How to hire environmental scientists and specialists, including health
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 • Collect, synthesize, analyze, manage, and report environmental data, such as pollution emission measurements, atmospheric monitoring measurements, meteorological or mineralogical information, or soil or water samples. • Communicate scientific or technical information to the public, organizations, or internal audiences through oral briefings, written documents, workshops, conferences, training sessions, or public hearings. • Conduct environmental audits or inspections or investigations of violations. • Monitor effects of pollution or land degradation and recommend means of prevention or control. • Process and review environmental permits, licenses, or related materials. • Provide advice on proper standards and regulations or the development of policies, strategies, or codes of practice for environmental management. • Provide scientific or technical guidance, support, coordination, or oversight to governmental agencies, environmental programs, industry, or the public. • Review and implement environmental technical standards, guidelines, policies, and formal regulations that meet all appropriate requirements. 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 reading comprehension, active listening, critical thinking, science, speaking and writing skills • Working knowledge of biology, English Language, mathematics and engineering and technology • [Anything else you would really turn someone away for] Pay and benefits [Pay range]. For reference, the U.S. median for this job is $39.53 an hour ($82,220 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 scientists and specialists, including health
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 collect, synthesize, analyze, manage, and report environmental data, such as pollution emission measurements, atmospheric monitoring measurements, meteorological or mineralogical information, or soil or water samples. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
- Tell me about a time you had to communicate scientific or technical information to the public, organizations, or internal audiences through oral briefings, written documents, workshops, conferences, training sessions, or public hearings. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
- Tell me about a time you had to conduct environmental audits or inspections or investigations of violations. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
- Tell me about a time you had to monitor effects of pollution or land degradation and recommend means of prevention or control. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
- Tell me about written instructions, a policy or a manual you had to follow closely. How did you make sure you followed it correctly?
- 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?
- 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 scientists and specialists, including health do
- Collect, synthesize, analyze, manage, and report environmental data, such as pollution emission measurements, atmospheric monitoring measurements, meteorological or mineralogical information, or soil or water samples.
- Communicate scientific or technical information to the public, organizations, or internal audiences through oral briefings, written documents, workshops, conferences, training sessions, or public hearings.
- Conduct environmental audits or inspections or investigations of violations.
- Monitor effects of pollution or land degradation and recommend means of prevention or control.
- Process and review environmental permits, licenses, or related materials.
- Provide advice on proper standards and regulations or the development of policies, strategies, or codes of practice for environmental management.
- Provide scientific or technical guidance, support, coordination, or oversight to governmental agencies, environmental programs, industry, or the public.
- Review and implement environmental technical standards, guidelines, policies, and formal regulations that meet all appropriate requirements.
Skills that matter most
Education, experience and outlook for environmental scientists and specialists, including health
- Typical education to start: Bachelor's degree (BLS)
- Job outlook: +6.1% over ten years, faster than average · about 7,300 openings a year (BLS)
What to pay environmental scientists and specialists, including health
Pay depends a lot on where the job is. Highest and lowest median yearly pay by state:
| State | Median yearly pay |
|---|---|
| District of Columbia | $132,620 |
| California | $106,510 |
| Massachusetts | $100,640 |
| Washington | $98,300 |
| Oregon | $97,440 |
| Nebraska | $64,040 |
| Missouri | $61,050 |
| Florida | $60,830 |
See environmental scientists and specialists, including health pay in every state
Related hiring guides
- Astronomers
- Physicists
- Atmospheric and Space Scientists
- Chemists
- Materials Scientists
- Geoscientists, Except Hydrologists and Geographers
- Hydrologists
- Physical Scientists, All Other
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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.