Environmental Manager

Description: An environmental manager is responsible for overseeing the environmental performance of private, public and voluntary sector organizations. They also develop, implement and monitor environmental strategies, policies and programs that promote sustainable development.

Knowledge Required: Biology, chemistry, geography, hydrology, hazardous-waste management, environmental legislation, chemistry, fluid mechanics, geologic logging

Skills: Computer modeling, data analysis and integration, digital mapping, remote sensing, Geographic Information Systems

Career Path: A bachelor's degree in any life or physical science is required for entry level jobs, although many employers prefer a master's degree.

Best Cities for this job: The top cities for the job are Houston, Texas; Atlanta, Georgia San Francisco, California, Cleveland, Ohio, and New York, New York.

Median Annual Income: National: $61,010 CA: $104,690

Future Growth: The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts employment of environmental scientists and specialists to increase by 28 percent between 2008 and 2018, much faster than the average for all occupations.

Did you know? Federal, State, and local governments employ 44 percent of all environmental scientists and specialists.

From the field: That's definitely priority number one, that we get in there and make sure we understand what's our there and do the right thing to clean it up.