Introduction
An Environmental Manager is a major staff of an organization. His or her responsibility is to ensure that guidelines and standards for a peaceful and clean environment are followed. They serve as checks to ensure that the organization has minimal or no negative impact on the environment.
Also, they are involved in the development of environmental guidelines, protocols, and standards, that make for the development of a nation. Some of these parameters include waste reduction, pollution control, recycling, and the like. These professionals are also referred to as Sustainability Managers or Energy Managers.
They can have different titles depending on the sector or type of organization they work for. Additionally, they can have joint duties with other departments such as the Corporate social responsibility (CSR) duties.
Apart from ensuring that guidelines are in place and followed, they also check the extent to which they are followed. This is seen in their duties regarding the teaching and presentation of these standards to new stages and workers.
Additionally, these professionals work in various settings like higher education institutions and government agencies. They can also work with the construction and manufacturing industries.
Furthermore, they are usually graduates of engineering, environmental science, etc. Their disciplines go a long way in affecting the area of specialization they eventually delve into in their career.
Let’s learn more about their responsibilities.
Responsibilities of Environmental Managers
The roles of an Environmental Manager are very significant to a company and at the national level. Some of them are as follows:
- Ensuring that the organization works by standard environmental policies.
- Teaching and presenting newly implemented guidelines.
- Helping in the creation of strategies to encourage the acceptance of new policies.
- Conducting seminars and workshops for staff periodically.
- Supervising duties of staff to ensure guidelines are being followed.
- Helping to select environmentally friendly tools and machinery for production.
- Writing reports and submitting them periodically.
- Serving as a bridge between the organization and governmental agencies…
Qualifications for practice as an Environmental Manager
The position of an Environmental Manager requires adequate educational qualification and certain skills as well. Generally, the qualification for practice in the United States are:
- Firstly, a Bachelor’s degree in an environmental-related field. This can include environmental health, environmental science, geography, ecology, etc.
- Secondly, a relevant post-graduate degree in the field.
- Thirdly, a work experience in management, either for pay or as a Volunteer.
Other skills and proficiencies that are also on the lookout for include:
- An understanding of environmental guidelines and policies.
- Teaching skills.
- Documentation skills.
- Human resource management.
- Leadership skills.
- Presentation skills.
- Communication skills.
- Project management.
- Critical thinking.
- Analytical skills.
- Interpersonal skills.
- An interest in environmental safety, etc.
Job Opportunities
As stated earlier, Environmental Managers can work in several places, both the private and public sectors. Some of these places include:
- Firstly, Tertiary Institutions.
- Secondly, Utility companies.
- Thirdly, Government agencies.
- Fourthly, Construction companies.
- Also, Manufacturing companies, among others.
Salary
In the United States, an Environmental Manager earns an average base salary of $90,749 in a year. This can be way higher and also depends on the size of the firm, the type of organization, and the qualifications of the staff.
Work Environment
The working schedule of Environmental Managers can vary based on the sector and type of industry. according to industry. They typically work full time, 8 hours a day, up to 40 hours a week. However, they observe weekends and public holidays.
As professionals, they are entitled to offices within the organizations. However, their job description involves the supervision of major departments of the company. It also requires being available at construction and manufacturing sites.
Career path
There are many aspects in the practice of the profession. The Career positions for an Environmental Manager in different organizations are as follows:
- Firstly, Waste management.
- Secondly, vCorporate social responsibility (CSR)
- ThirdlyEnvironmental management and auditing.
- Also, Environmental impact assessment (EIA).
Conclusion
An Environmental Manager is in charge of ensuring the environmental safety of the affairs of Businesses and organizations. Their duties help companies to operate at very high standards because they’ll be operating in line with national guidelines. This directly helps a company move towards its goals and vision.
Additionally, as a career, it offers the opportunity for on-the-job growth. This exposes one to training that can also apply to other areas of life.
