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Environmental scientist and engineer recruitment for regional employers

Hire Australia is a regional recruitment specialist. We help mines, consultancies, councils, utilities, agribusinesses and contractors hire environmental scientists, consultants, ecologists and environmental engineers, from graduates to senior advisers and approvals leads. We build the field work, the approvals and any accreditation the role needs into every search.

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Illustrative image: an environmental scientist in waders takes a water sample from a creek lined with river red gums.

Environmental hiring at a glance

Environmental work is more regional than most professional jobs: well over a third of the ads are outside the major cities.

of environmental scientist job ads were for regional areas
44%
209 of 478 located ads, three months to September 2026, against 29% for all jobs.1
national rating for Environmental Research Scientist in 2026
Shortage
Environmental consultants and environmental engineers are not rated in shortage. In shortage means rated S or R.2
environmental scientists employed in Australia
32,000
February 2026, up 1,000 in a year.3
median full-time weekly earnings for environmental scientists
$1,953
May 2025, national.3

What does an environmental scientist do, and which qualification do they hold?

Environmental scientists study, develop, carry out and advise on plans for managing and protecting the environment, flora, fauna and other natural resources.3 In regional work that usually means environmental approvals and management plans, monitoring of water, air, noise and soil, ecological surveys, contaminated land assessment, rehabilitation and compliance reporting to the regulator.

Most hold a degree in environmental science, ecology or a related science. Environmental engineers hold an engineering degree and design treatment, remediation and containment works. Contaminated land auditors hold a state accreditation or appointment of their own.

Which registration or accreditation applies in each state?

Two schemes matter. Engineer registration applies to environmental engineers in some states, and contaminated land auditors are accredited or appointed by each state's environment regulator. Most environmental scientists need neither.

Engineer registration and contaminated land auditor schemes by state and territory, as published by each regulator on 1 November 2026.

State or territoryEngineer registrationContaminated land auditor accreditation
QueenslandRPEQ for professional engineering services4Accredited by the state environment department, which takes part in the national harmonised process5
New South WalesNot a listed NSW area: registration covers only civil, electrical, fire safety, geotechnical, mechanical or structural work on a class 2, 3 or 9c building or part; directly supervised staff need not register6Site auditors accredited by the EPA under the Contaminated Land Management Act 19977
VictoriaRegistration in five prescribed areas, which do not include environmental engineering8Environmental auditors appointed by EPA Victoria and assessed for reappointment every three years9
Western AustraliaBuilding engineer registration covers civil, structural, mechanical and fire safety only10Auditors accredited by the Department of Water and Environmental Regulation under the Contaminated Sites Act 200311
South AustraliaNo engineer registration scheme12Accredited by the SA EPA, which takes part in the national harmonised process5
TasmaniaBuilding provider licence as an engineer (civil), which covers civil, structural, geotechnical and environmental engineering, for building-design work within the holder's competence13We confirm auditor requirements with you
Northern TerritoryNo environmental category; certifying-engineer registration covers structural, mechanical and hydraulic building certification14We confirm auditor requirements with you
ACTThe ACT's prescribed areas do not include environmental engineering15We confirm auditor requirements with you

What does an environmental scientist earn?

Award minimum: the Professional Employees Award 2020 covers employees doing professional scientific duties, unless another award applies. A full-time Level 1 scientist with a three-year degree earns at least $66,825 a year, or $33.71 an hour, from 1 July 2026.16 In black coal mining, Environmental Scientist is a Group G staff classification with a minimum of $1,357.10 a week.17

Market median: full-time environmental scientists earned $1,953 a week, or $54 an hour, in May 2025. Environmental engineers sit in the other engineering professionals group, whose median was $2,649 a week. Both figures are national.3

Where are environmental scientists in demand?

Environmental scientist job ads held steady at 483 a month in the three months to September 2026, against 484 a year earlier. New South Wales, Queensland and Western Australia each had well over a hundred a month.18

Online job ads for environmental scientists by state (three-month average to September 2026) and each state's share of employment (February 2026).3,18

State or territoryJob ads a monthShare of employment
New South Wales1221822.1%3
Queensland11720.6%
Western Australia11620.4%
Victoria7521.4%
South Australia235.9%
Northern Territory143.5%
Tasmania104%
Australian Capital Territory52.1%

Which environmental roles do we recruit?

