Microbiologist Family
Career series with 5 positions across 4 levels
In New Jersey civil service, Microbiologist names a 4-level progression covering 5 distinct titles.
Entry is typically through Microbiologist 1, advancing through the ladder toward Microbiologist 4. Pay across the family spans $60,876 to $128,719, around the 54th percentile of all civil service job families by top pay. State payroll records show 30 people across the family's titles, most concentrated at Health and Senior Services.
Positions in This Family
- MICROBIOLOGIST 1 (02002) $60,876 - $88,743/year
- MICROBIOLOGIST 2 (02003) $69,668 - $101,951/year
- MICROBIOLOGIST 3 (02004) $79,844 - $117,228/year
- MICROBIOLOGIST 4 (02005) $87,507 - $128,719/year
- MICROBIOLOGIST 1 (02006) $65,195 - $91,272/year
What the Microbiologist family covers
Microbiologist is a graded series in the New Jersey civil service classification plan, running 5 title codes across 4 levels. The family straddles jurisdictions: 4 both state and local and 1 state, so parts of it are hired by state departments and parts by local civil service employers.
The state runs working laboratories rather than research institutes, so scientific titles are tied to a statutory job: testing water and air, screening newborns, analysing evidence, monitoring pesticides, mapping geology. Degrees in a named field do the qualifying, and the exam is often an evaluation of education and experience rather than a written test. Because each laboratory is small, these families tend to be short ladders inside one agency instead of broad classifications spread across government.
The ladder, ordered by pay
Ordered by what they actually pay rather than by the number in the title, the Microbiologist rungs look like this. Here the numbering happens to agree with the pay order, which is not guaranteed elsewhere in New Jersey's plan.
- Microbiologist 4 — $87,507 to $128,719 (a bachelor's degree and 4 years of experience)
- Microbiologist 3 — $79,844 to $117,228 (a bachelor's degree and 3 years of experience)
- Microbiologist 2 — $69,668 to $101,951 (a bachelor's degree and 2 years of experience)
- Microbiologist 1 — $65,195 to $91,272 (frozen schedule) (a bachelor's degree and 5 years of experience)
- Microbiologist 1 — $60,876 to $88,743 (a bachelor's degree and 1 year of experience)
The distance from the bottom of Microbiologist 1 to the top of Microbiologist 4 is $67,842, an increase of about 111% over the entry minimum. 1 of the 5 titles in the family sits on a schedule whose rates are frozen, so the published figure there is the schedule of record rather than a guide to actual pay.
What each title does
Each title in the family carries its own published definition. These are the opening lines of each one, which is usually where the difference between two neighboring rungs is actually stated.
- Microbiologist 1: Under the close supervision of a Microbiologist 3 or other supervisory official in the Department of Health or in the Department of Agriculture, or in a county/municipal…
- Microbiologist 2: Under the limited supervision of a Microbiologist 3 or other supervisory official in the Department of Health or in the Department of Agriculture, or in a…
- Microbiologist 3: Under the general supervision of a supervisory official or manager in the Department of Health or in the Department of Agriculture, or in a county/municipal run…
- Microbiologist 4: Under the direction of a manager or other supervisory official in the Department of Health or in the Department of Agriculture, or in a county/municipal run laboratory…
- Microbiologist 1: Under the direction of a Director, or other administrator in the Department of Health and Senior Services, manages a microbiological, serological or related laboratory…
What it takes to qualify
Across the 5 titles we have parsed, the education requirements read as a bachelor's degree on 5 of them. Stated experience runs from 1 year at the lowest rung to 5 at the highest, which is the main thing separating one level from the next.
On how the jobs are filled: 4 are competitive, filled from an eligible list after an open competitive or promotional examination.
Who actually employs these titles
30 people appear on the state payroll under 4 of these titles, at 2 agencies. Health and Senior Services alone accounts for about 87% of them.
- Health and Senior Services — 26 employees
- Agriculture — 4 employees
Median actual pay varies across the family, from $61,510 for Microbiologist 1 up to $124,366 for Microbiologist 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
The family is split across 2 salary schedules (A-P-R-S and M), so two titles that look adjacent can be paid from different tables with different step structures. 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
These titles sit elsewhere in the classification plan but share vocabulary with Microbiologist, which usually means overlapping duties or a related eligible list.
- Microbiologist Trainee ($55,691 to $58,222, state jurisdiction)
- Microbiologist Trainee (local jurisdiction)
Common questions about Microbiologist jobs
How many separate Microbiologist classifications does New Jersey have?
The Microbiologist family holds 5 title codes arranged across 4 levels. Each code is a separate classification with its own published specification, requirements and salary treatment.
How much is a Microbiologist paid?
Published salary data for this family runs from $60,876 at the bottom of Microbiologist 1 to $128,719 at the top of Microbiologist 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 Microbiologist?
Yes for most of the family. 4 of the 5 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 a Microbiologist?
The most common education requirement in this family is a bachelor's degree, named on 5 of the 5 titles. Stated experience ranges from 1 to 5 years depending on the rung. Read the individual specification for the exact wording, including any experience substitution.
Which agencies employ Microbiologist staff?
State payroll records show 30 people in this family across 2 agencies, with Health and Senior Services the largest at 26. Local government employers are not covered by that extract.