Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Waste Director

🎯 Role Definition

As the Waste Director you will lead the design, implementation and continuous improvement of comprehensive waste management programs across facilities and service areas. You will be accountable for operational performance, regulatory compliance, budgeting, contractor management, sustainability and stakeholder relations. This role blends technical regulatory expertise (hazardous waste, RCRA, DOT), strategic planning for waste diversion and circular economy initiatives, and hands-on operational leadership to drive safe, compliant and cost-effective waste solutions.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

Senior Waste Manager / Waste Operations Manager
Environmental Health & Safety (EHS) Manager with waste portfolio
Solid Waste Program Manager or Recycling Program Manager

Advancement To:

Director of Environmental Services / Director of Environmental Operations
Vice President, Operations (Waste & Recycling)
Head of Sustainability / Chief Sustainability Officer (for corporate pathway)

Lateral Moves:

Operations Director (Facilities/Utilities)
Compliance Director (Environmental or Regulatory)
Program Director — Resource Recovery or Circular Economy

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

Develop and implement a comprehensive multi-year waste management strategy that reduces landfill use, increases recycling and recovery rates, and aligns with municipal/corporate sustainability targets and local / federal regulatory requirements (EPA, RCRA, DOT).
Oversee all hazardous and non-hazardous waste operations including collection, classification, storage, treatment, transportation and final disposal to ensure safe, compliant and cost-effective practices across the enterprise.
Lead permit acquisition and renewal efforts (storage, treatment, transfer, transport permits) and maintain relationships with permitting authorities; prepare and submit permit applications, monitoring reports, and compliance documentation.
Ensure regulatory compliance with federal, state and local environmental regulations (RCRA, CERCLA, TSCA where applicable, DOT/49 CFR, local health codes) by developing compliance programs, internal audits and corrective action plans.
Own the departmental budget and P&L, create multi-year capital and operating budgets, monitor expenditures, identify efficiencies, and report financial performance versus plan to senior leadership.
Manage vendor and contractor sourcing, negotiation and performance for waste hauling, treatment, disposal and recycling services; develop contracts, service-level agreements and KPIs for third-party partners.
Design and implement safety and emergency response programs for waste handling and storage facilities, including spill response, hazardous material incidents, incident investigation and root cause analysis.
Establish performance metrics and dashboards (waste diversion rate, cost per ton, safety incidents, regulatory violations) and provide monthly/quarterly reporting to executive leadership and external stakeholders.
Lead cross-functional teams to drive process improvements, lean initiatives and digitization of waste operations (asset management, route optimization, RFID/barcoding, ERP/SAP integrations).
Develop and execute waste minimization, source reduction, reuse and circular economy initiatives in collaboration with procurement, operations, engineering and sustainability teams.
Supervise and develop a multi-disciplinary team (waste managers, environmental specialists, operations supervisors) including hiring, performance management, succession planning and training programs.
Oversee site-level inspections and periodic compliance audits; manage corrective actions, remediation projects and reporting to regulatory agencies as needed.
Coordinate hazardous waste profiling, manifesting, cradle-to-grave tracking and recordkeeping to maintain traceability and to support regulatory inspections and audits.
Direct capital projects for waste treatment infrastructure (e.g., on-site stabilization, compactors, balers, waste-to-energy studies), including vendor selection, project management and commissioning.
Develop and maintain SOPs, training materials and competency programs for safe handling, storage, segregation and labeling of regulated wastes and universal wastes.
Lead community and stakeholder engagement efforts, including public meetings, regulatory negotiations, and outreach related to landfill operations, transfer stations, or new waste initiatives.
Establish and manage contracts for recycling markets and material recovery, including commodity pricing strategies, contamination reduction programs and quality control for outbound materials.
Develop contractor oversight programs and environmental performance clauses to ensure third-party compliance with health, safety and environmental requirements.
Represent the organization in regulatory hearings, industry forums, trade associations and public communications concerning waste strategy, compliance and sustainability goals.
Drive continuous improvement in data capture and analytics for waste streams, volumes and costs to inform strategic sourcing, diversion targets and corporate sustainability reporting.
Manage grant funding, pilot projects and public-private partnerships for innovative technologies (anaerobic digestion, composting, advanced recycling) to accelerate decarbonization and circularity.
Provide subject matter expertise for mergers, acquisitions or site expansions related to waste management liability assessment and due diligence.

