What it pays
Government survey numbers — not estimates, not ads.
Half of all Environmental Scientists and Specialists, Including Health in the U.S. earn more than $82,220 a year — the middle 80% land between $52,520 and $140,010. About 89,250 people in the U.S. do this work. Figures are for the U.S. occupation group “Environmental Scientists and Specialists, Including Health”. (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics survey, published 2025.) In India, Professionals earn about ₹38,298 a month on average — around ₹4.6 lakh a year (government PLFS survey via ILOSTAT, occupation-family figure).
$82,220typical pay / year
89,250people in this work
$140,010+top 10% earn
₹4.6 lakha year in India (family avg)
Think you get this job?Six quick questions on how it really works — with a hint and the reason behind every answer.
Test yourself →The work, task by task
These are the real jobs-to-be-done, not a wish list. Each task shows where we found it, and the prompt underneath is written for that exact task.
Analysing5
Monitor environmental impact of development activities
+Track construction and hosting activities for the new prototype, record fuel, material and site visits, flag…
Monitor environmental impact of development activities
+Track construction and hosting activities for the new prototype, record fuel, material and site visits, flag any activities exceeding the environmental thresholds in our policy, and send a weekly impact summary to the sustainability lead every Friday.
The tools that do the workESRI ArcGISMicrosoft Exceljob descriptionsO*NET
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Translate industrial ecology theories into practices
+Turn industrial ecology principles into three implementable practices for product teams: closed-loop…
Translate industrial ecology theories into practices
+Turn industrial ecology principles into three implementable practices for product teams: closed-loop packaging guidance, supplier take-back checklist and a sourcing scorecard, then workshop them with procurement next Wednesday.
The tools that do the workMicrosoft Exceljob descriptionsO*NET
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Perform material and energy flow analyses
+Collect bill of materials, energy use and transport data for the flagship product, run a material and energy…
Perform material and energy flow analyses
+Collect bill of materials, energy use and transport data for the flagship product, run a material and energy flow analysis to identify the top three hotspots for reduction, and deliver a one-page action plan to engineering by Friday.
The tools that do the workMicrosoft ExcelAutodesk AutoCADjob descriptionsO*NET
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Develop or test protocols to monitor ecosystems
+Design field protocols to monitor the heathland at Black Ridge for six indicator plants and ground beetles —…
Develop or test protocols to monitor ecosystems
+Design field protocols to monitor the heathland at Black Ridge for six indicator plants and ground beetles — include sampling layout, timing across seasons, data sheets with measurement definitions, QA checks, and a safety brief for volunteers before the first April survey.
The tools that do the workMicrosoft Exceljob descriptionsO*NET
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Forecast future ecosystem conditions
+Forecast likely ecosystem trajectories for South Valley under three scenarios — continued land-use, increased…
Forecast future ecosystem conditions
+Forecast likely ecosystem trajectories for South Valley under three scenarios — continued land-use, increased restoration, and 2°C warming — provide summary maps of vegetation shift, at-risk species lists, and three clear management recommendations for the council in a one-page brief.
The tools that do the workApache HadoopESRI ArcGISjob descriptionsO*NET
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Protecting1
Recommend methods to protect the environment
+Recommend a set of practical, legally compliant interventions to protect the riverine corridor at Millbrook —…
Recommend methods to protect the environment
+Recommend a set of practical, legally compliant interventions to protect the riverine corridor at Millbrook — list priority actions, species-specific measures for the reed and willow stands, required permits under the 1994 Wildlife Act, estimated monitoring frequency, and one low-cost community stewardship programme to start in September.
The tools that do the workESRI ArcGISjob descriptionsO*NET
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The daily work14
Conduct ecological surveys
+Plan and carry out three full-site ecological surveys at Blackwater Meadow next Tuesday and Thursday, record…
Conduct ecological surveys
+Plan and carry out three full-site ecological surveys at Blackwater Meadow next Tuesday and Thursday, record GPS points and species counts, photograph distinctive plants, note habitat condition against protected-species criteria, and produce a field dataset ready for mapping within 48 hours.
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Write work-related reports
+Draft a 1,200–1,500 word ecological survey report for the county ecology team summarising methods, species…
Write work-related reports
+Draft a 1,200–1,500 word ecological survey report for the county ecology team summarising methods, species lists, habitat condition, legal protections triggered, clear recommendations for mitigation, and a one‑page executive summary for planners by Friday noon.
