As sustainability and climate change have become prominent issues in local, national, and global policy discussions, the environmental services sector has emerged as a rising industry. In response to government regulations, it has become imperative for businesses to follow environmental guidelines and reduce industrial emissions. Central to this effort are environmental compliance specialists, professionals focused on ensuring that firms are in compliance with the complex network of environmental regulations. Not only do these specialists play a role in maintaining regulatory standards but also ensure corporate responsibility and create a meaningful impact for ourselves and future generations!
What do environmental compliance specialists do?
The role of environmental compliance specialist is a multidisciplinary one. These professionals are expected to have experience in a variety of different tasks and subjects. Ensuring that companies are in compliance with environmental regulations requires knowledge of environmental laws, auditing, and sustainable practices. Some of the most prominent job tasks of environmental compliance specialists are:
- Environmental Law: An understanding of local and federal environmental regulations is needed for this position.
- Research: Ability to research and deeply understand current environmental laws and sustainability best practices.
- Auditing: Ability to perform audits by reviewing the company’s sustainability practices and produce detailed reports of the findings.
- Communication: Being able to effectively communicate findings to firms in final reports is crucial for this role as well as being able to work with other professionals such as government officials, lawyers, and engineers to implement compliance measures.
- Sustainability Practices: Knowledge of best practices for sustainability measures is needed for this role. Ability to recommend specific sustainability practices on a case by case basis.
In the average workday, an environmental compliance specialist may be required to perform any possible combination of these tasks. At the end of the day the skills and tasks required for this role feed into being able to excel at performing audits and communicating those findings through detailed reports.
Industry trends & salary insights
Currently, there are roughly 400,000 environmental compliance specialists across the United States. This number is expected to grow rapidly in the next decade with an expected increase of 9.44%! These professionals hold a variety of different titles with a few being environmental compliance inspector, compliance investigator, and environmental quality analyst. While it is possible to break into the field with an associate degree, 75% of active workers hold a bachelor’s degree. Environmental compliance specialists have a median salary of $75,000 nationally. In New York state, the median salary increases by almost 10k to $83,000. Top employers in this field consist of both private and public firms. Some examples of private companies include major consulting firms like AECOM and Jacobs Engineering Group. In the public sector state governments are some of the largest employers of compliance specialists with the states of Minnesota, Washington, and Pennsylvania hiring the most. Overall, pursuing a career as an environmental compliance specialist opens up an ever-growing and wide range of well-compensated positions.
How can students prepare for a career in this field?
Students can gain relevant experience through many different extracurricular activities. A few requirements of the role are an understanding of law and policy, as well as being able to research legal and environmental subjects. For this reason, Pre-Law clubs or professional fraternities, policy-focused clubs, and debate clubs make for great opportunities to build skills relevant to this position. Some examples of student organizations to check out are the Thurgood Marshall Pre-Law Society, The Binghamton Policy Project, and The Binghamton Parliamentary Debate Association, as well as many others! These organizations can offer students the opportunity to expand their knowledge on subject areas of interest while building skills in research and policy analysis. Further organizations to look into include those that have a focus on environmental science or sustainability. Such organizations include the University Libraries Sustainability Hub which holds biweekly meetings on topics promoting sustainable initiatives across the university campus and local community. Environmentally minded organizations can provide students with exposure to initiatives in the community and also can show a demonstrated interest in the field.
Outside of campus students can look into potential internships or part time jobs with environmentally focused groups such as NeST. Network of a Sustainable Tomorrow (NeST) is a network of programs focused on promoting environmental justice and equity in the Binghamton region. Programs associated with NeST include HeatSmart Southern Tier, a community outreach program providing information on clean energy options, and Southern Tier Solar Works which works to expand the deployment of solar energy in the local community. Opportunities with organizations like NeST can give students great professional experience and also further showcase their interest in the environmental field. Whether it’s on campus or off campus students have a variety of options to explore their interest and develop relevant experience in pursuit of becoming an environmental compliance specialist!
Final thoughts
Environmental compliance specialist is not only a growing profession, but a vital one. As environmental regulations become more nuanced, professionals able to skillfully navigate them will become crucial for countless firms as they attempt to remain sustainable and compliant. A career as an environmental compliance specialist is great for someone willing to take on a variety of tasks and challenges. For students, this career offers the opportunity to make tangible impacts on the environment by ensuring that companies follow compliance standards. With an increasing focus on the environment, the demand for these skilled professionals is expected to rise. It offers a rewarding and dynamic career for students passionate about the environment and environmental justice compliance!
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