About the Role
The role plays a pivotal role in leading the environmental compliance strategy, responsible for ensuring the adherence to all environmental laws and regulations. This position is essential for maintaining sustainable practices and minimising the environmental impact of company operations by developing and overseeing compliance programs. The Environmental Compliance Director helps safeguard both the environment and the company’s reputation. Ensure compliance with all relevant UK and Irish environmental regulatory bodies and frameworks, including engagement with regulators such as the Environment Agency and the Environmental Protection Agency.
The role will lead the creation and implementation of strategies that align with environmental regulations. They will lead assurance and permits and collaborate with various departments and external stakeholders to ensure compliance across all levels of the organisation. Additionally, they will stay updated and ahead of the latest environmental laws and best practices to proactively foresee and plan to address ensuing environmental changes. The role will support alignment with ESG, sustainability, and carbon reduction objectives.
Key Responsibilities
Leading the strategic provision: Accountable and responsible for the development and delivery of an environmental compliance strategy, aligning and being intrinsic with the organisation's strategy. Working with internal stakeholders. Ensure alignment of environmental compliance with ESG strategy, sustainability goals, and Net Zero ambitions. Act as the organisation’s environmental subject matter expert at Board level, providing insight on environmental risks and strategy.
Develop and maintain programs: Ensure a quality delivery of the environmental compliance programme, maintaining the appropriate policies and procedures that are sector‑leading and keep ahead of changes and adaptations to enforcement agency direction and environmental regulations. Oversee environmental management systems (EMS) and ensure appropriate data governance and reporting systems are in place.
Laws and regulations: Maintain a system and network of specialists that allow an up‑to‑date view on current laws and regulations, keeping abreast of the direction of the relevant agencies and the strategic direction of the organisation. Ensure compliance with all relevant UK and Irish environmental regulatory bodies and frameworks. Ensure compliance with waste‑specific legislation including Duty of Care, hazardous waste regulations, permitting, and circular economy / Extended Producer Responsibility requirements.
Assurance: Lead an effective programme of assurance, reporting on findings and sharing results with all levels of the organisation from Board to front line with supporting continuous improvement in place that results in active and successful remedy actions. Ensure root cause analysis and corrective and preventative actions are implemented and tracked to completion.
Reporting: Accountable for meaningful reporting both externally and internally that is succinct and provides insight that can assist in steering the success of the environmental strategy. The role will articulate the story, including challenges and successes, to the organisation and its key stakeholders. Support ESG and sustainability reporting requirements where applicable.
Training and leadership: Provide a best‑in‑class training provision that ranges throughout the organisation’s matrix. Continuously seek gaps and room for adaptations and training requirements to be continuously above the base standard. The role will also be integral in ensuring that the competencies and capabilities of leadership are aligned to Panda’s goals, calling out weaknesses that may affect the environmental compliance strategic delivery. Drive environmental awareness and compliance culture across all levels of the organisation.
Budget management: Whilst the role will be accountable for identifying faults and pushing for the required capital and operational expenditure, as a leader there will be close relationships with budget holders, and a realistic balance and shared management and responsibility of cost control and forecasting spend and works planning.
Stakeholder engagement: Proactively keep good relationships with enforcement agencies and other key stakeholders, ensuring that the organisation is best positioned to understand the strategic viewpoints of others and how Panda’s strategy is best placed in aligning, but at times, challenging in the right places. Act as a key point of contact for environmental regulators and external stakeholders. Lead environmental incident management including regulatory breaches, investigations, and corrective actions. Lead and develop a multi‑site, cross‑jurisdictional environmental compliance team.
Experience & Qualifications
Essential
Bachelor’s degree or equivalent
6+ years of experience in environmental compliance management
Strong knowledge of environmental regulations
Experience with environmental permitting and reporting
Excellent communication, interpersonal, presentation and leadership skills
Strong leadership skills
Strong analytical and problem‑solving abilities
Key Behaviours
Visible leadership: present, engaged, and supportive across sites.
Forward thinking: anticipates risk and drives improvement.
Ownership mindset: accountable for specialist domains and outcomes.
Learning focused: promotes investigation quality and organisational learning.
Collaborative partner: works with operations to achieve practical safety solutions.
Panda is committed to attracting and retaining a skilled and diverse workforce that reflects the communities in which we operate and the people we serve. (DE&I Policy Statement)
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