How to hire an environmental engineer

How to hire an environmental engineer, step by step

Here's a step-by-step environmental engineer 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 engineer job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new environmental engineer
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does an environmental engineer do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you start hiring an environmental engineer, identify what type of worker you actually need. Certain positions might call for a full-time employee, while others can be done by a part-time worker or contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

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

   Yes

   No

   An environmental engineer's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, environmental engineers from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

   Here's a comparison of environmental engineer salaries for various roles:

   Type of Environmental Engineer	Description	Hourly rate
   Environmental Engineer	Environmental engineers use the principles of engineering, soil science, biology, and chemistry to develop solutions to environmental problems. They are involved in efforts to improve recycling, waste disposal, public health, and water and air pollution control.	$27-47
   Engineering Project Coordinator	An engineering project coordinator works with project managers and specialists to ensure that all aspects of the project are carried out and cared for. They make sure that work is done according to schedule, the staff is doing their job per timeframe, the budget is allocated for, and expenditures are accounted for... Show more	$25-48
   Engineering Coordinator	An engineering coordinator organizes and oversees engineering projects. They typically perform administrative support tasks such as conducting extensive research and analysis, arranging schedules with clients, handling calls and correspondence, liaising with internal and external parties, reviewing contracts and other documentation, and managing the flow of documents and information across different teams... Show more	$19-37

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Environmental Compliance
   • Project Management
   • OSHA
   • Autocad
   • HAZWOPER
   • Environmental Regulations
   • Management System
   • Regulatory Agencies
   • Cost Estimates
   • Data Collection
   • Technical Reports
   • Storm Water
   • GIS
   • EPA

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage and conduct various environmental engineering projects at DOD facilities.
   • Create the 3D environment assets in Maya, texture in Photoshop.
   • Prepare water quality reports by collecting, analyzing and summarizing data according to EPA regulations.
   • Develop and implement a configuration management program for company documents require by both OSHA and EPA risk assessment regulations.
   • Maintain HazWoper certification and are a member of the company spill team.
   • Perform vendor audits for ISO 14000 and environmental company policies to insure contract compliance.

   More environmental engineer duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your environmental engineer job description helps attract top candidates to the position. An environmental engineer salary can be affected by several factors, such as geography, experience, seniority, certifications, and the prestige of the hiring company.

   For example, the average salary for an environmental engineer in Maine may be lower than in Louisiana, and an entry-level environmental engineer usually earns less than a senior-level environmental engineer. Additionally, an environmental engineer with certifications may command a higher salary, and working for a well-known company or start-up may also impact an employee's pay.

   Average environmental engineer salary

   $75,718yearly

   $36.40 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level environmental engineer salary

   $58,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 21, 2025

   Average environmental engineer salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$90,583	$44
   2	Louisiana	$88,542	$43
   3	Texas	$87,873	$42
   4	District of Columbia	$85,437	$41
   5	Maryland	$75,606	$36
   6	Arizona	$75,555	$36
   7	Oregon	$73,098	$35
   8	Virginia	$72,975	$35
   9	New Mexico	$71,196	$34
   10	Florida	$70,315	$34
   11	New Jersey	$69,442	$33
   12	New York	$69,175	$33
   13	Washington	$68,530	$33
   14	Pennsylvania	$67,214	$32
   15	North Carolina	$66,608	$32
   16	Massachusetts	$66,489	$32
   17	Georgia	$63,360	$30
   18	Michigan	$62,417	$30
   19	Colorado	$59,554	$29
   20	Illinois	$58,338	$28

   Average environmental engineer salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Google	$127,909	$61.49	1
   2	Apple	$116,329	$55.93	2
   3	ConocoPhillips	$107,780	$51.82
   4	Phillips 66	$107,024	$51.45	3
   5	Chevron	$105,681	$50.81
   6	Exxon Mobil	$103,032	$49.53
   7	Azul	$99,134	$47.66
   8	Intel	$98,497	$47.35
   9	CF Industries	$97,599	$46.92	2
   10	FUJIFILM Diosynth Biotechnologies	$96,159	$46.23	1
   11	C.C. FORBES LLC	$95,667	$45.99
   12	Eli Lilly and Company	$95,628	$45.98	2
   13	Applied Materials	$95,108	$45.73
   14	Cargill	$94,968	$45.66	8
   15	PBF Energy	$94,134	$45.26
   16	CVR Energy	$93,983	$45.18	2
   17	Bayer	$93,664	$45.03	8
   18	Lord & Taylor	$93,362	$44.89
   19	Micron Technology	$93,354	$44.88	2
   20	Occidental Petroleum	$91,759	$44.11	6

