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Principal environmental scientist vs environmental specialist

The differences between principal environmental scientists and environmental specialists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both a principal environmental scientist and an environmental specialist. Additionally, a principal environmental scientist has an average salary of $98,556, which is higher than the $54,482 average annual salary of an environmental specialist.

The top three skills for a principal environmental scientist include environmental services, project management and environmental compliance. The most important skills for an environmental specialist are hazardous waste, environmental compliance, and hazardous materials.

Principal environmental scientist vs environmental specialist overview

Principal Environmental ScientistEnvironmental Specialist
Yearly salary$98,556$54,482
Hourly rate$47.38$26.19
Growth rate5%5%
Number of jobs92,45018,074
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 65%Bachelor's Degree, 64%
Average age3939
Years of experience66

Principal environmental scientist vs environmental specialist salary

Principal environmental scientists and environmental specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.

Principal Environmental ScientistEnvironmental Specialist
Average salary$98,556$54,482
Salary rangeBetween $63,000 And $152,000Between $36,000 And $80,000
Highest paying City-San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state-California
Best paying company-Texas Instruments
Best paying industry-Manufacturing

Differences between principal environmental scientist and environmental specialist education

There are a few differences between a principal environmental scientist and an environmental specialist in terms of educational background:

Principal Environmental ScientistEnvironmental Specialist
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 65%Bachelor's Degree, 64%
Most common majorEnvironmental ScienceEnvironmental Science
Most common collegeUniversity of PennsylvaniaUniversity of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Principal environmental scientist vs environmental specialist demographics

Here are the differences between principal environmental scientists' and environmental specialists' demographics:

Principal Environmental ScientistEnvironmental Specialist
Average age3939
Gender ratioMale, 87.7% Female, 12.3%Male, 62.6% Female, 37.4%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 3.1% Unknown, 3.7% Hispanic or Latino, 6.2% Asian, 5.0% White, 81.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%Black or African American, 3.1% Unknown, 3.7% Hispanic or Latino, 6.2% Asian, 5.0% White, 81.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%
LGBT Percentage16%16%

Differences between principal environmental scientist and environmental specialist duties and responsibilities

Principal environmental scientist example responsibilities.

  • Develop and manage company EHS compliance processes in accordance with current and upcoming regulatory mandates.
  • Perform a variety of regular cleaning activities to effectively and efficiently maintain an acceptable level of cleanliness and improve aesthetic environment.
  • Perform environmental and geotechnical exploratory boring field logging and reporting.

Environmental specialist example responsibilities.

  • Manage all compliance recordkeeping, sampling, monitoring, auditing, testing and training activities.
  • Lead numerous consultation meetings with USACE, BOEM, USCG, NMFS, USFWS and other state and federal agencies.
  • Conduct environmental and safety due diligence on industrial facilities of clients to evaluate compliance with applicable OSHA safety guidelines and EPA regulations
  • Experience reviewing existing sewer collection, and conveyance plans.
  • Create an air-cleaning approach to eliminate acid use in the groundwater conveyance pipes.
  • Complete SPCC field verification, personnel interviews, and reviews of SPCC operating procedures, documentation, and incident reports.
  • Show more

Principal environmental scientist vs environmental specialist skills

Common principal environmental scientist skills
  • Environmental Services, 55%
  • Project Management, 8%
  • Environmental Compliance, 7%
  • EPA, 7%
  • Remote Sensing, 6%
  • Data Analysis, 6%
Common environmental specialist skills
  • Hazardous Waste, 9%
  • Environmental Compliance, 8%
  • Hazardous Materials, 6%
  • EPA, 6%
  • Customer Service, 5%
  • HAZWOPER, 5%

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