Environmental Manager – Compliance Lead

This role owns the firm's environmental compliance programme, including ISO 14001/50001 system maintenance, legal register, audit readiness, ESOS regulatory compliance, and non-conformance management. For more information please click here

Full job description (attached PDF)

Role overview

This role owns the firm's environmental compliance programme, including ISO 14001/50001 system maintenance, legal register, audit readiness, ESOS regulatory compliance, and non-conformance management. The postholder will take direct ownership of compliance responsibilities across the Environmental and Energy Management System (En/EMS), driving closure of compliance items spanning governance, leadership, waste management, energy management, documentation, and training. They will lead preparation for external surveillance audits, manage the internal audit programme, develop and administer the non-conformance platform module, and act as the primary interface with external auditors, regulators (including the Environment Agency), and certification bodies. Strong regulatory knowledge, ISO auditing experience, ESOS familiarity, and confident stakeholder engagement at senior levels are essential.

Key responsibilities

The key responsibilities of this role are set out below and there may be others which are not listed. You may be required on occasion to work outside our normal working hours of 9:30am to 5:30pm

1. Compliance Management

• Lead and maintain the firm's ISO 14001 and ISO 50001 certified Environmental and Energy Management System (En/EMS)
• Maintain the environmental legal register, horizon scanning to ensure all upcoming regulatory requirements are highlighted early.
• Implement compliance programmes in collaboration with functional leads and on-site contractors.
• Provide expert advice on current and emerging environmental legislation and ensure appropriate procedures and training are in place.
• Own and maintain the environmental compliance risk register; identify systemic weaknesses, track compliance status against environmental laws, regulations, and internal policies, and escalate issues through the appropriate governance pathway.
• Develop and administer consistent non-conformance tracking, evidence capture, and corrective action close-out across the EMS/EnMS, alongside trend analysis.
• Engage directly with regulators (including the Environment Agency) and external certification bodies on compliance, enforcement, and audit matters.

2. Auditing, Monitoring, and Reporting

• Manage the internal audit programme, including coordination with super-contractors, scheduling, evidence preparation, and finding closure.
• Lead the preparation and coordination of external surveillance audits (ISO 14001 and ISO 50001); act as the primary interface with the certification body during audit execution.
• Oversee audit action tracking and closure timelines; prepare and present audit findings, compliance status, and risk reporting to management.
• Lead the Annual Management Review (AMR) as required under ISO 14001/50001; prepare compliance reports and management review documentation.
• Support supplier reviews and respond to client and stakeholder information requests as required.

3. Training and Communication

• Develop and deliver ISO-related compliance training programmes, including environmental awareness and waste training for staff, service providers, and contractors.
• Develop ISO induction content and collaborate on wider awareness materials.
• Promote environmental policies and foster a culture of responsibility and awareness.

4. Incident Management and Remediation

• Manage environmental incidents from identification through investigation, reporting, corrective action, and close-out, including reporting to management and, if required, to regulators.
• Work collaboratively with the strategic and operational incident management process owners to ensure environmental incidents are appropriately escalated and integrated into firm-wide processes.
• Anticipate potential compliance risks, identify root causes of non-compliance, and implement preventative measures and corrective actions.

5. Planning and Organisation

• Continually drive change by identifying and implementing improvements to compliance processes, systems, and ways of working across the EMS/EnMS.
• Develop and maintain the environmental compliance work programme, sequenced by regulatory and audit risk, and deliver initiatives within agreed timelines.
• Support the development of environmental targets and KPIs.
• Ensure effective prioritisation and escalation of issues when necessary.

6. Teamwork and Collaboration

• Work closely with the Senior Environmental Sustainability Manager (governance escalation), the Carbon and Reporting Lead (shared data/systems dependencies), and the wider Facilities and Operations team.
• Provide cover during team absences, assist with cross-functional projects, and coordinate with Procurement and Legal and Compliance Teams on environmental compliance matters.

7. Governance and General Duties

• Support the Environmental Steering Group, Responsible Business Committee, and internal networks.
• Manage supplier contracts and procurement processes in line with firm policies.
• Participate in ad hoc projects and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Embody the Business Services' Key Behaviours and promote sustainability across the firm.

Candidate profile

Candidates for this position must have:

Experience

• 7+ years in environmental compliance management systems roles, including direct responsibility for maintaining ISO 14001 and/or ISO 50001 certification.
• Proven experience preparing for and managing external certification audits, including coordination with certification bodies and management of audit findings to closure.
• Strong experience in developing compliance procedures, driving performance improvement, and managing non-conformance remediation programmes.
• Experience with ESOS compliance and engagement with the Environment Agency or equivalent regulators.
• In-depth knowledge of UK environmental and energy legislation, including climate change and sustainability frameworks.
• Experience investigating environmental incidents and driving corrective action to closure.
• Experience advising diverse stakeholders, managing supplier relationships, and engaging confidently with senior internal leadership.

