Policy Analyst (Water)
Impact: Societal and Environmental
Researches, analyzes, and evaluates water management, conservation, quality, and allocation policies to develop recommendations, draft legislation, and assess their impact on communities, ecosystems, and industries.
What the day looks like
- People interaction
- Moderate
- Team vs solo
- Team-oriented with independent research
- Client facing
- Sometimes
- Impact visibility
- High
- Travel
- Limited
- Schedule flexibility
- Flexible
- Remote work
- Hybrid
- Typical work hours
- 40 hours/week
- Stress level
- Moderate
At a glance
- Median salary
- $85,000
- Entry-level
- $60,000
- Senior
- $120,000
- Growth by 2033
- 12%
- Demand
- Growing
- Freelance potential
- Low
- Salary growth potential
- 20%
- Typical student debt
- $40,000 - $80,000
Skills you'll use
Hard skills
- Policy Analysis
- Data Analysis
- Environmental Regulations
Soft skills
- Critical Thinking
- Communication
- Problem Solving
Technical complexity: High
How to get there
- Minimum education
- Master's Degree
- Licensing
- No
- Years to mid-career
- 5-8 years
- Years to senior
- 10-15 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
Future outlook
- Automation probability
- 10%
- AI disruption risk
- Low
- Demand trend
- Growing
How people feel about it
- Overall satisfaction
- 4/10
- Meaning
- 4/10
- Work-life balance
- 3.5/10
- Prestige
- 7.8/10
- Social perception
- High