An Environmental Impact Assessor is responsible for the coordination and production of EIAs. A key part of this is making sure that EIAs are technically robust and that the correct assessments have been undertaken.
Another fundamental part of the role is the ability to take complex environmental information and put this into digestible and easily understandable forms – both in meetings and in written documents (such as within Non-Technical Summaries).
The skills required and roles you are responsible for as an Environmental Impact Assessor mean you develop a valuable skill set relating to general project management as well as technical environmental knowledge. Skills are also strengthened by the breadth of projects worked on, the roles you will fulfil, and the project teams you will be a part of.
Technical knowledge
At entry level, no experience in EIA is often accepted, but you must be able to show a keen eye for detail, be organised, have the ability to communicate with your project teams effectively and have a grasp of time management and prioritising work. Showing how you have developed these skills and why you think you can easily apply them to the role is essential.
For more senior levels in the industry, demonstrable experience in managing and leading on the preparation of EIAs, as well as strategic direction of the technical teams and ability to work well with client and design teams, is required.
Transferable skills
The role requires particularly good coordination and communication skills, to ensure that the team is working to the same deadlines, assessing the correct information, and producing robust assessments. It also requires problem solving when issues arise – sometimes requiring innovative solutions.
In addition, the role requires strong project management and time management skills, as well as good attention to detail and analytical/critical thinking. The key transferable skills relevant to the role include the following:
- Attention to detail
- Problem reframing and resolution
- Strategic thinking
- Project management / time management
- Effective communication
- Writing: Strong writing ability
- Stakeholder engagement
- People management
- Teamwork
- Relationship development.
