Department of Environmental Protection

Department of Environmental Protection anchors a workforce of 4,647 employees, one of the biggest payrolls in state government.

The most common title is Environmental Specialist 2 (6% of staff), followed by Environmental Specialist 3 and Environmental Specialist 1. Median pay is $86,027, roughly in line with the statewide median. About 60% of its employees are mapped to a civil service title specification, lower than most state agencies because it employs more agency-specific or unclassified roles.

Median tenure is 5.0 years, shorter than the statewide median of 9.6 years. CWA represents the largest share of its unionized workforce (about 51%).

About Department of Environmental Protection

The Department of Environmental Protection writes and enforces New Jersey's air, water, land use and waste rules, oversees contaminated site cleanup, and runs the state park and forest system along with fish and wildlife management.

Environmental specialists at four graded levels are the backbone of the department, handling permits, inspections and enforcement across every program area. Environmental engineers and research scientists sit alongside them on the technical work. State park police officers are here too, a sworn law enforcement force inside an environmental agency, which few other departments have. The environmental services trainee grade is a genuine entry door: it is the step people take into the specialist ladder without prior state service.

Who works here

These are the titles that carry the most people on this payroll. Each one links to its civil service specification, which sets out the duties, the minimum requirements and the salary range.

• Environmental Specialist 2286 employees
  6.2% of staff · median $73,550 · CWA
• Environmental Specialist 3183 employees
  3.9% of staff · median $102,428 · CWA
• Environmental Specialist 1144 employees
  3.1% of staff · median $58,818 · CWA
• Environmental Specialist 481 employees
  1.7% of staff · median $121,977 · CWA
• Environmental Services Trainee76 employees
  1.6% of staff · median $53,807 · CWA
• State Park Police Officer76 employees
  1.6% of staff · median $87,601 · PBA-SLEU
• Environmental Engineer 265 employees
  1.4% of staff · median $86,027 · CWA
• Research Scientist 254 employees
  1.2% of staff · median $113,615 · CWA
• Administrative Analyst 153 employees
  1.1% of staff · median $61,510 · CWA
• Environmental Engineer 350 employees
  1.1% of staff · median $106,040 · CWA
• Section Chief Environmental Protection50 employees
  1.1% of staff · median $143,176 · CWA
• Administrative Analyst 349 employees
  1.1% of staff · median $103,509 · CWA

At least 100 distinct titles appear on this agency's payroll. The 12 largest are listed above.

Titles you will not find elsewhere

42 of this agency's titles are concentrated here rather than shared across departments, and for 33 of them every single position in the state sits on this payroll.

• Environmental Specialist 2286 of 293 statewide
  98% of the statewide total
• Environmental Specialist 3183 of 192 statewide
  95% of the statewide total
• Environmental Specialist 1144 of 165 statewide
  87% of the statewide total
• Environmental Specialist 481 of 91 statewide
  89% of the statewide total
• Environmental Services Trainee76 of 78 statewide
  97% of the statewide total
• State Park Police Officerall 76 statewide
  only at this agency
• Environmental Engineer 265 of 69 statewide
  94% of the statewide total
• Environmental Engineer 350 of 53 statewide
  94% of the statewide total

Concentration is measured against the same payroll file, comparing this agency's headcount in a title with the statewide headcount in that title.

How pay is spread

Below are the quartile boundaries for this agency's salaries, with the statewide equivalents alongside them for reference.

The middle half of this agency's employees earn between $67,312 and $113,264, a ratio of 1.68 between the two quartiles. State government as a whole sits at 1.80, so this agency's pay is bunched more tightly than average, which tends to happen where one or two large titles carry most of the staff.

• Lowest recorded salary$36,449
• Lower quartile$67,312
  statewide $62,428
• Median salary$86,027
  statewide $84,548
• Upper quartile$113,264
  statewide $112,646
• Highest recorded salary$181,844

Based on 2,932 salaried records, with 4 statistical outliers excluded from the quartile calculation.

Union representation

Which contract covers a job decides its salary schedule, its step ladder and its grievance route. This is the union mix on this payroll.

• CWA2,365 employees
  50.9% of the agency
• IFPTE202 employees
  4.3% of the agency
• IBEW114 employees
  2.5% of the agency

Union coverage is identifiable for 58% of this agency's payroll records. The remainder are unclassified, exempt or managerial positions that sit outside a bargaining unit.

How long people stay

Tenure tells you something a salary table cannot: whether this is a place people arrive at or a place they stay.

Half of this agency's employees have been on the state payroll longer than 5.0 years, well short of the statewide median of 9.6. 50% joined within the last five years, and 22% have twenty years or more behind them.

• Under 5 years2,059 employees
  49.7% of those with a hire date
• 5 to 10 years643 employees
  15.5% of those with a hire date
• 10 to 15 years391 employees
  9.4% of those with a hire date
• 15 to 20 years131 employees
  3.2% of those with a hire date
• 20 to 25 years359 employees
  8.7% of those with a hire date
• 25 years or more560 employees
  13.5% of those with a hire date

Hire dates are present for 4,143 of this agency's 4,647 payroll records.

Overtime

483 employees here recorded overtime, 10.4% of the agency, against 29.6% across state government. Little overtime usually means salaried professional work with no shift to fill.

Together they were paid $2,093,892 in overtime, averaging $4,335 for each employee who earned any. Overtime is not part of the salary figures elsewhere on this page, which report base pay.

• Employees with recorded overtime483
• Share of the agency10.4%
• Total overtime paid$2,093,892
• Average per employee earning it$4,335

Civil service coverage

Only 60% of this agency's payroll records match a published civil service specification. Most positions here are filled outside the competitive examination process, so the exam and eligible list route described elsewhere on this site does not apply to the majority of these jobs.

• Records matched to a specification2,776
• Records with no matching specification1,871
• Distinct civil service titles on the roster100 or more

Where it sits among state agencies

By headcount this is the 7th largest of the 39 payroll lines in New Jersey state government, holding 6.4% of the state workforce.

Its nearest neighbours by headcount, for readers who want a like-for-like comparison.

• Department of Health6,477 employees
  median $70,850
• Department of Human Services6,433 employees
  median $72,427
• Department of Transportation3,805 employees
  median $76,834
• Department of Treasury3,666 employees
  median $82,173

Study guides for this exam

• Civil Service Arithmetic National Learning Corporation · $39.94
• Civil Service Grammar and Usage National Learning Corporation · $34.95
• Civil Service Administration, Management and Supervision National Learning Corporation · $55.95
• Clerical, Office & Administrative Support Positions (COAST) (Career Examination) National Learning Corporation · $39.95
• Logical Reasoning National Learning Corporation · $29.95
• In-Basket Examination National Learning Corporation · $49.95
• GRAPHS, CHARTS AND TABLES (Tabular Material) National Learning Corporation · $39.94
• Abstract Reasoning / Spatial Relations National Learning Corporation · $49.95
• CIVIL SERVICE READING COMPREHENSION (General Aptitude and Abilities Series) (Passbooks) National Learning Corporation · $39.95 · general prep, not specific to this title

The Civil Service Commission does not publish official study guides or release past tests. These are independent equivalency guides.

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