MANAGER 4, WASTE MANAGEMENT
Career Family: MANAGER
To land Manager 4, Waste Management in New Jersey you go through the competitive route: you sit an announced exam and the score puts you on the eligible list agencies hire from.
On pay it sits at the foot of the Manager ladder. One promotion up is Manager 1 Insurance, whose band tops out about $15,629 higher. To be eligible you bring a bachelor's degree and 5 years of relevant experience. The FY2026 range lands between $106,547 and $157,363, and state payroll currently lists 7 people in the title, most of them at Environmental Protection.
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.
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Agency posting
Department of Environmental Protection posts its own vacancies directly, often before (or instead of) any civil service exam announcement. Provisional appointment against a posted vacancy is how most people are actually hired into this kind of title.
Pay ladder: Manager series
- Manager 4, Waste Management — $106,547 – $157,363 (this title)
- Manager 1 Insurance — $116,962 – $172,991
- Manager 2 Insurance — $116,962 – $172,991
- Manager 3 Fiscal Resources — $128,443 – $190,161
Promoting to Manager 1 Insurance raises the top of the band by about $15,629. Its top salary lands around the 88th percentile of all NJ civil service titles that publish a range.
Rungs are ordered by FY2026 pay. NJ level numbers are not always sequential, so ordering follows salary rather than the title number.
Who employs this title
State payroll records show 7 people working under this title. The median actual salary is $147,200. The agencies employing the most are:
- Environmental Protection (7)
Counts from NJ YourMoney agency payroll. See statewide workforce analytics.
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 of a Manager 3 or higher level official in the Department of Environmental Protection, Divisions of Responsible Party Site Remediation, Publicly Funded Site Remediation, or Solid Waste Management, plans, organizes, and directs the work programs, activities, and staff of a bureau which performs complex planning, engineering, administrative, environmental, or scientific activities relative to a major segment of the department's Waste Management Program; resolves specific technical and administrative issues relative to the work activities of the bureau; does related work as required.
Examples of work
Coordinates the environmental, technical, and administrative activities and programs for a bureau in one of the following divisions: Division of Responsible Party Site Remediation, Division of Publicly Funded Site Remediation, or Division of Solid Waste Management. Establishes standards of performance, schedules, and priorities for the bureau. Administers annual work plans, contracts, and agreements relating to the functions and responsibilities of the bureau. Supervises the development of a regulatory strategy consistent with established state and federal laws, rules, and regulations; reviews, interprets, and evaluates proposed state and federal legislation, rules, policies, and procedures, and drafts recommendations. Represents the Manager 3 at interagency and departmental meetings, conferences, and in intra/interstate organizations, committees, task forces, and other groups on matters related to the bureau and/or division; in his/her absence acts in the capacity of Manager 3. Ensures consistency in the implementation of overall bureau policies and programs particularly where there is a need to integrate complementary initiatives between the various functional areas of the bureau. Keeps apprised of current activities, problems, and developments on all matters related to the enhancement and management of the state's environmental resources in the assigned bureau. Reviews and approves for submission to the Manager 3, operating budgets and special grant applications for programmatic areas relating to the assigned bureau. Maintains a management information system to coordinate progress in achieving goals and objectives, and to ensure orderly and efficient handling of both long-term and emergency matters. Manages work operations and/or functional programs of a bureau, and has responsibility for employee evaluation and for effectively recommending the hiring, firing, promoting, demoting, disciplining, and/or training of employees. Coordinates, and provides managerial guidance to staff involved in the study, evaluation, and servicing of community environmental needs. Prepares and delivers presentations, speeches, and testimonies before professional, technical, and lay groups to disseminate environmental management information; establishes and maintains a cooperative and effective working relationship with representatives of those groups. Prepares and directs the preparation of extensive correspondence in the course of official duties. Prepares and directs the preparation of clear, sound, accurate, and informative statistical, financial, and other related reports containing findings, conclusions, and recommendations. Directs the establishment and maintenance of essential records, files, and data sources. Will be required to learn how to utilize various types of electronic and/or manual recording and information systems used by the agency, office, or related units.
Education
(See SPECIALIZED REQUIREMENTS listed below) A bachelor's degree in engineering or planning. A bachelor's degree in environmental, physical, chemical, or biological science.
Experience
Five (5) years of experience in a relevant field appropriate to the position (see SPECIALIZED REQUIREMENTS listed below), three (3) years of which shall have been in program management. Experience in environmentally related engineering and/or planning. Experience in the scientific/technical aspects of environmentally related activities. POSITIONS IN MANAGERIAL AREAS: These positions warrant routine managerial oversight and are generally administrative in nature but require little or no technical expertise in a specific field.
License
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 the essential duties of the position.
Knowledge, skills and abilities
Knowledge of management and planning principles, administrative practices and procedures, and operational/organizational theories and their application to directing overall work operations. Knowledge of the tools, techniques, principles, and practices utilized in the specific discipline appropriate to the position. Knowledge of the priorities, programs, objectives, policies and the internal organization of the bureau. Knowledge of the executive decision making methodologies utilized to ensure maximum program operating efficiency. Ability to coordinate and administer overall operations, and to make sound decisions necessary to carry out the programs and functions of the bureau. Ability to develop long-and short-term management plans and procedures and to develop effective methods. Ability to analyze and interpret federal and state laws, rules, and regulations pertaining to assigned program areas. Ability to give oral presentations to and establish and maintain effective working relationships with representatives of federal, state, and local governments as well as professional groups, societies, and others interested in issues, problems, and topics relative to designated programs. Ability to prepare and direct the preparation of clear, sound, accurate, and informative statistical, financial, and other related reports containing findings, conclusions, and recommendations. Ability to assign, instruct, and supervise professional, technical, and other employees, and to effectively evaluate their performance. Ability to learn how 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 the duties of the position. American Sign Language or Braille may also be considered as acceptable forms of communication. Persons with mental or physical disabilities are eligible if they can perform the essential functions of the job with or without reasonable accommodation. If the accommodation cannot be made because it would cause the employer undue hardship, such persons may not be eligible.
Note
A master's degree in a discipline appropriate to the position (see SPECIALIZED REQUIREMENTS listed below) may be substituted for one (1) year of the non-managerial experience as indicated. A Doctorate degree in a discipline appropriate to the position (see SPECIALIZED REQUIREMENTS listed below) may be substituted for three (3) years of non-managerial experience as indicated. (This is inclusive of the Master's degree and not in addition to.) SPECIALIZED REQUIREMENTS: The following general categories are reflective of the intrinsic nature of the positions indicated: POSITIONS IN ENGINEERING/PLANNING RELATED AREAS: A valid Professional Engineer's license issued by the New Jersey State Board of Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors may be substituted for the Bachelor's degree in Engineering. POSITIONS IN TECHNICALLY SCIENTIFIC RELATED AREAS: Applicants must meet one of the following or a combination of both experience and education. Thirty (30) semester hour credits are equal to one (1) year of relevant experience. Nine (9) years of professional experience in work involving the application of established administrative/managerial policies and procedures, three (3) years of which shall have been in program management. OR Possession of a bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university; and five (5) years of the above-mentioned professional experience, three (3) years of which shall have been in program management. "Professional experience" refers to work that is creative, analytical, evaluative, and interpretive; requires a range and depth of specialized knowledge of the profession's principles, concepts, theories, and practices; and is performed with the authority to act according to one's own judgment and make accurate and informed decisions.
Study guides for this exam
- Management Test Battery (MTB) National Learning Corporation · $52.95
- Manager/Administrator Test National Learning Corporation · $49.95 · 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.