WHAT DOES AN ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGER DO?

Updated: Feb 13, 2025 – The Environmental Manager manages environmental compliance by reviewing permits, maintaining documentation, and ensuring accurate and timely reporting to meet regulatory requirements. This position develops systems, audits, and corrective actions to address non-conformances and support environmental safety and health objectives. The manager also coordinates with government agencies, monitors performance indicators, and ensures regulatory compliance for new projects and risk assessments.

A Review of Professional Skills and Functions for Environmental Manager

1. Environmental Manager Responsibilities

  • Environmental Policy Implementation: Implement environmental policies and practices and hold those accountable for their success.
  • Strategy Development: Develop strategies using the best tools and systems to meet targets and encourage best practices across the plant site.
  • Performance Monitoring: Monitor performance and implement strategies to ensure the performance level is maintained.
  • Compliance Management: Ensure compliance with environmental requirements/permitting.
  • Reporting and Documentation: Generate daily, weekly, and monthly reports for management.
  • Non-Compliance Review: Conduct site internal/external reviews for non-compliance.
  • Budget Management: Manage budget and implement reduction strategies.
  • Training and Development: Provide/develop environmental training to staff at all levels and hold them to those standards.
  • Legislative Awareness: Keep up to date with relevant changes in environmental legislation and initiatives and communicate those updates to management.
  • Agency Interaction: Communicate and interact with environmental agencies.
  • Incident Reporting: Take responsibility for incident/compliance reporting.

2. Environmental Manager Job Summary

  • Compliance Monitoring: Follow established procedures and guidelines to monitor the organization’s compliance with external environmental regulations and standards and internal policies and management systems.
  • Environmental Impact Analysis: Analyse Environmental Impact Assessment requirements and provide support in the identification of the mitigative and preventive measures Prysmian Powerlink is responsible for.
  • Project Support: Ensure that environmental support is available to the project team and that individuals are aware of their responsibilities.
  • Process Analysis: Analyse installation processes and determine any effect on the environment.
  • Stakeholder Engagement: Engage all stakeholders to encourage environmental awareness and to adopt a management plan to protect the environment.
  • Program Participation: Participate in the day-to-day activities regarding the organization-wide environmental and compliance-related programs.
  • Legal Compliance: Ensure all company facilities and sites follow all applicable legal provisions.
  • Client and Authority Interface: Interface with clients and authorities for what concerns environmental project activities.
  • Audit Participation: Participate in audits to ensure that organization and government standards on environmental policy are met.
  • KPI Management: Ensure HSE KPIs, including waste and energy consumption information, are collected monthly, also for subcontractors.
  • Safety Observation Analysis: Analyse safety observation cards and provide feedback and trends.
  • HAZID Participation: Attend design and detailed HAZID meetings.
  • Training Coordination: Coordinate the organization of training courses.
  • Site Audits: Carry out audits on the construction site.
  • Coordination with Contractors: Continuous coordination with SiGeKo also for possible SIMOPS with another contractor not managed by PPL.

3. Environmental Manager Accountabilities

  • Operational Efficiency Leadership: Lead retail operational efficiency efforts (water, waste, plastics, transportation, and energy) – ensuring records are maintained and collected and comply with external audit requirements.
  • Contract Management: Manage contracts with service providers in conjunction with store operations, distribution centers, and logistics (PPAs, waste hauling/recycling, etc.).
  • Plastic Elimination Program: Lead the consumer-facing plastic elimination program, tracking progress over time and ensuring the goals are met.
  • Policy Development: Develop EU energy, waste, and water policies and establish an expert community within CandA to stimulate ownership, cross-country teamwork, and best practice exchange.
  • Energy Efficiency Advice: Provide technical and practical advice to building departments on energy efficiency for new and refurbishment projects and advise on renewable energy and overall energy procurement strategy.
  • Environmental Representation: Act as company environmental representative with project clients, providing support and responding to queries.
  • System Review and Update: Participate in the development, regular review, and update of OWOW (Skanska Management Systems).
  • Environmental Management Systems: Develop, implement, and monitor contract environmental management systems and the requirements of the project management system to meet the requirements of ISO 14001.
  • Environmental Support: Provide advice, support, and assistance to all project personnel to enable them to manage their environmental and sustainable responsibilities.
  • Legislative Awareness: Be familiar with, understand, and communicate the requirements of current environmental legislation, particularly with construction sector-related environmental legislation.
  • Environmental Consents Guidance: Provide advice, guidance, and assistance with obtaining environmental consents, licenses, and exemptions required by legislation, including experience with Section 61 on major infrastructure projects.
  • Site Inspections: Carry out site inspections of the project and supply chain sites and ensure compliance with applicable environmental legislation is maintained.

