Environmental Specialist 5 pay range
State of Washington · class code 523X
- Class code
- 523X
- Salary range
- 63
- Pay unit
- Year
- State
- Washington
- The State of Washington published pay range for Environmental Specialist 5 is $76,608 to $102,996 per year.
- Washington State Office of Financial Management (OFM) keys this classification as class code 523X.
- This is the range the plan authorises, not the salary of any individual employee.
Step progression
Washington State Office of Financial Management (OFM) assigns this class to salary range 63 in the General Service Salary Schedule. The range pays 13 steps; a step is normally earned on a periodic increment date, not negotiated.
| Basis | A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Annual | $76,608 | $78,504 | $80,496 | $82,440 | $84,528 | $86,688 | $88,788 | $91,104 | $93,288 | $95,676 | $98,064 | $100,488 | $102,996 |
| Monthly | $6,384 | $6,542 | $6,708 | $6,870 | $7,044 | $7,224 | $7,399 | $7,592 | $7,774 | $7,973 | $8,172 | $8,374 | $8,583 |
| Hourly | $36.69 | $37.60 | $38.55 | $39.48 | $40.48 | $41.52 | $42.52 | $43.63 | $44.68 | $45.82 | $46.97 | $48.13 | $49.33 |
Steps as published. The monthly and hourly rows are the state's own, not conversions of the annual row.
Class specification
The OFM classified job specification for this class is published by Washington State Office of Financial Management (OFM). The passages below are quoted from it as published, not paraphrased, and cut to their opening sentences; the full specification is the authority on duties and qualifications.
What the state says the job is
As the agency or program expert in one or more environmental program specialty areas or agency initiatives, plans, develops, directs and/or implements actions to address the most significant and complex environmental issues impacting the state’s natural and environmental resources. These issues have broad potential impact on the health and safety of the public, and, if not addressed, will result in significant environmental, regulatory and potential financial consequences to the state. Issues are characterized by the requirement for innovative or precedent setting actions and reflect complicated and emerging issues, with conflicting interests among the parties and broad public impacts.
Examples of the work
Advises program management on monitoring/sampling policies, priorities, effectiveness and cross-media or agency issues and requirements; Evaluates equipment inventories for material readiness, amortization and technology transfer; management of contracted services, equipment utilization; conducts equipment needs assessments; Advises program management on violations of critical/controversial agency interest, evaluates rule effectiveness and recommends enforcement/compliance rule making; may represent the program on multimedia or highly complex or controversial enforcement/compliance actions involving other programs or agencies; Works with other programs and agencies in identifying information ...
Minimum qualifications
A Bachelor's degree involving major study in environmental, physical, or one of the natural sciences, environmental planning or other allied field and six years of professional level experience in environmental analysis or control, or environmental planning, which includes two years equal to an Environmental Specialist 3 or above. Additional qualifying experience will substitute, year for year, for education. OR A Master's degree in one of the above fields and four years of professional- level experience as required above which includes two years equal to an Environmental Specialist 3 or above. OR A Ph.D.
Quoted from the OFM classified job specification, read 2026-10-21.
Where this comes from
Washington State Office of Financial Management (OFM) publishes this figure in Classified Job Listing joined to the OFM salary schedules effective July 1, 2026. Every number on this page is read from that document; nothing is estimated, modelled or averaged.
The dollar figures come from the salary schedule the listing assigns this range to.