Environmental Officer

2. Role purpose

The Environmental Officer is responsible for supporting and implementing environmental assessment, authorisation and compliance services across the company’s projects. The role conducts environmental audits and field inspections, contributes to Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) processes, reviews specialist reports, prepares proposals and technical documents, coordinates project activities, and mentors graduates and interns. The incumbent must produce accurate, defensible and timely work while maintaining professional relationships with clients, authorities, contractors, specialists and interested and affected parties.

3. Key responsibilities

3.1 Environmental audits and compliance monitoring

Plan and conduct environmental compliance audits, Environmental Control Officer (ECO) inspections and monitoring visits in accordance with approved Environmental Authorisations, Environmental Management Programmes, water-use authorisations, licences, permits, method statements and contractual requirements.

Review applicable approval conditions and legal requirements before each audit and prepare project-specific inspection checklists.

Inspect construction sites, operational areas, borrow pits, camps, laydown areas, access roads, watercourse crossings, waste-storage areas and rehabilitation works, as applicable.

Collect and maintain objective evidence, including photographs, GPS records, site notes, registers, interviews and supporting documents.

Identify non-compliances, environmental risks and emerging issues; recommend practical corrective and preventive actions with responsible persons and completion dates.

Compile clear audit and ECO reports, compliance tables, photographic records, non-conformance notices and close-out reports within agreed deadlines.

Track corrective actions to closure and promptly escalate significant incidents, repeated non-compliances and legal risks to management and the client.

3.2 Environmental impact assessments and authorisations

Conduct desktop assessments, site visits, environmental screening and site-sensitivity verification to inform the required authorisation process and specialist inputs.

Identify potentially applicable environmental approvals, listed activities and permitting requirements under relevant national, provincial and municipal legislation.

Prepare and contribute to application forms, Basic Assessment Reports, Scoping and Environmental Impact Assessment Reports, Environmental Management Programmes, amendment applications, environmental opinions and supporting correspondence.

Describe project alternatives, baseline conditions, potential impacts, cumulative impacts, mitigation measures and monitoring requirements in a clear and technically sound manner.

Coordinate public participation activities, stakeholder databases, notices, advertisements, meeting records, comments-and-responses reports and proof of consultation, where assigned.

Liaise professionally with competent authorities, clients, landowners, communities, specialists and project teams, and respond to requests for information and review comments.

Maintain complete application and submission records and monitor statutory and contractual timeframes.

3.3 Specialist coordination and technical review

Assist in developing scopes of work and briefing appointed specialists on the project description, study area, alternatives, programme and authority requirements.

Review specialist reports for completeness, internal consistency, methodology, data quality, maps, sensitivity findings, impact ratings, recommendations and alignment with the project description.

Confirm that recommended mitigation and monitoring measures are specific, practical, measurable and correctly incorporated into the EIA documents and Environmental Management Programme.

Identify gaps, contradictions and outstanding information, communicate consolidated review comments, and verify that revisions adequately address the comments.

Coordinate specialist deliverables and maintain the required declarations, CVs, registrations, maps and supporting appendices.

3.4 Proposals, tenders and business-development support

Draft technically responsive proposals, quotations, expressions of interest and tender submissions for environmental services.

Develop appropriate scopes, methodologies, deliverables, work plans, resource requirements and realistic project timelines.

Obtain and assess specialist quotations and provide accurate technical inputs for pricing and resource planning.

Compile project experience, staff CVs, schedules and supporting documents, and complete bid-compliance checks before submission.

Maintain reusable proposal information and contribute lessons learned to improve the quality and efficiency of future submissions.

3.5 Project coordination, reporting and document control

Prepare and maintain project programmes, action lists, submission trackers, stakeholder registers, audit schedules and document-control records.

Coordinate meetings, site access, specialist activities, authority engagements and internal review deadlines.

Monitor assigned deliverables against scope, budget and programme, and report delays, risks and resource constraints early.

Prepare concise progress updates, meeting minutes, formal letters, email correspondence and client presentations.

Apply company quality-control procedures, templates, naming conventions and approval workflows to all deliverables.

Safeguard confidential project information and maintain orderly electronic and hard-copy records.

3.6 Mentorship and supervision of graduates

Mentor graduate environmental consultants, interns and students through structured guidance, practical demonstrations and constructive feedback.

Allocate suitable tasks, explain expected standards and deadlines, and review work before it is incorporated into client deliverables.

Provide field induction on inspections, evidence collection, environmental risks, professional conduct and safe working practices.

Support the development of technical writing, legislation interpretation, audit, EIA, stakeholder-engagement and project-management skills.

Monitor progress, identify training needs and raise performance or capacity concerns with the relevant manager.

Promote a respectful, accountable and learning-oriented working environment.

3.7 Driving, fieldwork and site support

Drive company, hired or authorised vehicles to project sites, meetings and field assignments in a safe and responsible manner.

Complete vehicle inspections and logbooks, comply with road-safety and company fleet requirements, and immediately report accidents, damage, defects and traffic infringements.

Plan travel routes and field logistics efficiently, including equipment, access permissions, accommodation and site contacts.

Undertake fieldwork in varying terrain and weather conditions, use required personal protective equipment, and comply with client and company health-and-safety procedures.

Use cameras, GPS devices, mobile data-capture tools and other field equipment responsibly, where required and appropriately trained.

3.8 Professional, legal and organisational responsibilities

Act ethically, objectively and professionally, and disclose actual or potential conflicts of interest.

Remain informed of applicable environmental legislation, guidelines, authority requirements and industry good practice.

Participate in internal training, technical reviews, quality audits and performance-development activities.

Comply with company policies, employment requirements, health-and-safety rules and lawful instructions.

Perform other reasonable environmental and project-support duties aligned with the role, as assigned by management.

4. Key deliverables and performance measures

Audit, inspection and EIA deliverables completed accurately and within agreed statutory, contractual and internal deadlines.

Reports and proposals