Environmental Scientist Family
Career series with 14 positions across 4 levels
Environmental Scientist is a career-ladder family in New Jersey civil service, with 14 titles spanning 4 levels.
Entry is typically through Environmental Scientist 1, advancing through the ladder toward Environmental Scientist 4. Pay across the family spans $69,668 to $148,187, around the 78th percentile of all civil service job families by top pay. State payroll records show 76 people across the family's titles, most concentrated at Environmental Protection.
Environmental Scientist reports to supervising titles such as Senior Environmental Health Specialist.
Specializations
Positions in This Family
- ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENTIST 1 (15871) $69,668 - $101,951/year
- ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENTIST 2 (15872) $79,844 - $117,228/year
- ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENTIST 2, PUBLIC HEALTH (15872C) $79,844 - $117,228/year
- ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENTIST 2 WATER RESOURCES (15872D) $79,844 - $117,228/year
- ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENTIST 3 (15873) $91,628 - $134,900/year
- ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENTIST 3 WATER RESOURCES (15873D) $91,628 - $134,900/year
- ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENTIST 3, PUBLIC HEALTH (15873H) $91,628 - $134,900/year
- ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENTIST 4 (15874) $100,498 - $148,187/year
- ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENTIST 4 WATER RESOURCES (15874C) $100,498 - $148,187/year
- ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENTIST 4, PUBLIC HEALTH (15874D) $100,498 - $148,187/year
- ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENTIST 4, CONSUMER & ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH SERVICES (15874F) $100,498 - $148,187/year
- ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENTIST 3 (15876) $79,844 - $117,228/year
- ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENTIST 3 (WATER RESOURCES) (15876C) $83,582 - $122,832/year
- ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENTIST 2 (15878) $91,628 - $134,900/year
What the Environmental Scientist family covers
Environmental Scientist covers 14 title codes arranged into 4 levels of responsibility. The family straddles jurisdictions: 12 state and 2 both state and local, so parts of it are hired by state departments and parts by local civil service employers.
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 Scientist rungs, listed from the best paid down. Note that the numbers in these titles do not run in pay order. In this family a lower number sits higher on the ladder, which is a New Jersey convention that catches people out when they read a title list top to bottom.
- Environmental Scientist 4, Consumer & Environmental Health Services — $100,498 to $148,187 (a master's degree and 4 years of experience)
- Environmental Scientist 4, Public Health — $100,498 to $148,187 (a master's degree and 4 years of experience)
- Environmental Scientist 4 Water Resources — $100,498 to $148,187 (a doctoral degree and 4 years of experience)
- Environmental Scientist 4 — $100,498 to $148,187 (a doctoral degree and 4 years of experience)
- Environmental Scientist 2 — $91,628 to $134,900 (a master's degree and 3 years of experience)
- Environmental Scientist 3, Public Health — $91,628 to $134,900 (a master's degree and 3 years of experience)
- Environmental Scientist 3 Water Resources — $91,628 to $134,900 (a master's degree and 3 years of experience)
- Environmental Scientist 3 — $91,628 to $134,900 (a master's degree and 3 years of experience)
- Environmental Scientist 3 (water Resources) — $83,582 to $122,832 (a master's degree and 2 years of experience)
- Environmental Scientist 3 — $79,844 to $117,228 (a master's degree and 2 years of experience)
- Environmental Scientist 2 Water Resources — $79,844 to $117,228 (a master's degree and 2 years of experience)
- Environmental Scientist 2, Public Health — $79,844 to $117,228 (a master's degree and 2 years of experience)
Showing the 12 best paid of 14 titles with published salary data.
