EHS manager

The EHS manager (environment, health and safety) is the professional who organises the prevention of the company’s workplace health and safety risks and environmental risks. They turn EHS policy into actions with the relevant departments, based on actual working conditions. Their work covers physical and environmental risks, excluding cybersecurity.

The role combines risk analysis, the preparation of prevention plans and the coordination of their implementation. The manager must understand processes, equipment and working conditions to prioritise actions. They monitor delivery, facilitate discussions with teams and report results and deviations to management.

The environmental scope must be specified in the job description. It covers, in particular, pollution risks and environmental nuisances. Depending on the company’s activities, it may also include waste sorting and recovery, energy savings or monitoring consumption within processes. These activities are not a mandatory list for every role.

The company’s size, sector and organisation determine the activities assigned to the EHS manager. They may work at one establishment or travel between several sites. To define the recruitment scope, specify their reporting line, the resources they can draw on and the decisions that will require approval. The role involves proposing plans, negotiating resources and coordinating departments.

EHS manager, operational managers and employer: who does what?

• The EHS manager analyses risks and coordinates prevention actions with the relevant departments.
• Operational managers help them understand activities and organise actions on the ground. Agree the expected division of work with these managers.
• The employer remains responsible for preparing the French single occupational risk assessment document, the DUERP (document unique d’évaluation des risques professionnels). INRS states that working with an EHS manager does not change this responsibility.

Recruitment should address a specific difficulty: understanding the risks associated with activities, coordinating prevention or monitoring actions involving several departments. Defining the role well connects the responsibilities assigned to the future EHS manager with the work situations they will need to examine. The title alone is not enough to assess this fit.

The first challenge is to move from analysis to action. The manager identifies and prioritises risks, then prepares a plan for approval. The candidate you seek must be able to connect observations on the ground with prevention priorities.

Coordination is a second challenge. The EHS manager works with internal contacts, runs training and monitors deviations between objectives and results. Specify the people they will work with and the resources available before assigning them this responsibility. Without agreement on who will carry out the actions and which decisions are expected, you risk recruiting for a role whose delivery conditions remain unclear.

The environmental aspect also requires an explicit choice. Pollution risks and environmental nuisances fall within EHS, but monitoring waste or energy depends on the role. Do not automatically require particular environmental experience if it does not match the activities covered.

Fictional example: a company is preparing to open a factory. It wants its future EHS manager to contribute to the project’s risk analysis and coordinate actions with the teams. Before selecting a candidate, it specifies the processes concerned, the approvals needed and the resources available.

Finally, distinguish risk control from experience of certification. An EHS approach can exist without certification. If the organisation uses ISO 14001 or ISO 45001, assess the corresponding experience against the work assigned, without making it a universal requirement.

• Identify and prioritise risks by observing working conditions, equipment and processes.
• Analyse applicable requirements and compliance gaps to adapt EHS procedures.
• Develop action plans and obtain approval by identifying priority prevention projects.
• Coordinate the delivery of actions with departments and internal contacts.
• Organise awareness activities and training for teams on the risks associated with their work.
• Lead the audits included in the role and coordinate relationships with inspection bodies.
• Monitor EHS indicators and explain deviations between objectives and results to management.
• Organise actions on waste, energy consumption or pollution risks according to the activities covered.

EHS training backgrounds vary according to the role’s responsibilities. Apec lists French qualifications at bac +2/3 level, specialised master’s degrees and engineering diplomas. Onisep places its EHS officer profile at bac +5 level. This variation suggests considering what the candidate has learnt rather than imposing a single qualification based on the title.

For a role focused on prevention, useful knowledge and skills include risk analysis methods and an understanding of actual working conditions. The candidate must be able to study a process or piece of equipment and turn their observations into actions. Sector knowledge helps assess how closely the activities they have encountered match those of your company.

If the role includes an environmental aspect, the candidate’s knowledge and skills must match the activities assigned: pollution risks, waste or energy consumption, depending on the context. General EHS training is not enough to establish autonomy in each of these areas. Knowledge studied, its practical application and coordination experience are distinct forms of learning and experience.

The experience expected should be described through the responsibilities held. Taking part in a risk analysis, preparing an action plan, coordinating it and reporting progress to management involve different responsibilities. For a role covering several establishments, experience of working with local contacts and knowledge of the risks specific to each site are also useful.

Finally, technical and regulatory knowledge must be maintained. Further training and updating working practices help with this. A qualification alone does not establish competence: assessment allows you to compare the candidate’s knowledge and skills with specific achievements.

To assess this profile, adapt the following steps to the risks, activities and autonomy of the role you are hiring for.

1. Define the criteria before interviews

Build an assessment grid around the work expected: risk analysis, process knowledge, applicable requirements, action coordination and communication with teams. Add the environmental skills corresponding to the activities assigned.

Specify which criteria are essential from the start and which can be developed. If you use ISO frameworks, distinguish audit experience from an understanding of risks on the ground.

Involve an operational manager in examining processes. If the company lacks the necessary EHS expertise, have the technical aspects assessed by a professional competent in the risks concerned.

2. Examine a past achievement

Ask the candidate to present a risk analysis and the action plan that followed. Ask them to specify the activities studied, the observations made and their personal role.

Examine an anonymised deliverable when it can be shared. Ask how priorities were chosen, who approved the plan and how actions were followed up.

An explanation connecting working conditions with the measures selected is a positive sign. A presentation focused solely on documentation, without distinguishing their work from that of others, calls for further questions.

For an industrial role in a context comparable to metallurgy, also discuss an investigation following an incident, root cause analysis and follow-up on corrective actions. Ask about the facts examined and the approach taken, without imposing a particular method.

3. Set a case relevant to the role

Fictional example: present a work situation at an establishment whose activities are changing, with information on equipment, working conditions and actions already under way.

Ask the candidate what information they lack and how they would observe the activity. Then invite them to prioritise the risks identified and prepare initial actions to discuss with the managers concerned.

Observe whether they distinguish available facts from hypotheses. Ask which decisions require approval and what resources would be useful. Assess their explanations against the autonomy planned for the role.

4. Assess cooperation and communication

Ask for an example of training or coordinating internal contacts. Ask the candidate to specify the audience, the risk explained and how they adapted their approach.

Explore a situation in which several departments had different constraints. Observe how they gathered information, argued for their proposals and organised follow-up.

In an industrial context comparable to metallurgy, also examine a measure adapted to budget constraints. This criterion must be put in context according to the role. Look for a clear explanation of the options considered and the decisions requiring approval.

5. Compare the evidence and take references

Compare assessors’ observations against each criterion. A disagreement about the candidate’s understanding of a process should prompt clarification before a decision is made.

With the candidate’s consent, ask people involved in their past achievements to clarify their role and how they coordinated actions. Focus on responsibilities relevant to your role.

Consistency between deliverables, explanations and confirmed responsibilities strengthens the assessment. If discrepancies persist, identify the skill that remains uncertain and the support needed before deciding.