An Environmental Compliance Inspector is responsible for overseeing the environmental performance of private, public and voluntary sector organisations. They also develop, implement and monitor environmental strategies, policies and programmes that promote sustainable development.

Environmental Compliance Inspectors examine corporate activities to establish where improvements can be made and ensure compliance with environmental legislation across the organisation.

They have a wide remit and will review the whole operation, carrying out environmental audits and assessments, identifying and resolving environmental problems and ensuring necessary changes are implemented.

They also carry out important staff training and ensure all members of the workforce recognise and understand their own contributions to improved environmental performance.

Tasks:

1. Overseeing the use of all resources within organisations
2. Implementing environmental policies and practices
3. Developing schemes for recycling, pollution reduction and pollution prevention
4. Ensuring compliance with environmental legislation
5. Auditing, analysing and collating environmental performance data and reporting information to internal staff, clients and regulatory bodies
6. Managing environmental strategy budgets
7. Providing environmental training to staff at all levels
8. Writing plans and reports
9. Keeping up to date with changes in environmental legislation
10. Producing educational resources
11. Liaising with regulatory bodies such as the environment agency

Key skills for Environmental Compliance Inspector:

• Reading Comprehension: Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
• Critical Thinking: Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
• Monitoring: Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
• Active Listening: Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
• Writing: Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
• Complex Problem Solving: Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
• Judgment and Decision Making: Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.

Average salary (2014):

The United Kingdom: £36,630 per year
The United States of America: $69,000 per year
Australia: AU$110,857 per year

Qualifications and training required:

Many colleges and universities today are offering bachelor's degrees or master's of science degrees in environmental management, including many online schools. Some bachelor's degree programs in environmental management are general in nature, while others focus on specific areas within the field, such as waste management.

Master's degrees tend to allow candidates to specialize in areas of interest. Those lacking master's degrees who are already working in the field may prefer to pursue online courses of study tailored to their jobs, while maintaining their work schedules.

As in most career areas, the more education you have, the more likely you are to land a higher paying job. Those with master's degrees and PhD's will have better opportunities for higher level jobs and higher salaries, though jobs also exist for those with only a bachelor's degree.