The distance from the bottom of Environmental Scientist 1 to the top of Environmental Scientist 4, Consumer & Environmental Health Services is $78,519, an increase of about 113% 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 Scientist 1: Under the general supervision of an Environmental Scientist 4 or other Supervisor in a state department, institution or agency, assists, as one of a team, in…
- Environmental Scientist 2: Under the direction of an Environmental Scientist 4, or other supervisory officer, participates usually as one of a team, in projects and programs in the field…
- Environmental Scientist 2, Public Health: Under limited supervision of an Environmental Scientist 4 Public Health, or another supervisory official in the Department of Health, assists in…
- Environmental Scientist 2 Water Resources: Under direction of an Environmental Scientist 4 or other supervisor in the Department of Environmental Protection, participates, as a team…
- Environmental Scientist 3: Under the direction of an Environmental Scientist 4, or other supervisory officer in a state department, institution, or agency, assists in assigned scientific…
- Environmental Scientist 3 Water Resources: Under direction of an Environmental Scientist 4 or other supervisory official in the Department of Environmental Protection or in a local…
- Environmental Scientist 3, Public Health: Under direction of an Environmental Scientist 4, Public Health or other supervisory official in the Department of Health, assists in the…
- Environmental Scientist 4: Under the direction of an Assistant Commissioner or higher level official provides direction, advice, assistance and consultation on specialized scientific…
Showing 8 of 14 published definitions in this family. The full list of titles is below.
Requirements across the family
Across the 14 titles we have parsed, the education requirements read as a master's degree on 12 of them and a doctoral degree on 2 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.
1 of the 14 titles carry a license or certification requirement. On how the jobs are filled: 14 are competitive, filled from an eligible list after an open competitive or promotional examination.
Who actually employs these titles
State payroll records show 76 people working under 7 of this family's titles, spread across 3 agencies. Environmental Protection alone accounts for about 54% of them.
- Environmental Protection — 41 employees
- Health and Senior Services — 32 employees
- Education — 3 employees
Median actual pay varies across the family, from $126,158 for Environmental Scientist 3 up to $138,568 for Environmental Scientist 4, Consumer & Environmental Health Services. 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
Because the family mixes jurisdictions, the answer to "who hires this" depends on the specific code. State codes run through the Civil Service Commission's announcement and eligible list process; local codes are hired by the counties, municipalities and authorities that adopted civil service under Title 11A. Check an employer's status before assuming a title is available where you live.
Related titles elsewhere in the plan
Other classifications built on the same terms as Environmental Scientist. Worth checking if this family has no current opening.
- Research Scientist (state jurisdiction)
- Forensic Scientist 1 (local jurisdiction) — in the Forensic Scientist family
- Research Scientist 3 ($79,844 to $117,228, state jurisdiction) — in the Research Scientist family
- Artificial Intelligence Research Scientist ($83,582 to $122,832, state jurisdiction)
- Chief Forensic Scientist Department of Law and Public Safety ($83,210 to $116,477, both state and local jurisdiction) — in the Chief family
- Assistant Chief Forensic Scientist Department of Law and Public Safety ($71,879 to $100,638, state jurisdiction)
Common questions about Environmental Scientist jobs
How many Environmental Scientist titles are there in New Jersey civil service?
The Environmental Scientist family holds 14 title codes arranged across 4 levels. Each code is a separate classification with its own published specification, requirements and salary treatment.
What does an Environmental Scientist earn in New Jersey?
Published salary data for this family runs from $69,668 at the bottom of Environmental Scientist 1 to $148,187 at the top of Environmental Scientist 4, Consumer & Environmental Health Services. Those are schedule figures. Where the title appears on the state payroll, actual median pay is listed on the page above.
Do you need to take an exam to become an Environmental Scientist?
Yes for most of the family. 14 of the 14 titles are in the competitive division, which means appointment comes from an eligible list built by an open competitive or promotional examination.
What qualifications does an Environmental Scientist need?
The most common education requirement in this family is a master's degree, named on 12 of the 14 titles. Stated experience ranges from 1 to 4 years depending on the rung. 1 of the titles also require a license or certification. Read the individual specification for the exact wording, including any experience substitution.
Which agencies employ Environmental Scientist staff?
State payroll records show 76 people in this family across 3 agencies, with Environmental Protection the largest at 41. Local government employers are not covered by that extract.
Is Environmental Scientist 1 higher or lower than Environmental Scientist 3?
In this family the lower number is the more senior title. New Jersey's level numbering does not run in pay order, and reading the titles by number alone will give you the ladder upside down. The list above is sorted by what each title actually pays.