PILOT AND INSPECTOR INSECT EXTERMINATION
New Jersey treats Pilot and Inspector Insect Extermination as a competitive-class job, so the gate is an examination and the ranked list it produces rather than a direct offer.
Eligibility comes down to a professional license.
How to apply
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Exam
This is an application to sit an exam and be placed on an eligible list for this title, not an application for a specific job. A $35 application fee applies to Non-Public-Safety announcements issued on or after 2026-02-01. There may be no current vacancy behind it, and the list it produces may not be certified for months or years.
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Exam
Open to permanent employees in the competitive division who hold a qualifying lower title in the same unit. A $35 application fee applies to Non-Public-Safety announcements issued on or after 2026-02-01. Like the open competitive exam, this places you on a list; it is not itself a job offer.
Official job specification
The text below is the official specification published by the New Jersey Civil Service Commission. The plain-language summary and analysis above are derived from it by NJ Civil Service Navigator.
Definition
Under direction, pilots helicopter or fixed wing aircraft for survey, inspection and spraying in an insect extermination program; does other related duties.
Examples of work
- Conducts aerial surveillance activity to determine areas requiring spraying.
- Sprays chemicals from aircraft to exterminate or control larvae and adult insects.
- Maintains aircraft and spraying equipment.
- Provides advice on insect control activities.
- Maintains records and files including maps.
- Inspects dikes and dams to determine whether repairs are needed.
- Works with personnel engaged in insect control and extermination activities; inspects for insect breeding areas and applies pesticides.
- Will be required to learn to utilize various types of electronic and/or manual recording and information systems used by the agency, office, or related units.
Experience
Five hundred (500) hours of flight experience, forty (40) hours of which must have involved the aerial application of pesticides.
License
Applicants must possess a valid commercial pilot's license issued by the Federal Aviation Administration.
Applicants must possess a valid license as a Commercial Pesticide Applicator of the appropriate class, issued by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection.
Appointees will be required to possess a driver's license valid in New Jersey only if the operation of a vehicle, rather than employee mobility, is necessary to perform essential duties of the position.
Knowledge, skills and abilities
- Knowledge of insecticides.
- Knowledge of the methods used to operate and pilot commercial aircraft.
- Knowledge of the procedures involved in aerial surveillance and spraying activities.
- Knowledge of the methods used to apply insecticides and other materials used to exterminate.
- Knowledge of Federal Aviation Administration rules and regulations.
- Ability to establish and maintain records and files.
- Ability to conduct aerial surveillance.
- Ability to operate commercial aircraft.
- Ability to identify suspected insect breeding areas.
- Ability to properly use aerial insecticide application equipment.
- Ability to utilize various types of electronic and/or manual recording and information systems used by the agency, office, or related units.
- Ability to read, write, speak, understand, and communicate in English sufficiently to perform duties of this position. American Sign Language or Braille may also be considered as acceptable forms of communication.
- Persons with mental or physical disabilities are eligible as long as they can perform essential functions of the job after reasonable accommodation is made to their known limitations. If the accommodation cannot be made because it would cause the employer undue hardship, such persons may not be eligible.
Note
The examples of work for this title are for illustrative purposes only. A particular position using this title may not perform all duties listed in this job specification. Conversely, all duties performed on the job may not be listed.
Applicants may be required to possess additional hours of flight experience in the aerial application of pesticides due to the insurance regulations of the jurisdiction in which they seek appointment. Some jurisdictions may require as many as 1,000 hours of aerial application to comply with insurance regulations.