Centre for Environmental Rights – Advancing Environmental Rights in South Africa

The Centre for Environmental Rights is recruiting for the position of an Air Quality Technical Expert. The position is on a part-time basis, which can be arranged in a flexible manner (such as a half-day or 2.5 days per week). The position is for a technical expert with suitable qualifications and experience related to air quality (such as experience in air quality assessments, air quality modelling, and air quality management planning) and a passion for environmental justice.

Location

Based in Cape Town or Johannesburg

Qualifications, skills and experience

• Relevant undergraduate degree such as a Bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering, Physics or Chemistry, or BSc in Environmental Science
• Ideally a post-graduate qualification with specialisation in air quality and/or environmental science
• Ideally, relevant industrial experience
• Commitment to high quality client services, and a particular interest in social and environmental justice, pollution, air quality, and environmental health

Key responsibilities

• Provide critical technical analysis related to atmospheric impact reports (AIRs), atmospheric emission licences (AELs) and AEL applications, air quality and climate change impact assessments
• Provide critical technical analysis related to the Centre’s submissions on air quality and climate change-related draft policies and legislation
• Provide critical technical analysis related to industrial processes and proposals and their air quality, climate change and other environmental impacts
• Review industrial compliance with and applications to postpone compliance with minimum emission standards (MES) and emission standards in AELs, impacts of such non-compliance and means to address these
• Review compliance with ambient air quality standards and evaluate sources of non-compliance, impacts of such non-compliance, and means to address these
• Develop and maintain an electronic database of knowledge and relevant research related to environmental health, air quality, and climate change

The Centre for Environmental Rights benchmarks its salaries for the public interest law sector. The salary offered will be dependent on the qualifications, skills and level of experience of the successful candidate.

The Centre for Environmental Rights strives to reflect South Africa’s racial, cultural, sex and gender diversity within its staff complement. All suitably qualified candidates are encouraged to apply.

Working for the CER

The Centre for Environmental Rights is a non-profit organisation and law clinic of environmental rights lawyers that helps communities defend their right to a healthy environment. We do this by advocating and litigating for transparency, accountability, and compliance with environmental laws.

As South Africa’s largest public interest environmental law organisation, we use our expertise and commitment to fight for environmental justice and advance the right to a healthy environment for all. We take on the big environmental battles: cases in which we can empower local communities, have an enduring impact, set powerful precedents for other cases, and help improve policy and practice across the country.

Winning the legal case is only part of the battle. CER’s litigation work is strengthened by local empowerment, dedicated policy and advocacy work, and strategic communications. In all of our work, we work closely with partners in affected communities, with other civil society organisations in the environmental and social justice sector, and with other public interest law organisations.

We work across the following core themes: Biodiversity, Mining, Water, Pollution and Climate Change, and Corporate Accountability. We have our main office in Observatory, Cape Town, with a smaller office in Braamfontein, Johannesburg.

At CER, we value our staff and regard their wellbeing as a priority. We are committed to a work environment that is inclusive and empathetic, and in which diversity is celebrated and supported.