Environmental Officer

Established in 1989, College Group (College Proteins) is a prominent Irish leader in bio-waste management and renewable energy production, focused on "closing the bio-waste circle" by converting animal by-products and food waste into sustainable resources. Headquartered in Nobber, Co. Meath, the group has grown to operate across three main sites (Nobber, Co. Meath; Monnery, Co. Cavan; and Mayobridge, Co. Down) with a workforce of over 170 employees.

The Role We are currently seeking to recruit an experienced and proactive Environmental Officer to assist in fulfilling environmental compliance and environmental performance at our facility in Nobber, Co. Meath.

This is a key site-based role responsible for ensuring that the facility operates in accordance with its EPA licence, NWCPO permit, applicable Irish and European environmental legislation, Best Available Techniques (BAT), and company environmental standards.

Key Responsibilities

• Maintain compliance with the site's EPA licences (IEL and GHG), NWCPO permit and TFS requirements.
• Manage environmental documentation system and monitoring programme.
• Prepare environmental reports, compliance submissions and information required by the EPA.
• Work closely with senior management and personnel on site.
• Maintain comprehensive environmental records, reports, permits, and other compliance documents.
• Report required data to regulatory authorities and internal stakeholders.
• Act as a liaison between the organization, regulatory bodies and local communities.
• Promote environmental awareness across the organisation.

Skills And Experience Required The successful candidate should demonstrate:

• Degree or recognised third-level qualification in Environmental Science, Environmental Engineering, Environmental Management or a related discipline.
• Strong understanding of EPA licensing and environmental compliance in Ireland.
• Experience dealing with environmental regulators.
• Strong report-writing and documentation skills.
• Problem-solving skills with a practical, site-focused approach.
• Experience with ISO 14001 Environmental Management System and energy management, ISO 50001.
• Knowledge of Best Available Techniques (BAT) and relevant BREF/BAT Conclusions.
• Experience with environmental permitting/licensing applications or licence reviews.
• Experience within the animal by-products, rendering, pet-food, food-processing, anaerobic digestion, biodiesel or waste sectors.

Personal Attributes We are looking for someone who is:

• Proactive, practical and highly organised
• Comfortable working in a busy industrial environment
• Technically competent but commercially aware
• Confident dealing with regulators
• Able to work independently and take ownership of environmental compliance

Core Operations & Facilities

• Anaerobic Digestion (AD) Plant (Nobber, Co. Meath): A recently constructed, state-of-the-art facility utilising advanced microbial technology to convert organic material into renewable energy (biogas).
• Rendering Plants:
• Nobber, Co. Meath: A Category 1 facility processing high-risk material into sustainable products like tallow.
• Monnery, Co. Cavan (Farragh Proteins): A Category 3 facility focused on processing lower-risk animal by-products for the feed industry.
• Biofuel Plant (Nobber, Co. Meath): A €20 million facility utilising fractional distillation to produce high-quality biofuel from used cooking oil and animal fats.
• SoilWorx (Mayobridge, Co. Down): A major producer of natural, organic fertilisers derived from free-range poultry manure and seaweed.

The Nobber site hosts one of Ireland's largest solar installations-a 3 MW array with 6,700 panels that generates approximately 2.8 million kWh annually, powering a significant portion of its operations