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The differences between senior environmental engineers and waste management specialists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 6-12 months to become both a senior environmental engineer and a waste management specialist. Additionally, a senior environmental engineer has an average salary of $84,515, which is higher than the $58,616 average annual salary of a waste management specialist.
The top three skills for a senior environmental engineer include environmental engineering, environmental compliance and OSHA. The most important skills for a waste management specialist are EPA, RCRA, and OSHA.
| Senior Environmental Engineer | Waste Management Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $84,515 | $58,616 |
| Hourly rate | $40.63 | $28.18 |
| Growth rate | 4% | 4% |
| Number of jobs | 30,813 | 86,676 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 72% | Bachelor's Degree, 61% |
| Average age | 43 | 43 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 12 |
Senior Environmental Engineers are responsible for the supervision and implementation of processes that protect the environment intending to reduce contamination, control pollution, and optimize resource usage. They are responsible for identifying contaminant sources, managing sites assessments, carrying out technical audits, making waste-management recommendations, creating environmental impacts forecast using computer modeling and mathematical techniques as well as design technical solution to reduce an organization's negative environmental impact. They also ensure the site achieves environmental regulation compliance, keeps updated with environmental law changes, and assist in managing permits.
A waste management specialist designs and manages waste reduction and reclamation projects. They work with government officials to ensure that waste management goes smoothly. They ensure the implementation of waste management and evaluate a waste management program's success. This position requires a university degree or a recognized training certificate.
Senior environmental engineers and waste management specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Senior Environmental Engineer | Waste Management Specialist | |
| Average salary | $84,515 | $58,616 |
| Salary range | Between $65,000 And $109,000 | Between $36,000 And $93,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Philadelphia, PA |
| Highest paying state | West Virginia | Pennsylvania |
| Best paying company | Microsoft | McKinsey & Company Inc |
| Best paying industry | Energy | Energy |
There are a few differences between a senior environmental engineer and a waste management specialist in terms of educational background:
| Senior Environmental Engineer | Waste Management Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 72% | Bachelor's Degree, 61% |
| Most common major | Chemical Engineering | Environmental Science |
| Most common college | University of California, Berkeley | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between senior environmental engineers' and waste management specialists' demographics:
| Senior Environmental Engineer | Waste Management Specialist | |
| Average age | 43 | 43 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 74.9% Female, 25.1% | Male, 75.9% Female, 24.1% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 3.6% Unknown, 3.8% Hispanic or Latino, 10.4% Asian, 13.0% White, 68.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% | Black or African American, 4.1% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 11.1% Asian, 10.2% White, 70.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 13% | 13% |