How to hire an environmental chemist

How to hire an environmental chemist, step by step

Here's a step-by-step environmental chemist hiring guide:

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

What does an environmental chemist do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you post your environmental chemist job, you should take the time to determine what type of worker your business needs. While certain jobs definitely require a full-time employee, it's sometimes better to find an environmental chemist for hire on a part-time basis or as a contractor.

   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 environmental chemist 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.

   This list presents environmental chemist salaries for various positions.

   Type of Environmental Chemist	Description	Hourly rate
   Environmental Chemist	Chemists and materials scientists study substances at the atomic and molecular levels and the ways in which the substances interact with one another. They use their knowledge to develop new and improved products and to test the quality of manufactured goods.	$18-40
   Chemist, Development	A development chemist is responsible for delivering products that are specially created for a customer. You will be responsible for conducting qualitative and quantitative chemical analyses for process or quality control... Show more	$22-52
   Quality Assurance Chemist	Quality Assurance Chemists generally offer pay of around $54K per year and require strong skills in analysis and instrumentation and general knowledge of chemistry, attention to detail, and various organizational skills. Also, they must be able to investigate and analyze problems whenever they crop up... Show more	$20-39

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Data Validation
   • GC
   • Ms
   • Laboratory Equipment
   • ICP-MS
   • Environmental Samples
   • Analytical Data
   • Analytical Methods
   • PCB
   • Sample Analysis
   • OSHA
   • Water Samples
   • Laboratory Data
   • Sample Preparation

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage storage of hazardous waste for compliance with RCRA regulations.
   • Manage and operate mobile laboratories analyzing a wide range of samples utilizing USEPA SW846 GC/MS and HPLC methods.
   • Achieve expertise with hydrogenations and catalysts, low temp reactions, TLC, reactions done with UV and infrare lights.
   • Achieve expertise with organic techniques like steam distillation, recrystallization, vacuum sublimation/distillation.
   • Administer various laboratory safety audits with regard to OSHA rules and regulations to maintain adherence and manage necessary corrective actions.
   • Conduct analysis of heavy metals in environmental soil and water samples using ICP-OES and ICP-MS

   More environmental chemist duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in the environmental chemist job description is a good way to get more applicants. An environmental chemist 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 an environmental chemist in Arkansas may be lower than in Delaware, and an entry-level engineer typically earns less than a senior-level environmental chemist. Additionally, an environmental chemist with lots of experience in the field may command a higher salary as a result.

   Average environmental chemist salary

   $56,956yearly

   $27.38 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level environmental chemist salary

   $38,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 16, 2025

   Average environmental chemist salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	Washington	$73,153	$35
   2	Maryland	$70,424	$34
   3	Texas	$67,697	$33
   4	New Jersey	$67,499	$32
   5	Oklahoma	$65,853	$32
   6	Rhode Island	$64,768	$31
   7	Massachusetts	$64,562	$31
   8	Virginia	$63,947	$31
   9	Connecticut	$60,018	$29
   10	Minnesota	$58,343	$28
   11	Michigan	$58,326	$28
   12	New York	$57,569	$28
   13	Ohio	$57,562	$28
   14	Utah	$57,182	$27
   15	South Carolina	$57,163	$27
   16	New Mexico	$56,749	$27
   17	Kentucky	$56,135	$27
   18	New Hampshire	$55,850	$27
   19	Montana	$55,112	$27
   20	Iowa	$54,979	$26

   Average environmental chemist salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Southern California Edison	$85,395	$41.06
   2	Clean Harbors	$75,515	$36.31	113
   3	Burns & McDonnell	$63,557	$30.56	104
   4	Edison International	$62,943	$30.26
   5	Serco	$62,826	$30.20	8
   6	Exponent	$62,729	$30.16	8
   7	Tetra Tech	$61,646	$29.64	38
   8	ICF	$60,530	$29.10	5
   9	Pegasus	$60,322	$29.00
   10	Eurofins	$57,569	$27.68	41
   11	MXI	$57,549	$27.67
   12	Monroe County	$57,356	$27.57
   13	Serco	$57,043	$27.42
   14	Amec Foster Wheeler	$57,043	$27.42
   15	Woods Services	$56,871	$27.34
   16	Brookville Country Club	$55,558	$26.71
   17	Herrera	$55,046	$26.46
   18	Kelly Services	$53,252	$25.60	37
   19	Oklahoma City Public Schools Foundation	$46,358	$22.29
   20	Commonwealth Of Pennsylvania	$43,420	$20.88

4. Writing an environmental chemist job description

   A good environmental chemist 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 an environmental chemist job description:

   Environmental chemist job description example

   Scientist 1

   Make an impact. Build a career.

   At Pace®, everything we do is built upon an unwavering commitment to making the world a safer, healthier place. We continually work to develop innovative practices that drive sustainability and empower our partners with accurate, quality data at every critical moment and milestone.

   That’s why we need you — your curiosity, your talents, and your drive — to help us advance this important work, and your career.

   Find your place at Pace®

   Join us as a Scientist I, where you’ll put your love of science to work performing and overseeing projects within the wet chemistry department of our environmental testing laboratory.

   What you’ll do

   • Facilitate and support the analysis, administration and oversight of air, water and soil samples using standard chemistry/ biochemistry policies, programs, and practices
   • Clean, maintain and calibrate equipment
   • Maintain detailed and organized documentation on all laboratory work
   • Work a Monday - Friday 11:00 am - 8:00 pm schedule; training will be on first shift for 4-8 weeks

   What you’ll bring

   • Bachelor’s degree in Chemistry/ Biochemistry or a closely related field, or an equivalent combination of education, training and experience
   • Ability to perform work in a lab or office setting, remain standing for long periods while conducting tests, work around strong smells, and wear personal protective equipment while handling samples (e.g., lab coat, safety glasses and gloves; all PPE provided by Pace®).

   What we promise

   • Comprehensive benefit program, including medical, vision and dental insurance, 401(k) matching and tuition reimbursement
   • Opportunities to build a rewarding career
   • An inclusive culture that stands for integrity, innovation and growth

   About PaceⓇ

   PaceⓇ Science and Technology company makes the world a safer, healthier place. We partner with clients to provide the service, science, and laboratory data needed to make critical decisions that benefit us all. Through a nationwide laboratory network, PaceⓇ advances the science of businesses, industries, consulting firms, government agencies, and others. More at PACELABS.com.

   PaceⓇ Analytical Services is a division of PaceⓇ Science and Technology, providing local testing and analytical services backed by a large, national laboratory network.

   PaceⓇ Life Sciences is a division of PaceⓇ Science and Technology, providing full-service CDMO/CRO capabilities and professional services for in-house labs through a nationwide network of service centers, manufacturing sites and FDA-registered laboratories.

   
   

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find environmental chemists for your business, try out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important talent pools for any company is its current employees.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and your current work to ask if they know any environmental chemists they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit entry-level environmental chemists with the right educational background.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter have more than 3.5 billion users, and they're a great place for company branding and reaching potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

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

6. Interview candidates

   To successfully recruit environmental chemists, your first interview needs to engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. You can go into more detail about the company, the role, and the responsibilities during follow-up interviews.

   Remember to include a few questions that allow candidates to expand on their strengths in their own words. Asking about their unique skills might reveal things you'd miss otherwise. At this point, good candidates can move on to 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 environmental chemist

   Once you've found the environmental chemist 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 equally important to follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   After that, you can create an onboarding schedule for a new environmental chemist. Human Resources and the hiring manager should complete Employee Action Forms. Human Resources should also ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc., and that new employee files are 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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How much does it cost to hire an environmental chemist?