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Identify plants characteristics
+Walk the west meadow and log each plant’s habit, leaf shape, flower colour, phenology and substrate into the…
Identify plants characteristics
+Walk the west meadow and log each plant’s habit, leaf shape, flower colour, phenology and substrate into the species checklist, flag likely natives versus non‑natives and note any signs of disease or grazing for the ecology report by Tuesday.
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Environmental legislation
+Review the development consent and compile the applicable protected species and habitat obligations, list…
Environmental legislation
+Review the development consent and compile the applicable protected species and habitat obligations, list required permits, deadlines and the likely compliance risks for the client briefing next Thursday.
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Conduct ecological research
+Design the three‑week field program: target sampling locations, methods per taxon, sample sizes, permits…
Conduct ecological research
+Design the three‑week field program: target sampling locations, methods per taxon, sample sizes, permits needed, equipment list and a data QA plan so the team can start on Monday morning.
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Analyse ecological data
+Clean the latest survey dataset, calculate species richness, Shannon diversity and percent native cover by…
Analyse ecological data
+Clean the latest survey dataset, calculate species richness, Shannon diversity and percent native cover by plot, then produce charts showing change since last year for the stakeholder slide pack on Friday.
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Measure trees
+Measure DBH, crown spread and tree height for every tree over 10 centimetres on Grid A, record GPS tag,…
Measure trees
+Measure DBH, crown spread and tree height for every tree over 10 centimetres on Grid A, record GPS tag, health condition and any root damage, and return the completed tree table by end of day Wednesday.
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Employ habitat survey techniques
+Run the habitat survey transects across the riparian strip, record vegetation layers, percent ground cover…
Employ habitat survey techniques
+Run the habitat survey transects across the riparian strip, record vegetation layers, percent ground cover and indicator species, photograph standard plots and deliver the completed habitat sheet and photo folder within 48 hours.
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Redesign systems into closed-loop, cyclical processes
+Redesign the wetland restoration workflow into a closed-loop, cyclical process that routes plant surveys,…
Redesign systems into closed-loop, cyclical processes
+Redesign the wetland restoration workflow into a closed-loop, cyclical process that routes plant surveys, soil tests, permit checks, and maintenance actions into repeatable quarterly cycles and flag where adaptive triggers must pause work.
The tools that do the workAtlassian JIRAjob descriptionsO*NET
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Prepare plans to manage renewable resources.
+Prepare a management plan for the coastal coppice that sets annual harvest limits, monitoring schedules,…
Prepare plans to manage renewable resources.
+Prepare a management plan for the coastal coppice that sets annual harvest limits, monitoring schedules, permit compliance steps, stakeholder review months, and contingency actions so renewable yields remain within legal and ecological thresholds.
The tools that do the workMicrosoft Exceljob descriptionsO*NET
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Create mathematical models of ecological systems
+Create a set of mathematical models for the dune scrub ecosystem: a population dynamics model, nutrient flow…
Create mathematical models of ecological systems
+Create a set of mathematical models for the dune scrub ecosystem: a population dynamics model, nutrient flow equations, and a disturbance-response module with parameter ranges and calibration steps from field transect data.
The tools that do the workC#job descriptionsO*NET
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Perform environmentally extended input-output (EE I-O) analyses.
+Run an environmentally extended input-output analysis linking regional industry sectors to land-use and…
Perform environmentally extended input-output (EE I-O) analyses.
+Run an environmentally extended input-output analysis linking regional industry sectors to land-use and emissions, map required life-cycle coefficients, document data sources and uncertainty, and produce sectoral impact tables for the report.
The tools that do the workMicrosoft ExcelO*NET
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Build and maintain ecological and industrial databases
+Build and maintain a searchable ecological-industrial database that stores species records, permit documents,…
Build and maintain ecological and industrial databases
+Build and maintain a searchable ecological-industrial database that stores species records, permit documents, sampling metadata and supplier inputs, normalise fields, add validation rules and schedule weekly backups and QA checks.
The tools that do the workMicrosoft Accessjob descriptions
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Assess the relationship between organisms and their environment
+Assess the relationship between the marsh oak population and soil salinity by combining plot-level species…
Assess the relationship between organisms and their environment
+Assess the relationship between the marsh oak population and soil salinity by combining plot-level species counts, soil chemistry results, hydrology records and land-use maps, then produce a short decision brief with management implications.
The tools that do the workESRI ArcGISESCO
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Built on public evidence: O*NET®, ESCO, Wikipedia, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, ILOSTAT. All sources & licenses
Built on public evidence: O*NET®, ESCO, Wikipedia, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, ILOSTAT. All sources & licenses