Pest Biologist 4 pay range
State of Washington · class code 569S
- Class code
- 569S
- Salary range
- 58
- Pay unit
- Year
- State
- Washington
- The State of Washington published pay range for Pest Biologist 4 is $67,704 to $91,104 per year.
- Washington State Office of Financial Management (OFM) keys this classification as class code 569S.
- 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 58 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 | $67,704 | $69,348 | $71,136 | $72,900 | $74,748 | $76,608 | $78,504 | $80,496 | $82,440 | $84,528 | $86,688 | $88,788 | $91,104 |
| Monthly | $5,642 | $5,779 | $5,928 | $6,075 | $6,229 | $6,384 | $6,542 | $6,708 | $6,870 | $7,044 | $7,224 | $7,399 | $7,592 |
| Hourly | $32.43 | $33.21 | $34.07 | $34.91 | $35.80 | $36.69 | $37.60 | $38.55 | $39.48 | $40.48 | $41.52 | $42.52 | $43.63 |
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
Expert level pest biologist under administrative direction with significant ongoing leadership responsibility within a program of regulatory/resource protection and management, which includes one or more of the following: Responsible for independently directing, developing, evaluating, managing and implementing statewide pest surveys, environmental and plant protection policies, legislation or regulation; Serving as the district pest biologist responsible for all program activities within a district and supervises permanent, full-time regulatory staff; Negotiates mitigation for projects of state, national or international significance as the agency lead.
Examples of the work
Is designated to identify critical or emerging issues and to recommend preventative or corrective measures; Advises program management on survey/sampling policies, priorities, effectiveness and cross-agency issues and requirements; Advises program management on violations of critical/controversial agency interest, evaluates rule effectiveness and recommends enforcement/compliance rule making; may represent the program on highly complex or controversial enforcement/compliance actions involving other programs or agencies; Independently prioritizes, plans, and coordinates all work in assigned area of responsibility; supervises full-time regulatory staff; Administers statewide grant and aid prog ...
Minimum qualifications
A Bachelor's degree involving major study in environmental studies, horticulture, plant physiology, plant pathology, entomology, or a closely related natural science, or environmental science AND Five years of professional experience in plant pest quarantine enforcement, regulatory work, pest survey development and implementation, or nursery stock production and handling. Note: A Master’s degree in the applicable science will substitute for one year of the required experience. NOTE: A Ph.D. in the applicable science will substitute for two years of the required experience. OR Four years as a Pest Biologist 3 or Environmental Specialist 3.
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.