Water Resource Specialist
What Does a Professional in this Career Do?
A Water Resource Specialist samples water, analyzes samples, and provides information on environmental or health risks. Assists local and state governments with planning and watershed resource management. May specialize as an environmental scientist. May work as a water or wastewater treatment plant operator.
Job Outlook
There were 71 Water Resource Specialist job postings in North Carolina in the past year and 2315 in the United States.
In combination with other careers in the Water Resource Specialist industry, which includes the Water Resource Specialist career, the following graph shows the number of people employed for each year since 2015:
Salary
Many new Water Resource Specialist jobs have salaries estimated to be in the following ranges, based on the requirements and responsibilities listed in job postings from the past year.
National
The average estimated salary in the United States for this career, based on job postings in the past year, is $63,900.
State
The average estimated salary in North Carolina for this career, based on job postings in the past year, is $54,016.
Percentiles represent the percentage that is lower than the value. For example, 25% of estimated salaries for Water Resource Specialist postings in the United States in the past year were lower than $40,724.
Education and Experience
Posted Water Resource Specialist jobs typically require the following level of education. The numbers below are based on job postings in the United States from the past year. Not all job postings list education requirements.
| Education Level | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Associate's Degree | 8.86% |
| Bachelor's Degree | 37.54% |
| Master's Degree | 14.21% |
| Doctoral Degree | 3.02% |
| Other | 19.78% |
Posted Water Resource Specialist jobs typically require the following number of years of experience. The numbers below are based on job postings in the United States from the past year. Not all job postings list experience requirements.
| Years of Experience | Percentage |
|---|---|
| 0 to 2 years | 41.43% |
| 3 to 5 years | 38.92% |
| 6 to 8 years | 9.83% |
| 9+ years | 9.83% |
Skills
Below are listings of the most common general and specialized skills Water Resource Specialist positions expect applicants to have as well as the most common skills that distinguish individuals from their peers. The percentage of job postings that specifically mention each skill is also listed.
Baseline Skills
A skill that is required across a broad range of occupations, including this one.
- Communication (35.81%)
- Management (32.61%)
- Operations (27.04%)
- Planning (19.96%)
- Writing (18.49%)
- Customer Service (18.32%)
- Research (16.76%)
- Detail Oriented (14.77%)
- Coordinating (13.95%)
- Leadership (13.65%)
Necessary Skills
A skill that is requested frequently in this occupation but isn’t specific to it.
- Hydrology (15.69%)
- Environmental Science (19.97%)
- Biology (13.99%)
- Auditing (10.78%)
- Groundwater (11.72%)
- Construction (12.04%)
- Project Management (19.66%)
- Water Resource Management (13.86%)
- Water Resources (37.56%)
- Water Quality (12.54%)
- Water Distribution (8.51%)
- Data Analysis (12.48%)
- Valves (Piping) (8%)
- Geographic Information Systems (13.23%)
- Wastewater (12.85%)
- Stormwater Management (11.59%)
Alternative Job Titles
Sometimes employers post jobs with Water Resource Specialist skills but a different job title. Some common alternative job titles include:
- Water Technician
- Director of Sustainability
- Water Resources Specialist
- Quality Analyst
- Water Resources Technician
- Water Resources Manager
- Water Quality Analyst
- Water Resources Analyst
- Landfill Manager
- Natural Resources Specialist
Similar Occupations
If you are interested in exploring occupations with similar skills, you may want to research the following job titles. Note that we only list occupations that have at least one corresponding NC State Online and Distance Education program.
- Hydrologist
- Environmental Planner / Scientist
- Water / Wastewater Engineer
- Environmental Compliance Specialist
- Water Treatment Specialist / Waste Water Operator
- Conservation Scientist
- Environmental Engineer
Common Employers
Here are the employers that have posted the most Water Resource Specialist jobs in the past year along with how many they have posted.
United States
- ServiceMaster (31)
- Belfor Property Restoration (26)
- State of Arizona (23)
- Belfor (21)
- Aerotek (20)
- AECOM (19)
- Deloitte (17)
- Steris Corporation (16)
- State of Montana (15)
- Midwest Remediation (15)
North Carolina
- ServiceMaster (4)
- State of North Carolina (4)
- BlueTriton Brands (3)
- Mcgill Associates, P.A. (3)
- East Carolina University (2)
- Belfor Property Restoration (2)
- Seattle Colleges Foundation (2)
- Actalent (1)
- Paul Davis Restoration Of Charlotte (1)
- Mcatee Plumbing, Heating And Cooling (1)
NC State Programs Relevant to this Career
If you are interested in preparing for a career in this field, the following NC State Online and Distance Education programs offer a great place to start!
All wages, job posting statistics, employment trend projections, and information about skill desirability on this page represents historical data and does not guarantee future conditions. Data is provided by and downloaded regularly from Lightcast. For more information about how Lightcast gathers data and what it represents, see Lightcast Data: Basic Overview on Lightcast's Knowledge Base website.