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Environmental manager: Job description and activities

Job description

An environmental manager is responsible for overseeing the environmental performance of private, public and voluntary sector organisations. They also develop, implement and monitor environmental strategies, policies and programmes that promote sustainable development.

Environmental managers examine corporate activities to establish where improvements can be made and ensure compliance with environmental legislation across the organisation.

Environmental managers have a wide remit and will review the whole operation, carrying out environmental audits and assessments, identifying and resolving environmental problems and acting as agents of change. An important element of the role is to ensure staff are trained at all levels and that the workforce recognises their own contributions to improved environmental performance.

Typical work activities

Environmental managers have an extremely varied workload, which usually entails working at a corporate and strategic level to identify significant environmental effects. Typical work activities include:

• developing and implementing environmental strategies and action plans that ensure corporate sustainable development;
• taking the lead on sustainable procurement for all goods and services;
• coordinating all aspects of pollution control, waste management, recycling, environmental health, conservation and renewable energy;
• leading the implementation of environmental policies and practices;
• ensuring compliance with environmental legislation;
• auditing, analysing and reporting environmental performance to internal and external clients and regulatory bodies;
• carrying out impact assessments to identify, assess and reduce an organisation's environmental risks and financial costs;
• promoting and raising awareness, at all levels of an organisation, of the impact of emerging environmental issues, whether legislative or best practice, on corporate, ethical and social responsibility;
• managing the development and implementation of an environmental management system;
• coordinating public hearings and consultations on environmental matters;
• managing relations with the board of directors, senior management and internal staff;
• training staff at all levels in environmental issues and responsibilities;
• participating in environmental education and research;
• negotiating environmental service agreements and managing associated costs and revenues;
• writing environmental reports, assuming the lead responsibility with the company; 
• leading on corporate social responsibility issues and action.

AGCAS

Written by Nick Huston, AGCAS

Last updated:

March 2009

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