Open a role for what to put in your brief.

Environmental consultants and contaminated land

Consultants who run site assessments, approvals and remediation for clients.

Workforce
5,100 people worked as environmental consultants in August 2021.3
Shortage
Environmental Consultant is not rated in shortage for 2026.2
Accreditation
In New South Wales, site auditors are accredited by the EPA.7
What to tell us
Assessment, remediation or approvals work, the sectors you consult to, report-writing load and field days.

Environmental research scientists and ecologists

Scientists for ecological surveys, monitoring programs and offsets.

Shortage
Environmental Research Scientist is rated in shortage for 2026.2
Workforce
5,500 people worked as environmental research scientists in August 2021.3
Where they live
New South Wales held 32.3% and Queensland 22.6% of them in August 2021.3
What to tell us
Survey types and species, permits the work needs, remote field trips and the four-wheel-drive and camping involved.

Environmental engineers

Engineers for water and wastewater treatment, remediation, landfill and containment design.

Shortage
Environmental Engineer is not rated in shortage for 2026.2
Workforce
1,600 people worked as environmental engineers in August 2021.3
Registration
In Queensland, professional engineering services need an RPEQ or an RPEQ's direct supervision.19
What to tell us
The treatment or remediation works, design or operations focus, and any registration the role needs.

Mine-site environmental advisers

Advisers who run monitoring, approvals compliance and rehabilitation at mines.

Award
In black coal mining, Environmental Scientist is a Group G staff classification.17
Demand
Western Australia averaged 116 environmental scientist ads a month, three months to September 2026.18
Regional work
44% of located environmental scientist ads were for regional areas.1
What to tell us
Commodity, approvals conditions, monitoring programs, rehabilitation work and the roster.

What to tell us about your environmental role

Start with the work: approvals, monitoring, ecology, contaminated land, rehabilitation or engineering design, and how much of it is field work. Tell us the regulator the role reports to, whether it needs an auditor or registered engineer, and the experience level.

Then the arrangements: the base, the field area and how remote it is, rosters or nights away, and the vehicle and equipment provided.

How we help you hire an environmental scientist

You make the hiring decision and employ the person directly. We handle the search and the organising in between.

  1. Step 1

    Understand the role

    We talk with you about the environmental work, the approvals and regulator, the field and office balance, and the experience the role calls for.

  2. Step 2

    Source and screen

    We talk with environmental scientists and engineers about the projects they have worked on, the surveys and assessments they have run, the reports they have written and any accreditation they hold.

  3. Step 3

    Introduce suitable people

    We introduce the candidates who best match your brief, so you decide who to interview.

  4. Step 4

    Coordinate the hire

    We coordinate the next steps and keep both sides informed through interviews and the offer. You employ the person directly.

Field work, rosters and moving to a regional role

Regional environmental roles can mix office days with long field trips, and mine-site roles often run on rosters. We explain the field area, the travel and the accommodation to candidates before they apply, and talk through the move with anyone relocating.

If the right person needs a visa or sponsorship, our sister business Australian Immigration Agency can advise.

Are you an environmental scientist or engineer looking for your next role?

Register with Hire Australia and tell us your discipline, the field and assessment work you do, any accreditation you hold, the rosters you will consider and the regions you prefer. We welcome graduates and experienced environmental professionals.

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Talk to us about your next environmental hire

Tell us the work, the field area and your start date.

Employers pay nothing until the successful candidate has started and stayed two months. Candidates never pay for recruitment.

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A FEW PRACTICAL QUESTIONS

Good to know.

Does an environmental scientist need to be registered?

Usually not. Contaminated land auditors are the exception: they are accredited or appointed by the state environment regulator, for example by the NSW EPA and by EPA Victoria.7,9 There is no nationally recognised auditor accreditation.5 Hire Australia confirms what your role needs before we search.

