatives, helping to establish measurable impact, engage stakeholders, and support the certification processes for additional expos in the years ahead.
This is an exciting opportunity for a sustainability professional passionate about expos and turning strategy into action. The role offers variety, international exposure, and a meaningful opportunity to contribute to IAAPA’s sustainability goals and advance positive social and environmental progress.
Essential Duties & Responsibilities
Expo Sustainability Certification and Programs
- Build, develop, and implement a sustainability management system (e.g., ISO 20121) for expos—starting with certification of IAAPA Expo Europe in London 2026—and expand certification to additional expos in subsequent years, with a focus on continuous improvement and measurable performance.
- Collaborate with IAAPA's Expo Operations teams to integrate sustainability into expo and event planning and delivery.
- Draft and maintain sustainability procedures, checklists, and documentation.
- Conduct internal audits and coordinate external audit preparations.
- Ensure certification criteria are met throughout the cycle and track corrective actions.
- Engage and educate team members and partners on sustainability topics and processes.
- Suggest and support sustainability initiatives for exhibitors and other stakeholders.
- Collect and communicate sustainability data and stories to highlight impact.
Internal Sustainability and Association Initiatives
- Coordinate and engage IAAPA’s regional Sustainability Impact Teams to drive staff involvement and promote sustainable workplace practices.
- Develop and deliver internal sustainability training, including onboarding and continuous learning initiatives.
- Contribute to the implementation of IAAPA’s sustainability strategy, ensuring alignment across teams and operations.
- Assist with annual data collection and sustainability reporting, tracking progress and communicating results effectively.
Qualifications, Knowledge, and Skills Required:
- Bachelor’s degree in sustainability, environmental management, event management, or another relevant field.
- 5+ years of work experience in sustainability, ideally within the events or attractions industry.
- Familiarity with sustainability standards such as ISO 20121, GSTC, or equivalent, and experience with sustainability certification processes.
- Proven strong organizational, communication, and project management skills.
- Broad sustainability knowledge, including both environmental topics (e.g., climate, biodiversity, energy, waste, water, procurement) and social topics (e.g., accessibility, community engagement, employee initiatives).
- Expertise in sustainability management systems, data collection and reporting, climate footprint calculations, sustainability training, and compliance.
- Demonstrated self-leadership, with experience working independently as well as collaboratively across teams and with a broad range of stakeholders.
- Ability to balance strategic vision with hands-on operational execution.
- Collaborative, proactive, and ability to influence without direct authority.
- Results-oriented with a strong sense of accountability and follow-through.
- Strong relationship-building skills, with the ability to motivate, guide, and engage others around sustainability initiatives.
