Environmental Compliance Manager

Metropolitan Council•Metro Plant - 2400 Childs Rd. St. Paul MN 55106, MN

3d•Onsite

About The Position

The Metropolitan Council Environmental Services (ES) is seeking an Environmental Compliance Manager to lead its Environmental Compliance system. This role is crucial for ensuring ES meets environmental regulations, mandates, and goals while adapting to emerging environmental challenges and changing expectations. The Manager will work closely with the Director of Environmental Compliance & Safety to shape environmental compliance strategies for a complex regional utility. This position requires an adaptive leader who can apply sound principles, systems thinking, and collaboration to complex environmental issues. The Manager will oversee the Environmental Compliance department, helping ES anticipate change, navigate uncertainty, and protect the region's water. The candidate's permanent residence must be in Minnesota or Wisconsin. This position will create a six-month eligibility list for current and future openings.

Requirements

High school diploma/GED with eleven (11) years of experience including three (3) years of experience in management or supervision.
Associate degree with nine (9) years of experience, including three (3) years of experience in management or supervision.
Bachelor’s degree or higher with seven (7) years of experience, including three (3) years of experience supervising employees and teams.
Professional experience in environmental compliance, including experience working with National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPEDS) requirements.
Completed education (degree field of study in Environmental Science, Biology, Chemistry, or closely related field).

Nice To Haves

Experience serving as a subject matter expert in environmental compliance within a complex or highly regulated environment.
Demonstrated knowledge of federal and state laws and regulations related to air and water, including the Clean Water Act/National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES), National Ambient Air Quality Standards, and related environmental compliance frameworks.
Demonstrated knowledge of state biosolids land application regulations.
Certifications or licenses in environmental compliance and wastewater operations areas such as biosolids, stormwater, hazardous materials, or related areas.
Demonstrated experience applying systems thinking and adaptive problem-solving to complex environmental or utility-related challenges, including coordinating work across teams without direct authority.
Experience developing or implementing environmental compliance strategies, programs, or business systems in a complex operational environment.
Experience navigating changing regulatory requirements, emerging environmental issues, or situations involving regulatory uncertainty.
Experience negotiating or collaborating with environmental regulators and external agencies.
Experience with contaminated site cleanups, the MPCA voluntary investigation and cleanup program, and federal and state Superfund laws.
Experience building strong working relationships across operational, technical, legal, regulatory, and leadership stakeholders to achieve shared outcomes.
Experience using data, technical information, or environmental trends to support decision-making and communicate recommendations.

Responsibilities

Lead efforts to establish, maintain, and update ES compliance strategies, including but not limited to water quality and air quality strategies.
Work closely with the Director of Environmental Compliance & Safety to evaluate emerging environmental issues, changing regulations, and long-term compliance strategies for Environmental Services.
Develop practical, forward-looking environmental compliance strategies that anticipate changing regulatory requirements and support long-term organizational resilience.
Work with planning, treatment services, capital, and process engineering to evaluate options and establish strategies.
Work closely with the Council’s Office of General Counsel on legal issues.
Coordinate work among departments within ES to ensure internal clarity and transparency of business processes, roles, and responsibilities to achieve divisional desired outcomes.
Strengthen partnerships with operations and internal stakeholders to integrate environmental compliance into daily work, improve field support, and align priorities across functions.
Serve as subject matter expert on ES’ Environmental Compliance requirements.
Track, evaluate, and communicate changing environmental regulatory requirements, mandates, and goals that affect Environmental Services.
Partner with planning system leads to coordinate work integration among environmental compliance and planning systems.
Support development of practical, principle-based approaches to complex environmental challenges, including emerging contaminants, changing regulations, and issues requiring cross-functional coordination.
Identify improvement opportunities and coordinate continuous improvement efforts to support ES’ ongoing success in achieving environmental compliance and maintaining trust with stakeholders and regulators.
Promote data-informed decision-making and strengthen environmental compliance systems, communication, and organizational understanding.
Ensure accurate, consistent, and transparent environmental compliance reporting (internally and externally).
Maintain working relationships with regulators and partners, connecting with ES staff as appropriate.
Collaborate with Environmental Compliance department staff to set department priorities and support professional growth and development.
Manage and support the success of staff in the department as subject matter experts leading coordination of cross-functional business processes.