This study critically examines the alignment between the normative expectations outlined in sustainability accounting literature, and the practical manifestations reflected in job advertisements for management accountant roles in Australia and New Zealand. Focusing on 371 job advertisements sourced from seek.com, and employing signalling theory as our analytical framing, this research seeks to uncover the explicit signals, or lack thereof, within job advertisements for management accountant roles. Contrary to the expectations of explicit signalling, we find little mention of sustainability, in any of these management accountant job advertisements, as a part of the narratives about either the duties or responsibilities. This led us to further explore what is articulated within the technical competencies and learning outcomes of the professional accreditation guidelines for management accounting education within Australian and New Zealand universities, as provided by Certified Practicing Accountants (CPA) Australia and Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand (CAANZ). Again, a notable void in the articulation of sustainability integration was evident. The absence of explicit mentions of sustainability in both job advertisements and professional accreditation guidelines raises critical questions about the tacit assumptions surrounding sustainability within the management accounting profession. Our findings shed light on potential discrepancies between industry expectations and formal education guidelines on the one hand, and the normative expectations of extant literature on the other, challenging assumptions about the readiness of management accountants to address the evolving landscape of sustainable business practices. This study not only contributes to the ongoing discourse on sustainability integration in management accounting, but also prompts a re-evaluation of accreditation frameworks outlined by professional bodies. The absence of explicit signals for sustainability in both education and practice, highlights the need for a nuanced understanding of the evolving role of management accountants in a world where approaches to sustainability are increasingly integrated within organisational practice.