How to hire a conservation specialist

How to hire a conservation specialist, step by step

Here's a step-by-step conservation specialist hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a conservation specialist job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new conservation specialist
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   First, determine the employments status of the conservation specialist you need to hire. Certain conservation specialist roles might require a full-time employee, whereas others can be done by part-time workers or contractors.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   Hiring the perfect conservation specialist also involves considering the ideal background you'd like them to have. Depending on what industry or field they have experience in, they'll bring different skills to the job. It's also important to consider what levels of seniority and education the job requires and what kind of salary such a candidate would likely demand.

   The following list breaks down different types of conservation specialists and their corresponding salaries.

   Type of Conservation Specialist	Description	Hourly rate
   Conservation Specialist	Conservation scientists and foresters manage the overall land quality of forests, parks, rangelands, and other natural resources.	$13-35
   Soil Conservationist	A soil conservationist is a science expert who studies and monitors land conditions to develop programs and projects for sustainability and soil conservation. Their responsibilities include observing and gathering samples, conducting scientific research and laboratory analyses, coordinating with fellow experts, and maintaining records of procedures... Show more	$12-39

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Data Collection
   • GIS
   • Water Quality
   • Management Practices
   • ArcMap
   • Technical Assistance
   • Customer Inquiries
   • Sustainability
   • Conservation Practices
   • Community Resources
   • CRP
   • Water Usage
   • Wetland
   • Public Outreach

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage FDA regulate products requirements for ISO2000 quality assurance.
   • Implement the NEPA process from project scoping to final implementation.
   • Co-Authore EIS for non-renewable energy development.
   • Determine program eligibility for Medicaid, food stamp and cash benefits in accordance with current regulations using the computer-based eligibility system.
   • Co-Authore EIS for non-renewable energy development.

   More conservation specialist duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in the conservation specialist job description is a good way to get more applicants. A conservation specialist salary can be affected by several factors, such as the location of the job, the level of experience, education, certifications, and the employer's prestige.

   For example, the average salary for a conservation specialist in Alabama may be lower than in Alaska, and an entry-level engineer typically earns less than a senior-level conservation specialist. Additionally, a conservation specialist with lots of experience in the field may command a higher salary as a result.

   Average conservation specialist salary

   $46,665yearly

   $22.44 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level conservation specialist salary

   $29,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 14, 2025

   Average conservation specialist salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$69,072	$33
   2	District of Columbia	$63,348	$30
   3	New York	$60,493	$29
   4	Colorado	$54,583	$26
   5	Oregon	$52,557	$25
   6	Wisconsin	$51,584	$25
   7	New Mexico	$51,383	$25
   8	Texas	$50,847	$24
   9	Minnesota	$50,462	$24
   10	Washington	$49,906	$24

   Average conservation specialist salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Santa Clara Valley Water District	$96,404	$46.35
   2	World Wildlife Fund	$78,814	$37.89
   3	Washington County	$59,741	$28.72
   4	Cigna	$53,884	$25.91
   5	Irex	$52,071	$25.03
   6	Metro	$50,379	$24.22
   7	Americorps	$48,315	$23.23	5
   8	Community Action Partnership of Ramsey & Washington Counties	$47,510	$22.84
   9	City of Greeley	$44,982	$21.63
   10	Globe Life	$44,284	$21.29
   11	Lewis and Clark Community College	$38,702	$18.61
   12	Metropolitan	$38,169	$18.35

4. Writing a conservation specialist job description

   A good conservation specialist job description should include a few things:

   • Summary of the role
   • List of responsibilities
   • Required skills and experience

   Including a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager is also appreciated by candidates. Here's an example of a conservation specialist job description:

   Conservation specialist job description example

   Job Purpose:
   
   This person will be responsible for ensuring the safety and health of Marvin employees by offering expertise, guidance, and an effective treatment of employees experiencing minor work-related injuries. This person will also be responsible to identify trends, corrective actions, and opportunities to reduce injury risk to employees in a proactive way.
   
   Highlights of your role
   
   + Respond to job related and personal medical emergencies and provide onsite treatment to sick or injured workers, working closely with onsite emergency services and clinic on initial injury intervention.
   
   + Communicate and maintain working relationship with associates, medical providers, EHS staff, Worker's Compensation staff, and leadership.
   
   + Support Marvin Conservative Care initiatives for reduction of workplace injuries.
   
   + Develop and maintain protocols for emergency and conservative care treatment.
   
   + Recommend additional off-site medical treatment if necessary.
   
   + Assist in preparing accident reports.
   
   + Manage Onsite first responder team.
   
   + Maintain professionalism, cleanliness, and supplies in employee care areas.
   
   + Manage First Aid/CPR training for Marvin-Warroad employees.
   
   + Perform other related duties and special projects as assigned.
   
   You're a good fit if you have
   
   + EMT, AEMT, EMT-P or advanced degree/designation required
   
   + Those in progress towards any above licensure will be considered
   
   + Those with a nursing degree will be considered
   
   + Experience in a manufacturing setting preferred
   
   + Physically able to administer first aid
   
   + Certified in CPR, First Aid
   
   Schedule Options
   
   Night Shift, 3:00 PM - 1:30 AM Monday-Thursday. Some overtime work will be required during peak production times.
   
   Opportunity for better living
   
   At Marvin, we're driven to imagine and create better ways of living. And that goes beyond our customers, to our communities and the colleagues beside us every day. We offer competitive compensation, an extensive benefits package that includes health insurance on day one of employment, paid time off and paid holidays, and a 401K retirement savings match.
   
   We also support your overall wellness in other meaningful ways, including your own company-funded well-being account that can be used for anything from travel to a day at the spa, gym memberships or fun experiences with family and friends. Relax and unwind the last week of the year with an additional paid week off during our company-wide shut down. You will be rewarded through our profit-sharing program, which recognizes the important role all employees play in making Marvin a success year, after year.
   
   As a premier company with locations across North America, Marvin's portfolio also includes three additional premium brands: Infinity Replacement Windows, TruStile Doors, and Marvin Coastline. Together, we share one purpose and live our values. Our culture is built on generations of doing the right thing and putting our people first. Join us, and experience better living at Marvin.
   
   EOE
   
   This job posting is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties, or responsibilities of the employee. Accommodation may be made to enable an individual with a disability to perform the essential functions of his/her position.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are various strategies that you can use to find the right conservation specialist for your business:

   • Consider promoting from within or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to find candidates who meet your education requirements.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your conservation specialist job on Zippia to find and recruit conservation specialist candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting conservation specialists requires you to bring your A-game to the interview process. The first interview should introduce the company and the role to the candidate as much as they present their background experience and reasons for applying for the job. During later interviews, you can go into more detail about the technical details of the job and ask behavioral questions to gauge how they'd fit into your current company culture.

   You should also ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match the ideal candidate profile you developed earlier. Candidates good enough for the next step can complete the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new conservation specialist

   Once you've found the conservation specialist candidate you'd like to hire, it's time to write an offer letter. This should include an explicit job offer that includes the salary and the details of any other perks. Qualified candidates might be looking at multiple positions, so your offer must be competitive if you like the candidate. Also, be prepared for a negotiation stage, as candidates may way want to tweak the details of your initial offer. Once you've settled on these details, you can draft a contract to formalize your agreement.

   It's also important to follow up with applicants who do not get the job with an email letting them know that the position is filled.

   To prepare for the new employee's start date, you can create an onboarding schedule and complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9 forms, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Human Resources should also ensure that a new employee file is created.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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