Environmental Engineer Family
Career series with 8 positions across 4 levels
New Jersey classifies Environmental Engineer as a 4-level family, 8 titles in all, built for step-by-step advancement.
Entry is typically through Environmental Engineer 1, advancing through the ladder toward Environmental Engineer 4. Pay across the family spans $69,668 to $141,386, around the 70th percentile of all civil service job families by top pay. State payroll records show 204 people across the family's titles, most concentrated at Environmental Protection.
Environmental Engineer reports to supervising titles such as Principal Engineer and Senior Environmental Health Specialist.
Positions in This Family
- ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEER 4 (16297) $91,628 - $134,900/year
- ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEER 1 (16302)
- ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEER 2 (16303) $69,668 - $101,951/year
- ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEER 3 (16304) $79,844 - $117,228/year
- ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEER 4 (16305) $95,955 - $141,386/year
- ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEER 1 (16312)
- ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEER 2 (16313) $72,896 - $106,798/year
- ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEER 3 (16314) $83,582 - $122,832/year
What the Environmental Engineer family covers
Environmental Engineer covers 8 title codes arranged into 4 levels of responsibility. Its titles are common jurisdiction, meaning the same classification is used at the state level and by local civil service employers alike.
New Jersey splits environmental work across Environmental Protection, Agriculture, the county mosquito commissions and local utilities authorities, which is why families in this area often carry both state and local title codes. Field titles pair seasonal outdoor work with permitting and enforcement duties, so the same series can require a technical degree at one rung and a commercial driving or pesticide applicator credential at another. Water and sewer titles in particular are concentrated in municipal utilities authorities rather than in state service.
The ladder, ordered by pay
The Environmental Engineer rungs, listed from the best paid down. Here the numbering happens to agree with the pay order, which is not guaranteed elsewhere in New Jersey's plan.
- Environmental Engineer 4 — $95,955 to $141,386 (a bachelor's degree and 4 years of experience)
- Environmental Engineer 4 — $91,628 to $134,900 (a bachelor's degree and 4 years of experience)
- Environmental Engineer 3 — $83,582 to $122,832 (a bachelor's degree and 3 years of experience)
- Environmental Engineer 3 — $79,844 to $117,228 (a bachelor's degree and 3 years of experience)
- Environmental Engineer 2 — $72,896 to $106,798 (a bachelor's degree and 2 years of experience)
- Environmental Engineer 2 — $69,668 to $101,951 (a bachelor's degree and 2 years of experience)
The distance from the bottom of Environmental Engineer 2 to the top of Environmental Engineer 4 is $71,718, an increase of about 103% over the entry minimum.
What each title does
Reading the definitions side by side is the quickest way to see what changes as you move through the family.
- Environmental Engineer 4: Under direction of a supervisory official in a state department, agency, or local government agency, supervises professional or non-professional staff as…
- Environmental Engineer 1: Under the close supervision of an Environmental Engineer 3 or 4, or other supervisory official in a State department, institution, agency, or local government…
- Environmental Engineer 2: Under limited supervision of a supervisory official in a state department, institution, agency, or local government agency, performs professional engineering…
- Environmental Engineer 3: Under general supervision of a supervisory official in a state department, institution, agency, or local government agency, takes the lead or may supervise the…
Requirements across the family
Across the 8 titles we have parsed, the education requirements read as a bachelor's degree on 8 of them. Stated experience runs from 1 year at the lowest rung to 4 at the highest, which is the main thing separating one level from the next.
On how the jobs are filled: 6 are competitive, filled from an eligible list after an open competitive or promotional examination. 2 titles in this family are covered by the compendium's special incentive program, which lets an appointing authority hire a qualified candidate above the bottom step instead of starting them at step one. See the full list of incentive titles.
Who actually employs these titles
204 people appear on the state payroll under 4 of these titles, at 3 agencies. Environmental Protection alone accounts for about 91% of them.
- Environmental Protection — 185 employees
- Board of the Public Utilities — 14 employees
- Transportation — 5 employees
Median actual pay varies across the family, from $74,972 for Environmental Engineer 1 up to $128,248 for Environmental Engineer 4. Those are medians of what people are really paid, not schedule minimums and maximums.
State payroll only, deduplicated by payroll title; local employers file separately, so a family with local codes looks smaller here than it is. How this is counted.
How the pay is set
Titles in this family are paid on the A-P-R-S salary schedule. See every step in that schedule. Bargaining is handled by CWA. Union contracts and rights are collected here.
Where these jobs exist
These are common jurisdiction titles, which is the most flexible position to be in as an applicant: the same classification is used by state departments and by local civil service employers, so an eligible list built in one place still describes work you can do in the other. What common jurisdiction means.
Related titles elsewhere in the plan
Other classifications built on the same terms as Environmental Engineer. Worth checking if this family has no current opening.
- Senior Engineer Environmental (local jurisdiction)
- Environmental Engineer Trainee (state jurisdiction)
- Environmental Engineer Trainee (state jurisdiction)
- Environmental Engineer Trainee ($69,236 to $72,023)
- Assistant Engineer Environmental (local jurisdiction)
- Environmental Technician ($47,916 to $69,346, state jurisdiction)
Common questions about Environmental Engineer jobs
How many separate Environmental Engineer classifications does New Jersey have?
The Environmental Engineer family holds 8 title codes arranged across 4 levels. Each code is a separate classification with its own published specification, requirements and salary treatment.
How much is an Environmental Engineer paid?
Published salary data for this family runs from $69,668 at the bottom of Environmental Engineer 2 to $141,386 at the top of Environmental Engineer 4. Those are schedule figures. Where the title appears on the state payroll, actual median pay is listed on the page above.
Is there a civil service test for Environmental Engineer?
Yes for most of the family. 6 of the 8 titles are in the competitive division, which means appointment comes from an eligible list built by an open competitive or promotional examination.
What are the requirements to become an Environmental Engineer?
The most common education requirement in this family is a bachelor's degree, named on 8 of the 8 titles. Stated experience ranges from 1 to 4 years depending on the rung. Read the individual specification for the exact wording, including any experience substitution.
Which agencies employ Environmental Engineer staff?
State payroll records show 204 people in this family across 3 agencies, with Environmental Protection the largest at 185. Local government employers are not covered by that extract.