4. Environmental Manager Essential Functions

  • Environmental Management: Day-to-day environmental management of works associated with tunneling activities.
  • Team Management: Daily management of the Environmental Assistants.
  • Plan Delivery: Oversee, in conjunction with the Head of Environment and Sustainability, the delivery of all measures detailed in the Site-Specific Environmental Management Plan (SS-EMP) for the site and supporting method statements, including inspections of the works.
  • Incident Reporting: Preventing, investigating, and reporting on environmental incidents.
  • Monitoring Management: Management of the monitoring of air, noise, and water following agreed limits.
  • Quality Control: Quality control of the embedded environmental mitigation measures during the construction phases.
  • Environmental Issue Management: Leading and assisting in the delivery of the management of environmental issues.
  • Project Liaison: Liaising with the align’s project management teams.
  • Implementation Oversight: Overseeing and quality control of the implementation of the environmental tasks undertaken throughout the construction phase.
  • Document Review: Review relevant documents, including risk assessments, method statements, and evidence relating to all proposed work activities.
  • Training Delivery: Conducting toolbox talks or other environmental briefings to sub-contractors.
  • Measure Implementation: Determining what measures are required and need to be implemented for work activities and how they will be communicated to work teams.
  • Stakeholder Liaison: Liaising with stakeholders and local authorities.

5. Environmental Manager Role Purpose

  • Permit Management: Review and maintain all environmental permits, files, and documents.
  • Regulatory Compliance: Understand all permit obligations and ensure that systems are in place to meet all permit and regulatory requirements, assuring that all reporting is done on time and that all reports are accurate.
  • Policy Adherence: Ensure compliance with the company’s policies and procedures and with all regulatory requirements and maintain a positive relationship with the relevant state and federal regulatory agencies, corporate leadership, and other constituent groups.
  • Inspection Representation: Serve as company representative during facility inspections and develop necessary relationships with government agencies to build the company’s reputation as a value-adding corporate member of local communities.
  • Compliance System Development: Develop systems and compliance processes to assure environmental compliance with governmental regulations.
  • Audit Implementation: Develop and implement audit functions to ensure the aforementioned standards are maintained.
  • Non-Conformance Reporting: Monitor and report non-conformances, and recommend corrective action for non-conformances.
  • Data Compilation: Ensure all data, statistics, and information required by management, government bodies, and agencies are accurately and timely compiled and produced.
  • Safety Objective Development: Contribute to the development of annual objectives and targets for safety and occupational health excellence.
  • Investigative Reporting: Undertake investigative reports on specific technical issues or events, and develop investigative teams.
  • Government Liaison: Maintain contact with appropriate government and regulatory agencies on issues that may have an impact on the organization.
  • Risk Assessment Facilitation: Facilitate risk assessment at operating locations to identify critical environment, safety, and health hazards and aspects.
  • Target Setting: Work with the leadership team to create targets and objectives based on key environment, safety, and health risks.
  • Performance Tracking: Determine appropriate leading and lagging indicators to track performance against targets and objectives.
  • Project Support: Support new projects to ensure regulatory compliance and timely approvals from governmental agencies.
  • Legislative Testimony: Provide testimony to legislative bodies on safety or occupational health issues on behalf of Intrepid.

6. Environmental Manager Tasks

  • Material Assessment: Assess and prioritize material environmental issues.
  • Target Development: Develop targets and deliver and monitor progress.
  • Progress Reporting: Report on progress transparently and proactively.
  • Opportunity Identification: Identify opportunities to drive improvements.
  • Consultation: Consult internally and externally on plans and innovations.
  • Trend Analysis: Stay abreast of trends that may impact the business.
  • External Representation: Represent Boohoo in external groups and conferences.
  • Internal Training: Train teams internally on environmental issues and programs.
  • Compliance Leadership: Lead company compliance with Colas Environmental programs.
  • Regulatory Training: Train employees on Environmental updates and regulations.

