Environmental Associate Director

Location

Madrid, Spain; Sevilla, Spain; Bilbao, Spain

Mission

The Environmental Associate Director is responsible for leading Zelestra's global environmental strategy, ensuring regulatory compliance, implementing best practices in sustainability and developing initiatives to minimize the environmental impact of operations. This role serves as a technical reference in environmental matters and collaborates closely with other areas to integrate environmental criteria into corporate and operational decision-making.

This position is embedded within Zelestra’s matrix structure, where corporate functions establish global strategies, standards, and frameworks, while Business Units (BUs) are responsible for operational execution in their respective markets. As part of this structure, the Environmental Associate Director must ensure alignment between the corporate QHSE strategy and the specific needs of each BU, facilitating the effective implementation of environmental policies at a local level without compromising Zelestra’s global strategic objectives.

Responsibilities

• Environmental mapping process: Define and develop the environmental mapping process of the company, defining the main gates and the interconnexion between the different areas.
• Global Environmental Strategy: Design and implement Zelestra’s environmental strategy, aligned with the company’s sustainability goals and ESG commitments, ensuring its adoption across all BUs. Climate change, Biodiversity, decarbonization and circularity corporate strategies.
• Regulatory Compliance: Ensure compliance with international, national, and local environmental regulations in all markets where Zelestra operates, providing clear guidelines to the BUs.
• Net Zero and CO2 emissions strategy: Definition of net zero strategy and scope 1, 2 and 3. SBTI process
• Environmental Risk Management: Assess and mitigate the environmental impact of operations and projects, ensuring the implementation of appropriate control measures in coordination with BUs.
• Environmental Integration in Projects: Work with development, construction, and operations teams to integrate environmental criteria into project design and execution in each BU.
• Audits and Certifications: Oversee internal and external environmental audits and manage certification processes for relevant environmental standards (ISO 14001, EMAS, etc.), supporting BUs in their compliance efforts.
• Stakeholder Relations: Represent the company before regulators, clients, communities, and other stakeholders on environmental matters, supporting BUs in their local engagements.
• Innovation and Continuous Improvement: Promote research and implementation of new technologies and practices to reduce Zelestra’s environmental footprint, in collaboration with BU innovation initiatives.
• Regional Team Supervision: Coordinate and guide environmental teams across different business units, ensuring consistent implementation of corporate strategy.
• Reporting and Transparency: Develop environmental reports aligned with sustainability reporting frameworks (GRI, TCFD, CDP, etc.), consolidating BU data to provide a global perspective.
• Environmental Culture and Awareness: Drive training and awareness programs for employees and stakeholders, promoting an environmental culture aligned between corporate and BUs.
• Environmental Assessments and Audits to evaluate the company’s environmental impact and identify areas for improvement: as a part of the environmental management system, in M&A due diligence process, to suppliers, etc

Job Requirements

Academic Background: University degree in Environmental Science, Environmental Engineering, Sustainability, or related disciplines +Postgraduate education or certifications in environmental management and sustainability are valued.

Professional Experience:

• Minimum of 10 years of experience in environmental management, preferably in the energy, renewables, infrastructure, or related industries, banks, investing funds.
• Experience in leading environmental strategies in multinational and matrix-structured environments.
• Deep knowledge of global environmental regulations and ESG standards.
• Experience in environmental audits and certifications.
• Management of multidisciplinary teams and coordination of projects across different geographies.

Technical and Soft Skills:

• Strong knowledge of environmental legislation, carbon footprint, circular economy, and biodiversity, net zero
• Analytical mindset and problem-solving approach.
• Negotiation and influence skills to interact with internal and external stakeholders.
• Excellent communication skills in English and Spanish (other languages are a plus) 
• Leadership and change management to drive environmental initiatives within the organization.
• Cultural Alignment: Ability to embody and promote Zelestra’s beliefs and values, fostering an organizational culture that prioritizes sustainability, integrity, and long-term impact.

What we offer

• Career opportunities and professional development in a growing multinational company with a team highly qualified.
• Permanent contract.
• Flexible compensation.
• Full working day.
• Remote work 2 days a week.
• Half working day in August.

Zelestra celebrates the diversity of thought and experience that comes from a variety of backgrounds including, but not limited to, gender, age, ethnicity, …Our mission is to contribute to a more just and equitable society.

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