diff --git a/.github/actions/r_build/action.yml b/.github/actions/r_build/action.yml
index 2ae477c29..c9fa2f231 100644
--- a/.github/actions/r_build/action.yml
+++ b/.github/actions/r_build/action.yml
@@ -50,11 +50,15 @@ runs:
       run: |
         cd R
         Rscript --vanilla generate_docs.R
+      env:
+        SPARK_HOME: /usr/spark-download/unzipped/spark-${{ matrix.spark }}-bin-hadoop3
     - name: Build R package
       shell: bash
       run: |
         cd R
         Rscript --vanilla build_r_package.R
+      env:
+        SPARK_HOME: /usr/spark-download/unzipped/spark-${{ matrix.spark }}-bin-hadoop3
     - name: Test SparkR package
       shell: bash
       run: |
diff --git a/R/build_r_package.R b/R/build_r_package.R
index 136dcee33..a114736d1 100644
--- a/R/build_r_package.R
+++ b/R/build_r_package.R
@@ -1,13 +1,7 @@
-spark_location <- "/usr/spark-download/unzipped/spark-3.3.2-bin-hadoop3"
-Sys.setenv(SPARK_HOME = spark_location)
-
+spark_location <- Sys.getenv("SPARK_HOME")
 library(SparkR, lib.loc = c(file.path(spark_location, "R", "lib")))
-
-
 library(pkgbuild)
 
-
-
 build_mosaic_bindings <- function(){
   ## build package
   pkgbuild::build("sparkR-mosaic/sparkrMosaic")
diff --git a/R/generate_docs.R b/R/generate_docs.R
index fbce4eb14..4b5fe19b3 100644
--- a/R/generate_docs.R
+++ b/R/generate_docs.R
@@ -1,6 +1,4 @@
-spark_location <- "/usr/spark-download/unzipped/spark-3.3.2-bin-hadoop3"
-Sys.setenv(SPARK_HOME = spark_location)
-
+spark_location <- Sys.getenv("SPARK_HOME")
 library(SparkR, lib.loc = c(file.path(spark_location, "R", "lib")))
 library(roxygen2)