Environmental manager
Be a protective shield between organisations and the world around us. An environmental manager is an incredibly important job that keeps the planet green and ecosystems thriving.
About the job
What it's like
Being an environmental manager means acting like a protective shield between organisations and the world around us. It’s an incredibly important job that keeps the planet green and ecosystems thriving.
As an environmental or sustainability manager, you’ll be in charge of making sure that the activities of companies do not cause damage to the world around us. You’ll make sure that private, public, and voluntary organisations are sticking to the environmental standards and legislation.
You’ll assess how improvements can be made to environmental policies and create new strategies that promote sustainable development.
What you might do:
coordinate pollution control, waste management, recycling, conservation and renewable energy
ensure that materials or ingredients are ethically sourced
ensure compliance and keep up to date with UK, EU, and international regulations concerning the environment
liaise with local and national government
coordinate consultations on environmental matters
write environmental reports, then use these reports to set company targets
take part in environmental education and research, in order to raise awareness
provide training to members of staff
Green job
In this job you'll be doing work to help the environment. Find out more about green jobs.
Hours
Within the public sector, you can expect to work office hours of 9 to 5pm, Monday to Friday. In the private sector, this can vary a little and may include some weekend work. You could also choose to work freelance in this role by consulting on environmental issues for various different companies.
Environment
You can expect to often work in an office, though on-site audits could involve a variety of locations depending on the sector or client.
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Related industries
Many jobs can be done in lots of different industries. We've highlighted the ones we think are most important for this job.
Top skills
Skills are things you're good at. Whether you know what yours are or not, everyone has them!
It's useful to learn which ones are important in a job so you know the areas you need to brush up on. It can also help you work out if you're suited to a career.
Top specialised skills
These are the top specialised skills that have been found in job vacancies across Scotland. From March 2024 to March 2025.
- environmental resource management
- environmental impact assessments
- environmental compliance
- pollution prevention
- environmental planning
- environmental auditing
- environmental studies
- spill response
- environmental data analysis
- optical character recognition (ocr)
Meta skills
Here are some of the meta skills you'll need to do this job.
- taking responsibility
- making decisions
- taking initiative
- concentrating
- attention to detail
- social conscience
- researching
- evaluating
- written communication
- working with technology
Your skills are important
Our unique skillsets are what make us stand out from the crowd. Learn about each skill in depth and discover what employers look for in your applications and interviews.
Getting in
Explore each section to find more information about getting into this career.
Colleges and universities will list subjects you'll need for entry to a course. Some useful subjects include:
Biology
Chemistry
Engineering Science
Environmental Science
Geography
Maths (Mathematics)
Physics
Not all employers list specific qualification requirements but they do ask for relevant experience, usually work based.
There are different ways to gain qualifications or experience for this job. You could study at qualified for this job through college, university or complete an apprenticeship. Edinburgh Napier University and Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC) are accredited from the Charter Institute of Ecology and Environmental Management (CIEM). Both have HNC, BSc and MSc routes you could take.
Most environmental managers will have a degree in:
environmental science
biology
geography
zoology
marine biology
bioscience
ecology
Employers might consider applicants without formal qualifications if they can demonstrate knowledge and experience of the industry.
Not all employers list specific qualification requirements but they might ask for relevant experience, usually work based, that show a range of transferable skills.
It’s helpful to become a member of a relevant professional body and many employers find this desirable.
Some professional bodies include:
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