Strategic Environmental Risk Advisor

Milwaukee Succeeds; Milwaukee (WI); Hybrid; USD 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible work schedules

Concierge service

Comprehensive benefits

Employee resource groups

Job summary

Northwestern Mutual seeks an Environmental Risk Manager to lead risk assessment across real estate investments, ensuring due diligence findings translate into actionable investment guidance. You will oversee external consultants, advise on remediation, and support deal teams through underwriting, closing, and portfolio management.

The role requires strong regulatory understanding, effective communication with senior leaders, and a track record in multi-disciplinary risk counseling within real

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in environmental science, geology, engineering, environmental health & safety, risk management, real estate, law, or related discipline.
• Significant experience evaluating environmental risk in commercial real estate, institutional investment, lending, development, asset management, or related fields.
• Strong knowledge of environmental due diligence: Phase I ESAs, Phase II, regulatory pathways, remediation strategy, and risk allocation.
• Ability to manage external consultants and advisors nationally, including scoping, budgeting, and schedule management.
• Demonstrated ability to communicate complex environmental issues in executive-ready terms for non-technical audiences.
• Sound judgment under uncertainty, distinguishing acceptable investment risk from unacceptable exposure.
• Strong written communication, negotiation, and cross-functional collaboration skills.
• Experience supporting institutional real estate investors, insurance portfolios, or long-duration assets.
• Background in environmental consulting, law, insurance, remediation, or owner's-representative risk advisory work.
• Experience with tanks, brownfields, vapor intrusion, and state cleanup programs.

Responsibilities

• Review and interpret Phase I/II ESAs, property condition materials, consultant reports, environmental insurance, leases, regulatory correspondence, remediation plans, and due diligence materials.
• Identify and communicate environmental risks across loans, equity, acquisitions, development, and portfolio assets.
• Advise investment managers and senior leaders on environmental risks, mitigants, and residual exposures.
• Translate technical findings into business implications for underwriting, valuation, closing conditions, and costs.
• Manage third-party environmental consultants, counsel, insurers, and brokers; scope work and ensure deliverables meet standards.
• Evaluate contamination issues including soil, groundwater, vapor intrusion, tanks, releases, and remediation histories.
• Assess environmental insurance coverage, exclusions, deductibles, and risk-transfer tools.
• Support deal review and investment approvals with written summaries and risk documentation.
• Coordinate with internal teams to reflect environmental risks in risk tracking, closing requirements, and monitoring.
• Help develop and enforce environmental due diligence policies and templates across Real Estate Services.
• Monitor portfolio environmental issues and advise on remediation strategy, stakeholder communication, and cost controls.
• Serve as a mentor on environmental risk within the team.

Skills

Risk-first investment judgment

Technical translation

Influence without authority

Consultant leadership

Decision documentation

Professional courage

Education

Bachelor's degree in environmental science or related field

Advanced degree or professional certification (PE, PG, CHMM, CIH, JD, etc.)

Job description

Northwestern Mutual seeks an Environmental Risk Manager to lead risk assessment across real estate investments, ensuring due diligence findings translate into actionable investment guidance. You will oversee external consultants, advise on remediation, and support deal teams through underwriting, closing, and portfolio management.

The role requires strong regulatory understanding, effective communication with senior leaders, and a track record in multi-disciplinary risk counseling within real