How to hire environmental engineers
A job description you can copy, interview questions tied to the real work, and what to pay. Free.
Job description template
Copy it, fill in the brackets, and remove anything that does not fit your job. Keep only must-haves you would really turn someone away for.
[Job title] at [Company name] [City, State] · [Full-time / Part-time] · [Pay range] About the role [Two or three sentences about your team, the work and why it matters.] What you will do • Advise corporations or government agencies of procedures to follow in cleaning up contaminated sites to protect people and the environment. • Assess the existing or potential environmental impact of land use projects on air, water, or land. • Collaborate with environmental scientists, planners, hazardous waste technicians, engineers, experts in law or business, or other specialists to address environmental problems. • Design, or supervise the design of, systems, processes, or equipment for control, management, or remediation of water, air, or soil quality. • Develop proposed project objectives and targets and report to management on progress in attaining them. • Monitor progress of environmental improvement programs. • Prepare, maintain, or revise quality assurance documentation or procedures. • Prepare, review, or update environmental investigation or recommendation reports. What you bring • [Required license, certification or years of experience, if any] • [Education, only if you truly need it. Typical to start in this job: Bachelor's degree] • Strong active listening, critical thinking, monitoring, reading comprehension, speaking and writing skills • Working knowledge of engineering and technology, design, chemistry and mathematics • [Anything else you would really turn someone away for] Pay and benefits [Pay range]. For reference, the U.S. median for this job is $51.50 an hour ($107,110 a year). [Benefits, schedule and anything else candidates should know.] How to apply [Apply on JAI Bot. Every applicant hears back.]
Interview questions for environmental engineers
Ask every candidate the same questions, in the same order, and write down what they say. Questions about past work show what someone has actually done.
- Tell me about a time you had to advise corporations or government agencies of procedures to follow in cleaning up contaminated sites to protect people and the environment. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
- Tell me about a time you had to assess the existing or potential environmental impact of land use projects on air, water, or land. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
- Tell me about a time you had to collaborate with environmental scientists, planners, hazardous waste technicians, engineers, experts in law or business, or other specialists to address environmental problems. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
- Tell me about a time you had to design, or supervise the design of, systems, processes, or equipment for control, management, or remediation of water, air, or soil quality. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
- Tell me about a time you had to understand a request or problem that was explained poorly. How did you make sure you got it right?
- Describe a decision at work where the obvious answer was wrong. How did you work out the better choice?
- How do you keep track of your own work quality during a busy shift or week? Give an example of catching a problem early.
- Why this job, and why now? What would make you stay here for the long term?
Good answers name a real situation, what the person did themselves and what happened. Avoid questions about age, family plans, religion, health, national origin or anything else unrelated to the job.
What environmental engineers do
- Advise corporations or government agencies of procedures to follow in cleaning up contaminated sites to protect people and the environment.
- Assess the existing or potential environmental impact of land use projects on air, water, or land.
- Collaborate with environmental scientists, planners, hazardous waste technicians, engineers, experts in law or business, or other specialists to address environmental problems.
- Design, or supervise the design of, systems, processes, or equipment for control, management, or remediation of water, air, or soil quality.
- Develop proposed project objectives and targets and report to management on progress in attaining them.
- Monitor progress of environmental improvement programs.
- Prepare, maintain, or revise quality assurance documentation or procedures.
- Prepare, review, or update environmental investigation or recommendation reports.
Skills that matter most
Education, experience and outlook for environmental engineers
- Typical education to start: Bachelor's degree (BLS)
- Job outlook: +6.3% over ten years, faster than average · about 2,300 openings a year (BLS)
What to pay environmental engineers
Pay depends a lot on where the job is. Highest and lowest median yearly pay by state:
| State | Median yearly pay |
|---|---|
| California | $130,410 |
| Oregon | $127,100 |
| Washington | $125,460 |
| Texas | $123,060 |
| Florida | $116,840 |
| Indiana | $92,460 |
| Oklahoma | $92,090 |
| Wisconsin | $89,990 |
See environmental engineers pay in every state
Related hiring guides
- Aerospace Engineers
- Agricultural Engineers
- Bioengineers and Biomedical Engineers
- Chemical Engineers
- Civil Engineers
- Computer Hardware Engineers
- Electrical Engineers
- Electronics Engineers, Except Computer
- Health and Safety Engineers, Except Mining Safety Engineers and Inspectors
- Industrial Engineers
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Post a job freePay by areaJob duties and skills: O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license; O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. JAI Bot has modified this information; USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications. Pay: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS, May 2025. Interview questions and the job description template: JAI Bot, based on the duties and skills above.