Policy Analyst (Environmental)
Impact: Environmental protection, public health, sustainable development, resource management
Analyzes environmental policies, regulations, and scientific data to develop and recommend strategies for sustainable resource management and environmental protection.
What the day looks like
- People interaction
- Moderate
- Team vs solo
- 60% Team / 40% Solo
- Client facing
- Frequent
- Impact visibility
- High
- Travel
- 10-20% domestic for site visits and conferences
- Schedule flexibility
- Flexible
- Remote work
- Hybrid
- Typical work hours
- 40-50 hours/week
- Stress level
- Moderate
At a glance
- Median salary
- $85,000
- Entry-level
- $55,000 - $75,000
- Senior
- $120,000+
- Growth by 2033
- 7% (average)
- Demand
- Growing
- Freelance potential
- Moderate
- Salary growth potential
- High to 100-120% growth from entry to senior
- Typical student debt
- $30,000 - $60,000
Skills you'll use
Hard skills
- Policy Analysis
- Environmental Law
- Data Analysis
- GIS
- Regulatory Compliance
- Stakeholder Engagement
- Report Writing
Soft skills
- Critical Thinking
- Communication
- Problem-Solving
- Negotiation
- Research
- Adaptability
Technical complexity: High
How to get there
- Minimum education
- Bachelor's Degree
- Licensing
- No
- Years to mid-career
- 4-6 years
- Years to senior
- 8-12 years
- Career switching
- Moderate
Where this career leads
How people arrive here
Where you can go from here
Typical progression
- Junior Policy Analyst
- Policy Analyst
- Senior Policy Analyst
- Policy Manager
- Director of Environmental Policy
Future outlook
- Automation probability
- 20% to low risk
- AI disruption risk
- Low
- Demand trend
- Growing
How people feel about it
- Overall satisfaction
- 3.9/10
- Meaning
- 4.2/10
- Work-life balance
- 3.5/10
- Prestige
- 7.5/10
- Social perception
- High