Environmental Lead @ McCain Foods

Position Title: Environmental Lead

Position Type: Regular - Full-Time

Requisition ID: 45602

Lead environmental performance at our Delmas plant. Turn targets for water, energy, waste, wastewater, and carbon into real results, and keep the plant compliant and ISO 14001:2015 certified.

Reports to: Regional Safety Health and Environmental Manager

Direct Reports: 4 Environmental Operators

About the role

The Environmental Lead supports the Regional Safety Health and Environmental Manager by leading the coordination, coaching, and improvement of the environmental management system at the Delmas plant. The role secures compliance with environmental legislation and licence conditions, aligns the plant to ISO 14001:2015 certification standards, and drives the plant roadmap for water, energy, waste, wastewater, and carbon.

The Environmental Lead partners with plant leadership to turn environmental targets into operational results, builds ownership across production and engineering, and acts as the plant lead contact for regulators, auditors, and external service providers. The role reports to the Regional Safety Health and Environmental Manager.

You will partner with plant leadership, production, and engineering to build ownership for environmental results. You will also be the lead contact for regulators, auditors, and external service providers.

What you will do

• Keep us compliant. Own the legal register, licences, and permits, lead regulator engagement and inspections, and notify reportable incidents within legal timeframes.
• Lead our ISO 14001:2015 system. Run the audit programme, management review, and root cause analysis, and keep the plant certified without major non-conformances.
• Drive resource efficiency and carbon savings. Build and lead the Delmas roadmap for water, energy, waste, and carbon, and write the business cases for efficiency projects.
• Manage wastewater and water use. Lead wastewater compliance, review borehole abstraction against the Water Use Licence, and escalate deviations with clear action plans.
• Lead and coach your team. Develop the Environmental Operators, deliver environmental awareness training, and build a culture where production team members take ownership.
• Manage risk, budget, and relationships. Run environmental risk assessments, manage the operating budget, and work with consultants, contractors, and service providers.

What you bring

Qualifications

• A national diploma or degree in Environmental Management, Environmental Science, or Engineering (degree preferred).
• A post-graduate qualification or professional registration, such as SACNASP, is an advantage.

Experience

• Five to 10 years of relevant experience in a food production or similar manufacturing environment.
• At least three years in a lead, senior, or supervisory environmental role, including leading a team or influencing without direct authority.
• Proven experience of implementing, maintaining, and improving an ISO 14001:2015 system through external certification.
• At least four years of ISO 14001:2015 internal audit experience (lead auditor qualification preferred).
• Hands-on experience managing industrial wastewater treatment and compliance with a Water Use Licence or trade effluent permit.
• Experience building business cases and delivering resource efficiency projects in water, energy, waste, or carbon.

Knowledge

• Advanced knowledge of ISO 14001:2015.
• Working knowledge of South African environmental legislation, including the National Environmental Management Act (NEMA), the National Water Act, the National Environmental Management: Waste Act, and the National Environmental Management: Air Quality Act.
• Knowledge of Water Use Licences, Atmospheric Emission Licences, waste licences, climate and carbon reporting, and municipal by-laws.
• Awareness of health and safety requirements that overlap with environmental risk, such as ammonia refrigeration and chemical storage.

Skills and mindset

• Strong leadership and coaching skills, with the ability to influence leaders and team members at all levels.
• Excellent oral, written, and presentation skills, including reporting to senior leaders.
• Advanced Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint skills, and strong data analysis skills.
• Strong planning skills to meet compliance timeframes and manage several projects at once.
• Sound commercial awareness and the ability to build and present a business case.
• A team player who lives the McCain Leadership Principles and takes action beyond the job description.

McCain Foods is an equal opportunity employer. As a global family-owned company, we strive to be the employer of choice in the diverse communities around the world in which we live and work. We recognize that inclusion drives our creativity, resilience, and success and makes our business stronger. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, sex, age, veteran status, disability, or any other protected characteristic under applicable law.

McCain is an accessible employer. If you require an accommodation throughout the recruitment process (including alternate formats of materials or accessible meeting rooms), please let us know and we will work with you to find appropriate solutions.

Your privacy is important to us. By submitting personal data or information to us, you agree this will be handled in accordance with McCain’s Global Privacy Policy and Global Employee Privacy Policy, as applicable. McCain leverages AI in the hiring process, though all final decisions are made by humans. You can understand our approach to AI and how your personal information is being handled here.

Job Family: Manufacturing

Location(s): ZA - South Africa : Mpumalanga : Delmas

Company: McCain Foods (S Africa)