How much do environmental scientists earn?

Full-time environmental scientists earned a median of $1,953 a week, or $54 an hour, in May 2025.3 Where the Professional Employees Award 2020 covers the role, a scientist with a three-year degree earns at least $33.71 an hour from 1 July 2026.16 Hire Australia compares whole packages with you, including field allowances.

Are environmental jobs mostly in the regions?

More than most professional jobs. 44% of located environmental scientist job ads were for regional areas in the three months to September 2026, against 29% for all jobs.1 Hire Australia recruits environmental staff for regional employers in every state, including remote field and mine-site roles.

Can Hire Australia recruit environmental engineers?

Yes. Environmental engineers design treatment, remediation and containment works, and the other engineering professionals group they belong to had a median of $2,649 a week in May 2025.3 In Queensland the work needs an RPEQ or an RPEQ's supervision.19 Hire Australia searches for the registration and experience your role needs.

What does it cost to use Hire Australia?

Employers pay nothing until the successful candidate has started and stayed two months. Candidates never pay for recruitment. You employ the person directly, and we agree the terms with you in writing before the search begins. That applies to every environmental role Hire Australia recruits for, from graduate scientist to senior adviser.

Does Hire Australia supply labour hire or temporary staff?

No. Hire Australia recruits people you employ directly, in permanent roles. We don’t supply labour hire or temps, and candidates never work on our payroll. We search for and screen people for your vacancy, introduce the ones who fit, and you make the offer and employ them. That keeps the working relationship between you and your new employee from day one.

Sources (19)

  1. Jobs and Skills Australia, Internet Vacancy Index, 4-digit occupations by remoteness (major cities and regional), September 2026. Online job ads, three-month moving average to September 2026; SA4 regions grouped as major city or regional. Counts ads, not jobs. Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
  2. Jobs and Skills Australia, 2026 Occupation Shortage List (OSCA 2024 and ANZSCO 2022 sheets). National ratings. "In shortage" means rated S (shortage) or R (regional shortage). Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
  3. Jobs and Skills Australia, ANZSCO occupation data, February 2026 (occupation descriptions, earnings, employment and state tables). Median full-time earnings: ABS Employee Earnings and Hours, May 2025, national, non-managerial adult employees. Employment and state shares: February 2026 trend. Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
  4. Board of Professional Engineers of Queensland, Become a RPEQ. Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
  5. Queensland Government, National Harmonised Auditor Accreditation Process 2026, July 2026. Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
  6. NSW Government, Professional engineer work: qualifications and experience. Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
  7. NSW Environment Protection Authority, Accredited site auditors. Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
  8. Consumer Affairs Victoria, Who needs to be registered? (professional engineers). Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
  9. EPA Victoria, Choose an environmental auditor. Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
  10. Government of Western Australia, Building and Energy, Building engineering registration. Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
  11. Government of Western Australia, Department of Water and Environmental Regulation, Contaminated sites auditors. Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
  12. Engineers Australia, State registration. Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
  13. Building Standards Tasmania, Engineer (building provider licence). Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
  14. Building Practitioners Board, Northern Territory, Practitioners: scope of works. Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
  15. ACT Government, City and Environment Directorate, Professional engineers registration scheme. Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
  16. Fair Work Ombudsman, Professional Employees Award 2020 [MA000065], clause 14.1 minimum rates. Rates from the first full pay period on or after 1 July 2026; coverage in clause 4 (excludes, among others, the Black Coal Mining Industry Award and some local government). Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
  17. Fair Work Ombudsman, Black Coal Mining Industry Award 2020 [MA000001], Schedule B staff rates. Staff employees' minimum weekly rates from the first full pay period on or after 1 July 2026. Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
  18. Jobs and Skills Australia, Internet Vacancy Index, 4-digit occupations by state and territory, September 2026. Online job ads, three-month moving average to September 2026 (released 21 October 2026), rounded. Counts ads, not jobs. Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
  19. BPEQ, Practice note – Direct supervision. Accessed 28 October 2026. Back to text ↑