7. Environmental Manager Additional Details

  • Environmental Compliance: Ensure compliance with all applicable federal, state, and local environmental laws, regulations, and standards.
  • Reporting & Permitting: Prepare and submit timely and accurate environmental reports and permitting requirements as needed.
  • Auditing: Conduct routine audits to identify any deficiencies and develop appropriate corrective actions to assure the protection of the environment and maintaining full compliance.
  • Technical Consultation: Serve as a technical consultant/subject matter expert for environmental questions, concerns, and compliance issues.
  • Regulatory Liaison: Effectively interface with personnel at all organizational levels, along with state and federal regulators/officials.
  • Contractor Management: Manage contractors supporting environmental programs and waste services.
  • Performance Monitoring: Develop Key Performance Indicator metrics for review and performance monitoring.
  • Policy Development: Develop and implement written environmental, health & safety programs, policies, and procedures.
  • Sustainability Initiatives: Create, implement, and achieve company environmental goals focused on hazardous chemicals usage, hazardous waste generation, recycling, and energy reduction.
  • Regulatory Awareness: Evaluate, advise, and stay current with emerging environmental regulations, compliance issues, and best practices.
  • EHS Support: Perform other EHS duties as needed, including but not limited to hazard assessments, incident investigations, safety inspections, and assistance with evacuation and emergency response.

8. Environmental Manager Essential Functions

  • Environmental Compliance: Responsible for all Newnan plant environmental permitting, operations, and compliance on a 24/7 basis.
  • Policy Management: Establish, maintain, and audit environmental policies and procedures.
  • Recordkeeping and Reporting: Ensure accurate and timely recordkeeping, monitoring, and report generation to prevent fines, criminal enforcement, and civil suits.
  • Regulatory Liaison: Maintain a system to respond to regulatory agency inspections, including interacting with inspectors and responding to regulatory agency communications.
  • Employee Training: Complete employee training necessary to maintain compliance while cultivating awareness and appreciation for environmental improvement.
  • Environmental Management: Develop, implement, and maintain an environmental management system (ISO14001) at the plant level to ensure compliance with or exceed environmental laws, regulations, policies, and guidance documents.
  • Manufacturing and Compliance Balance: Manage environmental demands alongside manufacturing demands, including costs, productivity, environmental compliance, quality requirements, safety, and urgency.
  • Resource Conservation: Oversee conservation of resources and reuse/recycling of wastes to control costs while minimizing and eliminating waste streams and emissions.
  • Technology Innovation: Explore new technologies to improve waste treatment, recycling, minimization, and elimination.
  • Community and Stakeholder Relations: Foster goodwill with employees, the community, and regulatory environmental groups.
  • Wastewater Management: Manage treatment and discharges of plant wastewater in compliance with wastewater discharge permits.
  • Leadership and Development: Develop direct reports through performance management, coaching, and stretch assignments.

9. Environmental Manager Role Purpose

  • Environmental Compliance: Provides environmental compliance direction to 25-35 salaried employees and 250-500 hourly employees.
  • Continuous Improvement: Champion continuous improvement (CI) by using lean tools and participating in and leading CI projects.
  • Strategic Planning: Assist the Division EHS Director in establishing strategic environmental direction and implementing environmental policies and procedures that support Bonnell’s short- and long-term objectives.
  • Policy Development: Develop and communicate environmental policies and procedures for the Newnan plant.
  • System Alignment: Ensure consistency in tone and focus in environmental systems in alignment with other plants.
  • Hazardous Waste Management: Manage hazardous waste generation and disposal to comply with regulatory requirements.
  • Waste Management: Manage universal, special, and solid wastes for proper disposal and recycling in accordance with state and federal standards.
  • Recycling & Reuse: Manage recycling and reuse systems necessary for plant compliance or operations.
  • Regulatory Impact Analysis: Determine how environmental regulations can impact new or proposed Bonnell Aluminum processes.
  • Stakeholder Communication: Communicate with management, department heads, and other employees concerning environmental issues.
  • Regulatory Relations: Develop strategic relationships with regulatory agencies, attorneys, and consultants.
  • Performance Reporting: Report on key metrics, challenges, and opportunities to the Plant Manager and Division EHS Director.

10. Environmental Manager General Responsibilities

  • Safety Support: Support the safety program as needed and serve as a backup to the Safety Manager.
  • Customer Awareness: Understand who the environmental customer is and their needs.
  • Relationship Management: Develop professional relationships with environmental customers.
  • Work-Life Balance: Promote and value work/life balance for all employees.
  • Employee Engagement: Inspire employees to embrace Bonnell’s Core Values.
  • Policy Advocacy: Inspire employees to embrace Bonnell’s environmental policies and procedures.
  • System Optimization: Maximize the use of environmental systems and equipment to perform as designed.
  • Vision Alignment: Create a shared vision with all stakeholders and ensure role clarity.
  • Process Improvement: Balance the need for process consistency with the value of creativity and input.
  • Operational Adaptability: Operate effectively at various volume levels and transition easily between them.
  • Community Representation: Represent the plant as a valuable member of the environmental community.
Relevant Information
What Does An Environmental Engineer Do?