Recruiter's Glossary

Examples: Environmental Management System • Contamination Assessment • Groundwater Monitoring

Environmental Due Diligence

Term from Environmental Consulting industry explained for recruiters

Environmental Due Diligence is a detailed check of a property or business to identify any environmental risks or problems before a purchase or transaction. Think of it like a home inspection, but focused on environmental issues. This process helps companies avoid buying properties with hidden environmental problems that could be expensive to fix, like contaminated soil or hazardous materials. Companies hire environmental professionals to do these assessments to protect themselves from future liability and ensure they're making safe investments.

Examples in Resumes

Conducted over 50 Environmental Due Diligence assessments for commercial real estate transactions

Led Phase I Environmental Site Assessment and Environmental Due Diligence projects for major property developers

Managed Environmental Due Diligence investigations for merger and acquisition deals valued over $100M

Typical job title: "Environmental Due Diligence Specialists"

Also try searching for:

Environmental Consultant Environmental Site Assessor Environmental Compliance Specialist Due Diligence Project Manager Environmental Auditor Phase I ESA Specialist

Where to Find Environmental Due Diligence Specialists

Professional Organizations

Job Boards

Professional Networks

Example Interview Questions

Senior Level Questions

Q: How would you handle a situation where you discover a significant environmental issue during due diligence that could affect a multi-million dollar deal?

Expected Answer: A senior professional should discuss their approach to immediately notifying key stakeholders, quantifying the potential risks and costs, suggesting possible solutions, and helping negotiate appropriate solutions or price adjustments while maintaining client confidentiality.

Q: How do you manage multiple due diligence projects with competing deadlines?

Expected Answer: Should demonstrate experience in project management, prioritization, team delegation, and communication with clients. Should mention systems for tracking multiple projects and ensuring quality control.

Mid Level Questions

Q: What are the key components of a Phase I Environmental Site Assessment?

Expected Answer: Should explain the main parts: historical research, site inspection, interviews, and document review. Should mention the importance of identifying recognized environmental conditions (RECs).

Q: How do you determine if a Phase II assessment is necessary?

Expected Answer: Should discuss identifying red flags from Phase I, understanding client risk tolerance, and ability to explain the need for additional testing to clients in clear terms.

Junior Level Questions

Q: What resources do you use to research a property's history?

Expected Answer: Should mention basic research tools like historical aerial photos, fire insurance maps, city directories, and regulatory databases.

Q: What would you look for during a site walkthrough?

Expected Answer: Should describe basic visual indicators like staining, unusual odors, hazardous material storage, and general site conditions that might indicate environmental concerns.