Regulatory Affairs Professional

Job Overview

Job Category

Environmental, Regulatory and Stakeholder Engagement

Sectors

Education

Environment

Office only

About This Career

Your project knowledge is all about the regulatory requirements. You help make oil or gas projects happen by ensuring that every possible regulatory requirement is considered and addressed all the while demonstrating the project’s greater benefits to a community.

Regulatory Affairs Professionals assist in the development and implementation of corporate regulatory strategy and policy, and provide support for the resolution of issues within regulatory parameters. They coordinate and document internal regulatory processes, such as internal audits, inspections, license renewals and registrations.

Specializations include:

Regulatory Permit Coordinators assist with permit applications, implementing permit approvals and maintaining compliance with permits. They also ensure that contractors have accurate and complete plans in place to obtain permits and approvals.
Regulatory Specialists typically focus on regulatory compliance at a strategic level while supporting complicated projects with a large number of stakeholders involved.
Regulatory Leads liaise with regulators such as the National Energy Board (NEB) and provincial regulatory agencies.
Legal Counsel provides advice and guidance on regulatory issues affecting the company’s assets.
Inspectors for Regulatory Compliance work with regulators to conduct inspections of oil and gas wells during operations, well servicing, well abandonment and enhanced oil recovery, as well as facilities and pipelines, in order to ensure compliance.

When you start in this occupation activities may include:

Analyzing complaints and making recommendations regarding their reportability
Coordinating the preparation and submission of documents, reports and regulatory applications in compliance with applicable regulatory rules of practice and procedures
Recording permits against the established tracking process
Responding to emergencies as required and assuming the lead role during emergency response activities

As you advance in this career, you may take on additional tasks including:

Providing direction in relation to the company's compliance with applicable federal, provincial and municipal regulatory laws
Recommending regulatory strategies for projects that require National Energy Board (NEB) or provincial agency approval

Education

A post-secondary diploma or degree in a relevant field, such as business, economics, engineering, finance, law, policy, environmental sciences, biology or geology/hydrogeology (or a related discipline) is typically required. A law degree is required for a legal counsel role, and the person must be a member in good standing with the provincial Law Society. Individuals tend to work in their field to gain experience and leverage this experience to move to regulatory roles later in their career.

Certifications