Management · Holland code IRC

Water Resource Specialists

Design or implement programs and strategies related to water resource issues such as supply, quality, and regulatory compliance issues.

Also called: Water Resources Planner.

O*NET 11-9121.02

At a glance

US median annual pay: $167,220; Middle half earn $119,430 to $221,540. BLS OEWS, May 2025.
Most common education: Bachelor's Degree; 50% of workers surveyed by O*NET report this level.
Preparation needed: Job Zone 4 of 5; Considerable preparation. Zone 1 is little or none; zone 5 is graduate-level.
US employment outlook, 2024 to 2034: +4% · As fast as average; 104,300 jobs in 2024, projected 108,200. BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, which groups this with similar roles as "Natural sciences managers".

What the work involves

The tasks workers in this occupation rate as most important, from the O*NET survey.

Perform hydrologic, hydraulic, or water quality modeling.
Analyze storm water systems to identify opportunities for water resource improvements.
Conduct, or oversee the conduct of, investigations on matters such as water storage, wastewater discharge, pollutants, permits, or other compliance and regulatory issues.
Develop strategies for watershed operations to meet water supply and conservation goals or to ensure regulatory compliance with clean water laws or regulations.
Conduct technical studies for water resources on topics such as pollutants and water treatment options.
Review or evaluate designs for water detention facilities, storm drains, flood control facilities, or other hydraulic structures.
Present water resource proposals to government, public interest groups, or community groups.
Develop plans to protect watershed health or rehabilitate watersheds.

Skills and knowledge it leans on

Skills

Reading Comprehension4.0 / 5
Active Listening4.0 / 5
Writing4.0 / 5
Speaking4.0 / 5
Critical Thinking4.0 / 5
Mathematics3.3 / 5

Knowledge areas

Engineering and Technology4.6 / 5
Mathematics4.2 / 5
Design4.0 / 5
Physics3.9 / 5
Computers and Electronics3.5 / 5
English Language3.4 / 5

Importance ratings on O*NET’s 1 to 5 scale. Higher means the occupation depends on it more.

Who tends to enjoy it

How strongly this occupation draws on each of the six Holland interest types, which is the same profile the career interests test compares you against.

Realistic58
Investigative80
Artistic13
Social26
Enterprising42
Conventional53

The same work abroad

Other countries classify jobs differently, so these are the closest matches through the international ISCO-08 standard, not exact equivalents.

European occupation titles (ESCO)

sewerage systems manager · DE Führungskraft für das Kanalisationssystem · FR responsable de réseaux d'assainissement
hydrogeologist · DE Hydrogeologe/Hydrogeologin · FR hydrogéologue
hydrologist · DE Hydrologe/Hydrologin · FR hydrologue
pipeline environmental project manager · DE Umweltprojektleiter im Pipelinebereich/Umweltprojektleiterin im Pipelinebereich · FR chef de projet environnement transport par canalisations
water quality analyst · DE Wasserqualitätsanalytiker/Wasserqualitätsanalytikerin · FR analyste de la qualité de l’eau
natural resources consultant · DE Berater Natürliche Ressourcen/Beraterin Natürliche Ressourcen · FR conseiller en environnement/conseillère en environnement

Closest UK occupation groups (SOC 2020)

Conservation professionals (2151)21,900 employed
Production managers and directors in manufacturing (1121)227,800 employed
Environment professionals (2152)80,200 employed

Employment is the UK Annual Population Survey for April 2025 to March 2026, all workers in the group, which can be broader than this one occupation.

Pay across Europe, for the whole group

Median annual earnings of all employees in “Professionals”. This is the broad ISCO group this occupation falls in, not the occupation itself, so treat it as context for the wage level, not as a salary for this job.

Median annual earnings, Professionals, by country
Country	Median pay
Belgium	€61,714
Germany	€59,529
Ireland	€56,877
Austria	€55,374
Netherlands	€53,595
Sweden	€43,567
France	€41,515
Spain	€35,735
Italy	€33,649
Portugal	€26,072
Poland	€14,380

Eurostat Structure of Earnings Survey, businesses with ten or more employees outside public administration, in euro and not adjusted for the cost of living. Reference years differ between sources: the US, Japan and Europe figures on this page come from different survey years, so compare them as rough levels, not to the euro or yen.

Exposure to AI

This occupation sits in the higher third of the 774 occupations scored, with an exposure score of +1.33. The scores are standardized across those occupations, so 0 is the average and a score of 1 is about one standard deviation above it.

Our note on reading it: the dataset links AI applications to the abilities that occupations require, so the score reflects overlap between the two. It is a comparison between occupations, not a forecast about jobs. It does not say whether exposure means tasks are replaced or workers get more done with the tools, and it says little about one employer or one role.

Source: Felten, E., Raj, M., & Seamans, R. (2021). Occupational, industry, and geographic exposure to artificial intelligence: A novel dataset and its potential uses. Strategic Management Journal, 42(12), 2195-2217. Matched to this page by 6-digit SOC code (11-9121).

Is it a fit for you?

Interest is one input, alongside ability, pay and what is hiring near you. The career interests test takes about thirteen minutes and ranks occupations by how closely their profile matches yours.

Take the career interests test