Policy, Research & Analysis
Scientist (Water Ecology)
$61,510 to $90,081 a year
Posted until October 16, 2026 · posted August 17, 2026
Requirements
Other requirements
Exam
Competitive title
A job title where you show you are right for it by passing a competitive exam: multiple-choice, practical, education and experience, or a mix. On our job pages this shows as "Civil service exam title".
From ≈ $29.57 an hour · $2,366 every 2 weeks, before taxes (40-hour weeks).
NYC minimum wage is $17/hr. This beats it by $12.57/hr, with health insurance and a pension on top.
What you'd have made
$2,358 If you'd started this job 2 weeks ago, at this pay, before taxes.
An hour of this job pays for about 9.8 subway rides ($3 fare).
Price anything in hours of this job
Check yourself
What they actually ask for.
Other requirements: read them on the posting
1. A masters degree from an accredited college or university
in one of the following areas of study: environmental or chemical engineering, limnology, environmental science, marine science, geology, biology, earth science, chemistry, physics, or health science; or
2.
A baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university with 24 semester credits in one or a combination of the areas of study described in ""1"" above, at least 12 of which must have been in one of these areas of study; and at least one year of satisfactory full time experience, which may not have been part of graduate or undergraduate course work, working in the field of water quality planning, management or
Read the rest of the requirements
research or performing environmental laboratory analyses, and/or environmental field sampling of water; or
3. An associate degree from an accredited college or university
including or supplemented by 24 semester credits in one or a combination of the areas of study described in "1" above, at least 12 of which must have been in one of these areas of study; and at least three years of satisfactory full time experience as described in "2" above.
Additional Requirements
To be assigned to Assignment Levels II or III, all candidates must have a baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university as described in "2" above and must have one additional year of the experience described in "2" above for a total of two years of experience.
Special Note
A master's degree from an accredited college in one of the areas described in "1" above may be substituted for up to two years of the required experience.
Quoted word for word from the official posting. The label above is ours, read from this text; if they disagree, this text wins.
The work
What the job is.
-
Lifts up to 50 lbs
“ves as required; assists with memos/reports and other documents related to additional sampling; and lift and carry coolers weighing up to 50 pounds.”
-
Fieldwork or outdoors
“e and judgment, the selected candidate will be responsible for participating in year round sampling in all weather conditions during Harbor Survey Cruises and field surveys for the Remote Monitoring Program; assisting in the production of annual reports and as”
Read from the posting. Tap one to see the line it came from.
***IMPORTANT NOTE: Candidate(s) selected for the Scientist (Water Ecology) position through this posting will be hired on a provisional basis.
To be considered for permanent employment in this role, provisional employees will need to take and pass the next civil service examination for Scientist (Water Ecology) and obtain a list number issued by the NYC Department of Citywide Administrative Services.
Read the rest, from the posting
Please be aware that employees who do not take and pass the exam may not be able to continue in the provisional position.***
The NYC Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) enriches the environment and protects public health for all New Yorkers by providing 1.1 billion gallons of high quality drinking water, managing wastewater and stormwater, and reducing air, noise, and hazardous materials pollution.
DEP is the largest combined municipal water and wastewater utility in the country, with nearly 6,000 employees.
DEP's water supply system is comprised of 19 reservoirs and 3 controlled lakes throughout the system’s 2,000 square mile watershed that extends 125 miles north and west of the City.
The Bureau of Wastewater Treatment (BWT) is responsible for the operation and maintenance of all facilities related to the treatment of sewage within the five boroughs of the City.
This includes 14 wastewater treatment plants, sludge dewatering facilities, collections facilities (pumping stations, combined sewer overflow retention facilities, regulators, tide gates, etc.), wastewater laboratories and harbor vessels.
Under supervision, with some latitude for the exercise of independent initiative and judgment, the selected candidate will be responsible for participating in year round sampling in all weather conditions during Harbor Survey Cruises and field surveys for the Remote Monitoring Program; assisting in the production of annual reports and assisting with the development and review of additional sampling programs.
Duties will include: On board processing of samples following strict SOPs; assist in the calibration and repair of instruments; schedule and perform routine maintenance on instruments and stations; assist the field supervisor with placement of monitoring locations; prepare graphics, maps, and/or text for Annual report; perform data analysis as requested; proofread and perform QA/QC for report production; develop new sampling initiatives as required; assists with memos/reports and other documents related to additional sampling; and lift and carry coolers weighing up to 50 pounds.
Skills they'd like
The ideal candidate will have extensive knowledge of marine science, as well as experience managing large datasets. The most suitable candidates will possess the following skills:
- Experience in a laboratory setting handling hazardous chemicals
- Experience with daily/weekly QAQC of data, with high attention to detail
- Experience in ArcGIS
- Ability to work year round in all weather conditions on a moving vessel for more than 12 hours any given day
- Proficiency with data recording software (Microsoft Excel, online database applications, Power BI).
- Experience calibrating or repairing field equipment
- Excellent written and oral communication skills
- Excellent analytical/ research skills and with ability for concise reporting
- Experience in generating annual reports encompassing results on an annually, monthly, or weekly basis (as needed)
- Ability to perform statistical analysis of data on a regional and harbor wide scale
Before you apply
The fine print.
Where you have to live
Live in NYC within 90 days (usually)
New York City residency is generally required within 90 days of appointment. However, City Employees in certain titles who have worked for the City for 2 continuous years may also be eligible to reside in Nassau, Suffolk, Putnam, Westchester, Rockland, or Orange County. To determine if the residency requirement applies to you, please discuss with the agency representative at the time of interview.
How to apply, from the posting
Click "Apply Now" button.
Sources
Straight from the city.
Updated every day from the city's job data (last city update September 21, 2026). You apply through the official posting.
Similar work