What does an environmental science technician do?
Environmental science technician responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real environmental science technician resumes:
- Manage daily RCRA inspections and mechanical, electrical, and electronic equipment preventive/corrective maintenance procedures.
- Assist HAZWOPER technicians with logistical support for operations on project operations including research of facilities and vendors need for project completion.
- Develop innovative PowerPoint presentations on current environmental issues in Arizona for reporting purposes.
Environmental science technician skills and personality traits
We calculated that 18% of Environmental Science Technicians are proficient in Water Quality, GIS, and Hazardous Waste. They’re also known for soft skills such as Interpersonal skills, Analytical skills, and Communication skills.
We break down the percentage of Environmental Science Technicians that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Water Quality, 18%
Team lead for water quality testing as well.
- GIS, 17%
Provide support for the Soil Atlas project through using ESRI's GIS software and Illustrator to provide a better visual presentation.
- Hazardous Waste, 13%
Created, developed and trained employees to meet RCRA requirements Developed a hazardous waste auditing program.
- Environmental Regulations, 12%
Assist in interpretation of new environmental regulations and implementation of procedures to comply with standards that meet all appropriate requirements.
- Environmental Compliance, 11%
Assist Environmental Compliance Inspector as needed, and assume duties when necessary.
- Environmental Monitoring, 11%
Collected and managed data entry from wellfield extraction and environmental monitoring locations.
Common skills that an environmental science technician uses to do their job include "water quality," "gis," and "hazardous waste." You can find details on the most important environmental science technician responsibilities below.
Interpersonal skills. One of the key soft skills for an environmental science technician to have is interpersonal skills. You can see how this relates to what environmental science technicians do because "environmental science and protection technicians need to work well and collaborate with others, because they often work with scientists and other technicians." Additionally, an environmental science technician resume shows how environmental science technicians use interpersonal skills: "used interpersonal and communication skills with patients. "
Analytical skills. Many environmental science technician duties rely on analytical skills. "environmental science and protection technicians must carry out a wide range of laboratory and field tests, and their results must be accurate and precise.," so an environmental science technician will need this skill often in their role. This resume example is just one of many ways environmental science technician responsibilities rely on analytical skills: "created graphs and wrote weekly reports summarizing specified water quality data. "
Communication skills. Another skill that relates to the job responsibilities of environmental science technicians is communication skills. This skill is critical to many everyday environmental science technician duties, as "environmental science and protection technicians must have good listening and writing skills, because they must follow precise directions for sample collection and communicate their results effectively in written reports." This example from a resume shows how this skill is used: "maintained hazardous materials management system (hmms) assisted with hazard communication program fss vpp work group assisted with esoh compliance"
The three companies that hire the most environmental science technicians are:
- Navarro Group2 environmental science technicians jobs
- Chobani1 environmental science technicians jobs
- Navarro Research and Engineering1 environmental science technicians jobs
Compare different environmental science technicians
Environmental science technician vs. Laboratory analyst
A Laboratory Analyst helps conduct experiments, run laboratory tests, and analyze results. They compile and record data for the documentation needed for testing and report preparation.
There are some key differences in the responsibilities of each position. For example, environmental science technician responsibilities require skills like "water quality," "gis," "hazardous waste," and "environmental regulations." Meanwhile a typical laboratory analyst has skills in areas such as "test methods," "lab equipment," "lims," and "laboratory procedures." This difference in skills reveals the differences in what each career does.
Laboratory analysts tend to reach similar levels of education than environmental science technicians. In fact, laboratory analysts are 3.1% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.5% more likely to have a Doctoral Degree.Environmental science technician vs. Field technician engineer
Field service technicians or engineers are engineering professionals who are dispatched to specific locations to perform several tasks such as maintenance, service repairs, and installing electrical and engineering equipment products. These engineers are required to effectively communicate with their customers about their concerns related to equipment maintenance and repair so that they address them immediately. They must travel to customer sites to conduct survey and document existing field conditions and installation accuracy. Field service engineers must also conduct training for service technicians and operators at dealer and customer locations.
While some skills are similar in these professions, other skills aren't so similar. For example, resumes show us that environmental science technician responsibilities requires skills like "water quality," "gis," "hazardous waste," and "environmental regulations." But a field technician engineer might use other skills in their typical duties, such as, "preventive maintenance," "technical support," "rf," and "customer satisfaction."
Average education levels between the two professions vary. Field technician engineers tend to reach similar levels of education than environmental science technicians. In fact, they're 1.6% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.5% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Environmental science technician vs. Hazardous material technician
Technicians are skilled professionals who primarily work with technology in different industries. They are knowledgeable about the technical aspects of the various items they work with. They are usually working with electricity or with technological advancements. Technicians may be assigned to do the construction of equipment or materials related to their field of study. They may also be assigned to conduct diagnostics and other maintenance activities to ensure that the equipment works properly. Technicians may also be required to conduct basic repairs in case of problems. It is important that technicians have good analytical skills and decision-making skills.
Some important key differences between the two careers include a few of the skills necessary to fulfill the responsibilities of each. Some examples from environmental science technician resumes include skills like "water quality," "gis," "environmental regulations," and "environmental compliance," whereas a hazardous material technician is more likely to list skills in "safety procedures," "hazardous materials incidents," "hazmat," and "emergency response. "
Hazardous material technicians typically earn similar educational levels compared to environmental science technicians. Specifically, they're 2.6% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.3% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Environmental science technician vs. Technician
Even though a few skill sets overlap between environmental science technicians and technicians, there are some differences that are important to note. For one, an environmental science technician might have more use for skills like "water quality," "gis," "hazardous waste," and "environmental regulations." Meanwhile, some responsibilities of technicians require skills like "patients," "customer service," "patient care," and "hand tools. "
The average resume of technicians showed that they earn similar levels of education compared to environmental science technicians. So much so that theyacirc;euro;trade;re 0.7% less likely to earn a Master's Degree and more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree by 0.4%.Types of environmental science technician
Updated January 8, 2025
