Environmental Manager

Job Overview

Job Category

Environmental, Regulatory and Stakeholder Engagement

Sectors

Education

Environment

Office only

About This Career

Environmental Managers want to be part of the solution. They work inside oil and gas companies to make sure that their company is not only following environmental regulations, but is also consistently doing better each day. They work across the company to develop sustainable practices, standards and goals that will help make the company a more environmentally friendly place.

Oil and gas companies take their responsibility towards environmental sustainability seriously, with departments and personnel dedicated to ensuring the work of the company aligns with corporate values of environmental stewardship. Environmental protections are regulated in Canada by provincial and federal regulators and meeting these requirements is essential for a company to operate. Many companies are proactive in their management of the environment, reporting publicly on their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) or sustainability programs.

Environmental Managers provide leadership, accountability and direction in the environmental disciplines of their organizations. They work across the company, with a focus on systems thinking. They communicate and coordinate with management, employees, regulators and shareholders to address environmental compliance and oversee the corporate sustainability strategy. Their job is to integrate environmental knowledge, ethics and strategy into the company’s decision-making processes.

In this occupation activities may include:

Consulting with businesses, governments and special interest groups to understand and address concerns.
Understanding and monitoring changes in regulatory requirements and international standards, including anticipating the future impacts of proposed legislation and regulations.
Developing sustainability goals, standards and practices for the organization to achieve a triple bottom line (accountable to people, planet and profit).
Researching and collecting information about life cycle impacts, cradle to cradle technologies and sustainability best practices.
Developing reports or presentations related to sustainability initiatives and their results. This includes overseeing the development of Corporate Social Responsibility reports or Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) compliant sustainability reports.

Education

A minimum of a four-year university degree in environmental sciences, environmental engineering, biology or a related scientific or technical discipline is usually required.
A master's degree in a related discipline may be required.
Employers often prefer extensive knowledge of Corporate Social Responsibility planning and reporting, the UN Global Compact and/or Global Responsibility Index (GRI) reporting.

Additional Requirements

Often a minimum of ten years experience in the industry is requested as a deep knowledge of the oil and gas industry is critical to understand and mitigate environmental impacts
Specific health and safety certifications may be required, determined by location of work and company requirements

Environmental Managers need to be able to work collaboratively and communicate complex concepts. They have strong research and interpersonal skills. They also are organized planners who can solve complex problems.