Secondary Functions

Support ad-hoc operational analytics and dashboarding to answer executive business questions and inform strategic decisions.
Collaborate with procurement and finance to translate waste operational needs into contracting strategies, capital requests and vendor performance metrics.
Partner with EHS, legal and facilities teams to ensure alignment on inspections, audits, incident reporting and compliance recordkeeping.
Assist in preparation of sustainability disclosures, ESG reporting, and internal/external communications related to waste performance and targets.
Participate in leadership planning sessions, safety committees, and cross-functional working groups to advance enterprise-wide environmental goals.
Mentor and coach emerging managers; sponsor workforce development, training and certification programs for waste handling competency.
Coordinate pilot programs and feasibility studies for new waste technologies and process improvements, evaluating ROI and scalability.
Oversee data integrity for waste tracking systems (ERP/SAP, manifest systems) and support integrations with corporate reporting platforms.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

Deep knowledge of hazardous waste regulations (RCRA), waste characterization, cradle-to-grave hazardous waste management, DOT shipping regulations (49 CFR), and EPA reporting requirements.
Permit development and permitting process management for storage, treatment, transfer and disposal facilities.
Strong budgeting, financial management and P&L oversight experience for operations or service lines; ability to build multi-year capital and operating forecasts.
Contract negotiation and vendor management skills specific to waste hauling, treatment, disposal and recycling service providers.
Experience with environmental management systems and standards (ISO 14001), HSSE program development and compliance auditing.
Proficiency with ERP systems (SAP preferred), waste manifesting systems, route optimization software, and data visualization tools (Power BI, Tableau).
Knowledge of waste diversion technologies and processes (composting, anaerobic digestion, MRF operations, waste-to-energy, advanced recycling).
Project management expertise for capital projects including scope definition, procurement, construction oversight and commissioning.
Incident response planning and hazardous materials emergency preparedness, including ICS/NIMS familiarity.
Data analytics skills for waste stream analysis, KPI development, lifecycle assessment basics and sustainability reporting (GRI/ESG metrics).
Familiarity with state and local solid waste regulations, landfill permitting, transfer station operations and recycling markets.
Experience managing environmental permitting compliance monitoring programs (air, water, groundwater where relevant).

Soft Skills

Strategic leadership with the ability to translate regulatory and technical requirements into clear operational plans and measurable outcomes.
Strong stakeholder management and negotiation skills with regulators, community groups, vendors and executive teams.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills for technical reports, permit submittals, presentations and public-facing outreach.
Change leadership and influence skills to drive culture change toward waste reduction and circular economy practices.
Problem-solving and critical thinking to manage complex, cross-functional operational challenges under regulatory constraints.
Team development and coaching mindset with demonstrated ability to build high-performing, safety-first teams.
High attention to detail and strong organizational skills for compliance recordkeeping, reporting and audit readiness.
Resilience and crisis management capability to lead responses to incidents and regulatory actions.
Customer-service orientation when managing internal stakeholders, community expectations and vendor relationships.
Ethical judgment and integrity in enforcement of safety and environmental standards.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

Bachelor's degree in Environmental Science, Environmental Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Waste Management, Public Administration, or closely related field.

Preferred Education:

Master's degree (MS, MEng, MBA or MPA) in Environmental Engineering, Environmental Management, Business Administration or Sustainability preferred.
Professional certifications such as Certified Hazardous Materials Manager (CHMM), Registered Environmental Manager (REM), CSP, or Lean Six Sigma are a plus.

Relevant Fields of Study:

Environmental Science / Environmental Engineering
Waste Management / Resource Recovery
Chemical Engineering / Civil Engineering
Public Administration, Sustainability or Business (for program/financial leadership)

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range:

8–15+ years of progressive experience in waste management, environmental operations, or EHS with at least 5 years in a senior management role overseeing multi-site operations or large municipal programs.

Preferred:

Proven track record managing both hazardous and non-hazardous waste programs, permitting and regulatory interactions.
Demonstrated experience in budget ownership, contract management, capital project delivery, and leading teams of 20+ staff or extensive contractor networks.
Prior experience working with municipal government, large industrial clients, utilities, or corporate sustainability programs is highly desirable.