Imagine you are standing at the front of a large boardroom introducing yourself to 15 environmental experts. You are an environmental manager and this is your new team. You have been hired by one of the country’s largest oil and gas companies to create an environmental management strategy for a new refinery it proposes to build next year.
Your job is to ensure that the proposed refinery complies with all provincial and federal environmental regulations, both in construction and operation. Your management strategy will act as a step-by-step guide for how compliance will be achieved and maintained. As an environmental manager, you are not only an expert on environmental policy and legislation, but also a skilled manager of staff.
You begin this project with research, coordinating each team member and assigning some to examine provincial and federal legislation, others to study similar refineries and their strategies for complying with regulations, and another group to prepare an Environmental Impact Assessment. You also consult with project stakeholders, for example, area residents, government officials, and the company’s executives.
All this research and consultation will give you an idea of what must be done to ensure compliance, as well as identify any constraints that might affect your management strategy, for example, time or budget constraints. With this information, you can determine the scope of work required and the kinds of resources needed, including how many people and with what expertise. From there, you put together your environmental strategy action plan, which will be presented to all stakeholders and will detail what the company wants to achieve, how it will do it, how long it will take, and how performance will be measured.
Once all concerned parties approve the action plan, you can begin implementation. When fully realized, your environmental management strategy will ensure that the construction and operation of the refinery satisfy all environmental requirements and comply with regulations.
To learn more about Environmental Managers, check out our Day in the Life video below!
Duties vary significantly from job to job, but the following list includes typical job duties one might encounter as an environmental manager:
If you are a high school student considering a career as an environmental geophysicist, you should have a keen interest in:
If you are a post-secondary student considering a career as an environmental geophysicist, the following programs are most applicable.
In most cases, the minimum education requirement to work as an environmental geophysicist is a graduate degree. Pursuing a master’s or doctoral degree in fields related to environmental geophysics can enhance your expertise, career prospects, and ability to contribute to the field. These advanced degrees offer specialized knowledge and skills highly valued in both the professional and academic worlds.
In many provinces, geophysicists must obtain registration and licensure with their provincial association as a Professional Geoscientist (P.Geo.). The certification process for geophysicists is similar to that of engineering professions and is typically overseen by the same regulatory body.
Our Environmental Professional (EP) designation can also help you progress in your chosen environmental career.
Technical Skills
Personal and Professional Skills
Environmental employers look for professionals who can combine technical knowledge with soft skills. Watch our free webinar “Essential Not Optional: Skills Needed to Succeed in Canada’s Environmental Industry” or take our Essential Skills courses.
As key executive leaders who shape their company’s sustainability policy, CSOs work in many different types of organizations. Common employers of CSOs include:
Search for jobs on the ECO Canada Job Board.
If you are a post-secondary student seeking a CSO role in the future, consider pursuing a university degree related to:
In addition to the educational fields mentioned above, you will also need extensive management experience to become a CSO, with well-developed human resources management and leadership skills. Consider educational seminars or post-graduate studies that will hone your analytical thinking, such as:
Our Environmental Professional (EP) designation can also help you progress in your chosen environmental career.
Technical Skills
Personal and Professional Skills
Environmental employers seek professionals who combine technical knowledge with personal and professional skills. Watch our free webinar “Essential Not Optional: Skills Needed to Succeed in Canada’s Environmental Industry” or take our Essential Skills courses.
Helmut Epp took a very interesting route to his current management work. He spent ten years in East Africa, three of them in Serengeti National Park in Tanzania. There, he put his geography and remote sensing skills to work on local development projects. When he returned to Canada, he went to work for the Canada Centre for Remote Sensing in Saskatoon, followed by remote sensing work in Yellowknife and then his current job.
Now he is a manager with responsibility for the work of twelve people in three sections: Computer Systems, Remote Sensing and Geographic Information Systems. Not only must he manage the work of those twelve, he must maintain relationships with clients for the services of the Remote Sensing Centre, like the Federal Government and private industry which purchase its services. "In this job, technical skills, including the ability to use scientific principles of investigation, are very important", says Helmut. "And even though I have a master's degree, I will continue taking management courses, which can really help when you're managing large groups of people."
Marine geologists are classified into the following occupational grouping:
NOC Code: 21102 – Geoscientists and oceanographers
The National Occupational Classification (NOC) provides a standardized language for describing the work performed by Canadians in the labour market. It gives statisticians, labour market analysts, career counsellors, employers, and individual job seekers a consistent way to collect data and describe and understand the nature of work within different occupations.
See ECO’s Blue National Occupational Standard for a career competency profile for a marine geologist that outlines the specific skills, knowledge, and behaviours required for individuals to perform effectively in this particular role. This profile is a benchmark for training and development, ensuring consistency and quality across professions within the blue economy.
Dans un esprit de respect, de réciprocité et de vérité, nous honorons et reconnaissons Moh’kinsstis, le territoire traditionnel du Traité 7 et les pratiques orales de la confédération des Pieds-Noirs : Siksika, Kainai, Piikani, ainsi que les nations Îyâxe Nakoda et Tsuut’ina. Nous reconnaissons que ce territoire abrite la Nation métisse de l’Alberta, la région 3 au sein de la patrie historique des Métis du Nord-Ouest. Enfin, nous reconnaissons toutes les nations qui vivent, travaillent et se divertissent sur ce territoire, et qui l’honorent et le célèbrent.
In the spirit of respect, reciprocity, and truth, we acknowledge that we live, work, and gather on the traditional territories of the peoples of Treaty 7, including the Blackfoot Confederacy—comprising the Siksika, Kainai, and Piikani Nations—as well as the Îyâxe Nakoda and Tsuut’ina Nations.
This land, known as Moh’kinsstis in the Blackfoot language and encompassing what is now Districts 5 and 6, is also home to the Métis Nation of Alberta, Region 3, within the historical Northwest Métis homeland.
We recognize and honour the deep connection these Nations have to the land, and we are grateful for the opportunity to share in its stewardship.
As we continue our work, we commit to learning from Indigenous knowledge systems, uplifting Indigenous voices, and fostering relationships rooted in equity, understanding, and reconciliation.
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