Senior Regional Environmental Manager - EMEA

The core mission is end-to-end environmental accountability for AWS data centre infrastructure in EMEA, covering site selection and due diligence, permitting, construction, operational compliance and decommissioning. On a practical level that means overseeing Phase I and Phase II Environmental Site Assessments, brownfield redevelopment evaluations, health-risk assessments, and managing environmental risks and liabilities on acquired property. A second pillar is compliance. The role holds ultimate responsibility for environmental compliance across all EMEA operational data centres and facilities, develops and influences internal standards, performs complex regulatory analysis, and executes tactical compliance tasks where obligations change, for example when emission sources or site conditions shift. A third pillar is leadership and strategy: directly managing Regional Environmental Managers and Regional Environmental Engineers, hiring and developing that team, sitting on the Global Environmental leadership team, shaping regional and global strategy, tracking performance metrics, and engaging regulators, consultants and community stakeholders. The person also drives process improvements and escalations to mitigate long-term environmental risk.

This role offers exposure to the full environmental lifecycle of data centre infrastructure at scale, from site selection and due diligence through permitting, construction, operational compliance and decommissioning. That breadth is unusual in a single position and builds capability in large-scale, complex site redevelopment in a fast-paced environment. Working across EMEA means working with multiple national regulatory regimes and global internal standards at the same time. The candidate can expect to deepen regulatory analysis skills, negotiate with agencies, and learn how environmental risk is tracked, reported and financed in a listed-company control environment, including SOX-related reporting for remedial activities. Leadership development is built into the job through direct management of Regional Environmental Managers and Engineers, performance management and hiring. The Global Environmental leadership seat and the strategy and programmatic work, such as environmental assessment design and input to policy advocacy, add senior-level exposure that is hard to replicate elsewhere.

The posting is explicit on baseline requirements: a bachelor's degree in environmental engineering, geology, environmental science or a related discipline, 15 or more years of multi-media environmental due diligence, permitting and compliance work, at least 10 years delivering Phase I and Phase II ESAs, site investigation and remediation and brownfield development in EMEA, and 7 or more years managing geographically distributed teams. Add experience with SOX-related controls and financial reporting for remedial activities, and a record of running multiple high-priority projects to tight timelines. The preferred profile points to an advanced degree or certifications such as PE, PG or CHMM, direct EMEA site investigation and remediation experience, and data centre or critical infrastructure exposure. Established relationships with EMEA regulators and comfort with community or public interactions are also valued, given the external-facing side of the role. Soft skills likely separate strong candidates: negotiation with regulators, clear communication with internal counsel and partner teams, and the judgement to escalate and resolve complex problems. Someone who can move between strategy and hands-on technical review, and who has hired and developed environmental professionals, fits the description well.

Show the EMEA permitting depth first: name jurisdictions, permit types and agency negotiations you have run, since the posting asks for regulatory agency interaction and negotiation across EMEA. Highlight Phase I and Phase II ESA delivery, site investigation and remediation, and brownfield redevelopment, with numbers where possible (sites, MW of capacity enabled, timelines met). People leadership evidence matters as much as technical depth: give examples of hiring, coaching and performance management of geographically distributed environmental engineers, because the role directly manages REMs and REEs. For the cover letter, keep it short and problem-focused. Pick two or three themes from the posting (site selection due diligence, operational compliance across multiple countries, community and regulator engagement) and describe how you delivered them under tight timelines. Mention any prior exposure to data centre, critical infrastructure or large-scale redevelopment, plus certifications such as PE, PG or CHMM and any advanced degree, as these are listed as preferred. Interview preparation: expect scenario questions on negotiating an ambiguous permit, handling a compliance escalation, and making trade-offs between short and long-term needs. Be ready to discuss Amazon's Climate Pledge and how environmental permitting and compliance enable data centre growth in EMEA, since alignment with that framing is what separates a technical candidate from a strategic hire here.

The environmental side dominates, and it is framed around compliance and development rather than marketing: environmental permitting, due diligence, remediation, and operational compliance for data centres across EMEA. Climate-related commitments, including Amazon's pledge toward net zero carbon by 2040 and renewable energy goals, provide context, but this role mainly governs the environmental risk that sits underneath growth. Water, land and biodiversity are likely recurring topics, given site selection, natural and cultural resource evaluations, and environmentally sensitive areas in site masterplans. Community engagement and public perception work, including environmental attitudes assessments for AWS InCommunities, touches the social side of the agenda. Governance appears through internal standards, controls and reporting, including SOX-related controls for remedial activities. The role could also shape external frameworks by contributing technical input to regulatory advocacy and designing environmental assessment programmes, which is an unusual governance-facing angle for an environmental manager.

The scale is the first challenge: end-to-end accountability for environmental delivery across many EMEA countries, each with its own permitting regime, timelines and regulator culture. Coordinating site selection, due diligence, permits and transition to operations without slipping construction schedules requires constant prioritisation and escalation management. Ambiguity is a recurring theme. The posting mentions complex technical research and regulatory analysis where processes are not clearly defined, and negotiating with regulators to clarify ambiguous regulations. That means the person will often work without a clear precedent and will need to make trade-offs between short and long-term needs. Managing a geographically distributed technical team adds a people dimension: coaching, performance management and hiring across regions while remaining hands-on. There is also the external side, where community and public perception of data centre development can be sensitive, so the role may involve explaining AWS's environmental profile to neighbours and stakeholders in difficult settings.

Days will vary with project stage. During development phases, a large share of time may go to reviewing complex assessment documents such as a Phase II ESA, testing permitting strategies against project timelines, and coordinating with Real Estate, Legal, Design and Construction so that environmental requirements are built into site masterplans and schedules. Operationally, the person is likely to field compliance escalations from the regional teams, provide technical direction, and run or join meetings on metrics, risks and remediation status. Regulatory interaction is expected, whether negotiating a permit with an agency or clarifying an ambiguous requirement, alongside calls with consultants and contractors. As a people manager, the calendar will include coaching sessions, performance discussions, hiring interviews and career development conversations with a distributed team. Some days will be strategic, contributing to global environmental strategy or presenting regional performance to leadership, and some will be hands-on technical problem solving.

The posting places this role on the Global Environmental leadership team, so lateral and upward moves inside the global environmental organisation are plausible, as are transitions into broader infrastructure development, risk or public policy roles given the cross-functional exposure. Success here is likely measured in permits secured, compliant site transitions and team performance, which builds a record that supports larger regional or global mandates. Growth could also come from programmatic work: designing environmental assessment tools, influencing internal standards and contributing to regulatory frameworks. That kind of work travels well beyond one region and often becomes the platform for a global role. On the technical side, extended exposure to multi-jurisdiction EMEA regulation, community engagement and contaminated site portfolios deepens expertise that is scarce in the market. Candidates who later move to consultancy, other hyperscalers or infrastructure developers would carry a strong credential set.

Internally, the closest partners are the EMEA Regional Environmental Managers and Engineers who report into this role, plus counterparts in the Global Environmental leadership team. Day-to-day work intersects with Real Estate, Legal, Risk, Water, Design, Public Policy, Construction and Operations teams, since environmental requirements shape site acquisition, masterplans and the transition of new sites into operations. Externally, the role engages regulatory agencies during permit acquisition and clarification of ambiguous rules, environmental consultants who run assessments and investigations, and contractors involved in remediation and construction. Community members and public stakeholders are also part of the picture when AWS InCommunities work or public perception issues arise. The role is also meant to be recognised regionally as a subject matter expert, so interactions may include representing AWS in forums, contributing technical input to policy advocacy, and providing environmental performance metrics to global leadership.