4. Writing an environmental engineer job description

   An environmental engineer job description should include a summary of the role, required skills, and a list of responsibilities. It's also good to include a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager. To help get you started, here's an example of an environmental engineer job description:

   Environmental engineer job description example

   Imagine...working for a company that knows that its people are the key to its success in the marketplace. A company in which achieving extraordinary results and having a stimulating work experience are part of the same process.
   
   We cultivate and embrace a diverse employee population. We recognize that people with diverse backgrounds, experiences and perspectives fuel our growth and enrich our global culture.
   
   We are looking for an individual who enjoys working in a fast-paced, team oriented environment, likes to be challenged, and values the opportunity to make a difference.
   
   Responsible for compliance with all local, state and federal environmental regulatory requirements, permits and regulations. Environmental areas of concern are air, stormwater, wastewater, recycling, hazardous waste, solid waste, hazardous chemicals, and chemical compliance. This position will also ensure conformance with company goals to operate as a good corporate neighbor environmentally in the community.
   Principal Accountabilities:
   Executes the Company's Corporate Environmental management system (CEMMS) to improve the overall environmental compliance program ensuring plant personnel are meeting compliance deadlines 20% - Manage the Land Application of the sites wastewater in accordance to the State issued Permit and associated personnel 20% - Manages compliance and training programs for aboveground storage tanks (AST), Air Permitting, Chemical Inventory, EPA RMP, OSHA PSM, Radioactive Devices, Wastewater permitting, Stormwater compliance, ODS Compliance, asbestos containing material and CSAT Homeland Security.20% - Leads/Participates in the site sustainability program to meet company goals related to energy usage, water usage and waste generation and disposal15% - Manages data collection and reporting for the purpose of accurate compliance reporting.5% - Support Capital project development and execution, evaluating environmental impacts and managing necessary response5% - Acts as liason with local, state and federal environmental agencies audits, inspections and any interaction.5% - Submits all applicable permit requirements, along with fulfilling customer requests for compliance status.5% - Works with site leaders, including training site personnel on environmental compliance to ensure all environmental permits are managed properly 5% - Manages environmental audit deficiencies to ensure compliance..
   Job Complexity:
   Requires in depth knowledge of environmental management in food, beverage, or similar industry with experience in auditing/compliance reporting. Must have a thorough understanding of environmental regulations and environmental compliance reporting Must have good computer skills and the ability to communicate effectively with written and verbal skills.Must have the ability to communicate necessary compliance requirements when equipment/process changes occur in the plant.Must be able to work with multi-functional plant teams in order to train and communicate environmental and sustainability compliance requirements.Ability to work with outside contractors and agencies to manage issues as they arise.Must have specific knowledge in EPCRA Tier II, Title V air permits, EPA TRI, Solid and Hazardous Waste management, and Wastewater and Stormwater program compliance.
   Education requirements:
   Bachelors Degree in environmental engineering, environmental science or related field, Minimum of 3 years experience, preferred 5-7 years of experience Certifications / Licenses / Registrations: preferred CHMM, REM, but not required. Preferred or obtained within 36 months of hire: Operator in Responsible Charge (ORC) Strong Microsoft Office skills, especially Excel and PowerPoint, due to a heavy reliance of excel spreadsheets with various levels of formula complexity Strong attention to detail Strong presentation skills to audiences both on the plant floor and within the plant and corporate leadership.Must be able to work with, train and lead plant teams from multiple departments and skill levels to ensure compliance
   
   ACR
   
   The Company is committed to providing equal opportunity for employees and applicants in all aspects of the employment relationship, without regard to race, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, citizenship, marital status, veteran status, disability, age, religion or any other classification protected by law.
   
   In that regard, U.S. applicants and employees are protected from discrimination based on certain categories protected by Federal law. Click here for additional information.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are a few common ways to find environmental engineers for your business:

   • Promoting internally or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to meet candidates with the right educational background.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to recruit passive job-seekers.

   Post your job online:

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

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting environmental engineers 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.

   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 engineer

   Once you've found the environmental engineer 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 engineer. 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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