Skills

• Strong working knowledge of UK environmental and energy regulations, ISO management system standards, and compliance frameworks.
• Audit management and non-conformance tracking expertise, including the ability to manage multiple regulatory deadlines concurrently.
• Excellent analytical, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills.
• Effective communicator with the confidence to engage external auditors, regulators, and senior internal stakeholders; strong interpersonal and presentation skills.
• Ability to manage change and work under pressure with resilience.
• Strong organisational and project management capabilities.
• Proficient in MS Office (Excel, Word, PowerPoint).
• Collaborative team player with the ability to work independently.
• Ability to foresee emerging risks, problem-solve effectively, and proactively take action to mitigate issues before they crystallise.

Qualifications

• Degree (or equivalent) in sustainability, environmental management, or a related field.
• ISO14001/ISO50001 Lead Auditor Training.
• ISO 14001 and ISO 50001 Environmental Management Systems Training.

Desirable

• Membership of a relevant professional body (e.g. ISEP) - desirable.

Our recruitment process

We anticipate this being a two-stage process:

1st interview - Sustainability Manager

Practical assessment - Written Presentation - to be present during 2nd stage Interview

2nd interview - Resilience Manager, HR Manager and Senior Environmental Sustainability Manager

We are committed to ensuring that our recruitment processes are barrier-free and as inclusive as possible for everyone. This includes making adjustments for people who have a disability or long-term condition. If you have any questions or require any adjustments to be made to one or both of the application or interview processes, please contact the Recruitment Team.

We are a Disability Confident Committed employer and will offer an interview to applicants with a disability or long-term condition who best meet the minimum or essential criteria for our Business Services roles. If you would like to apply through the Disability Confident 'Offer An Interview' commitment, please apply via our online application form and not via LinkedIn. You are disabled under the Equality Act 2010 if you have a physical or mental impairment that has a 'substantial' and 'long-term' negative effect on your ability to do normal daily activities. For more information about the Disability Confident scheme, please see the government website here.

We welcome applications irrespective of race, colour, ethnic or national origin, disability, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, religion, belief or marital status.

The purpose of this description is to provide guidance in relation to the general requirements of the position referred to. It is by no means an exhaustive list of the responsibilities that will be involved.

Any offer of employment with us is subject to the firm's receipt of a satisfactory report from its third party screening and vetting provider in respect of the successful candidate. Your adviser will be able to explain how this process works in practice in the event of any questions.

At Slaughter and May, we take the protection of your personal information seriously and we are committed to safeguarding the privacy of the personal information that you share with us, or is collected by us, during the course of our interactions with you. Our Recruitment Privacy Notice ("RP Notice") supplements, and should be read alongside, the firm's Privacy Notice. These privacy notices are always available to view within the Legal and Regulatory section of our website.

Who we are

Slaughter and May is a leading international law firm, recognised throughout the business community for its exceptional legal service, commercial awareness, and commitment to clients. We advise across the spectrum of legal matters including high-profile, ground-breaking, and complex transactions, contentious matters and all aspects of risk. We deliver innovative and bespoke solutions to our clients, domestically and internationally. We provide clear legal advice that spans the globe whilst tackling the cultural nuances between jurisdictions. Our lawyers understand how to coordinate and manage matters in the jurisdictions most relevant to our clients.

Excellence is central to everything we do, and it remains one of the first words mentioned when others are asked about the firm. We are very proud of that reputation. One reason we are known for excellence is because we have always been guided by a set of values that have been an implicit part of who we are and how we operate.

Our four core values are:

1. The highest standards;

2. Independence of thought;

3. Collective endeavour;

4. Respect for all.

They are not simply a list of characteristics. They are part of a framework, as they demonstrate our commitment to our four stakeholder groups (Our clients; Our people; The firm; Society).

At Slaughter and May, with over 1,400 partners and staff worldwide, everyone's contribution is valued, and we all enjoy an open, friendly and supportive environment. We have an underlying sense of pride in who we are and what we do, and our inclusive culture gives rise to a unique diversity of thinking, which is critical to our success and helps maintain our position as a true market leader.

Business Services Development

We offer a variety of learning and development opportunities to members of our Business Services team, including sessions open to everyone on topics ranging from personal impact and resilience to written communication. We also run a series of development programmes for supervisors and managers, as well as various bespoke team and one-to-one sessions.

Our Network of Networks

The firm has eleven employee networks run by employees and supported by partners. Collectively, we form a Network of Networks, and our aim is to foster a spirit of inclusion, both amongst the networks and the firm more widely. We work collaboratively to create a more open minded and inclusive work environment.

We strive to make people feel comfortable about bringing their authentic selves to work.

Each network offers an informal support mechanism for employees with shared backgrounds, perspectives or interests and hosts a number of exciting formal and informal events throughout the year, which are open to everyone. They're a great way to meet new people in the firm, as well as to celebrate difference and learn about a variety of experiences and perspective