This document discusses the need for careers focused on protecting water resources and the environment due to issues like pollution, population growth, climate change, and aging infrastructure. It outlines various career paths in government, non-profits, business, and education that work on issues like water treatment, conservation, watershed protection, environmental monitoring, and more. Examples of specific positions are provided for each sector. Resources for finding such careers are also listed.

1. Careers for the
Blue Planet
October 4, 2018 JB/KD

2. The Need
Pollution
Population growth
Shrinking clean, fresh water supplies
Aging infrastructures (water treatment, wastewater treatment)
Overdevelopment (stormwater runoff)
Climate Change (drought, flooding)
Ocean acidification
and More

3. “No water. No life. No blue. No green.” Sylvia Earle
“Water and air, the two essential fluids on which life
depends, have become global garbage cans.” JY Cousteau
“For most of history, man has had to fight nature to
survive; in this century he is beginning to realize that, in
order to survive, he must protect it.” JY Cousteau

4. Careers
Government
NonProfits
Business
Education

5. Government
Municipal/State/Federal
Wastewater Treatment
Water Treatment
Stormwater Management
Environmental Protection (EPA)
Planning (resilience, adaptation, coastal management)
Conservation
Health
Emergency Management (e.g. flooding)
Watershed/Habitat Protection and
Ecological Restoration (e.g. wetlands)
and More

6. POSITIONS IN WATER MANAGEMENT
IN COMMUNITIES, FOR EXAMPLE:
Administration
Executive Management, Customer Service, Project Management,
Public Relations, Regulatory Compliance Manager
Engineering
Inspector, Supervisor, Hydrology Technician, Surveyor, GIS Specialist
Laboratory
Environmental Monitoring, Instrumentation Technician, Lab Analysis Technician, Health & Safety
Supervisor, Quality Assurance Control Technician
Plant Maintenance
Electrician, Maintenance Supervisor
WasteWater Operations
Chief Operator, Collection System Operator, Plant Operator, Process Control Operator
Water Operations
Cross Connection Specialist, Heavy Equipment Operator, Industrial Water Systems Operator,
Instrumentation Technician, Mechanic, Software Programmer, Water Treatment Operator
Watershed and Runoff Control
Agricultural Water Specialist, Aquatic Habitat Restoration Technician, Dredge Operator, Ground
Water Remediation Technician, Hydrogeology Technician, Hydrology Technician, Surface Water
Technician, Stormwater Technician, Sustainable Landscaper, Water Conservation Technician, Well
Driller, Wetland Delineation Specialist
Government
Quabbin Reservoir

7. Government Resources
MassCareers Job Opportunities
https://massanf.taleo.net/careersection/ex/jobsearch.ftl
Massachusetts Municipal Career Opportunities
https://www.mma.org/municipal-marketplace/job-ads/
US EPA Careers in Massachusetts
https://www.epa.gov/careers
New England Water Environment Association newea.org
Massachusetts Water Pollution Control Association mwpca.org
Career Brochure:
http://www.newea.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/CareerBrochure.pdf

8. Nonprofits
-New England Aquarium
-Watershed Associations
Charles River, Mystic River, Assabet/Sudbury/Concord Rivers
-Coastal Associations
Buzzards Bay Coalition, Salem Sound Coastwatch
-Boston Harbor Islands
-Surfrider Foundation
-Plastic Pollution Coalition
POSITIONS
Administration, Education, Biology/Science, Advocacy,
Communications, and many more

9. Nonprofit Resources
Many organizations have career webpages, for example:
New England Aquarium: www.neaq.org/get-involved/careers/
Charles River Watershed: https://www.crwa.org/employment
Buzzards Bay: http://www.savebuzzardsbay.org/about-us/our-team/
job-opportunities/
Boston Harbor Islands www.bostonharborislands.org/employment
Other orgs with career info:
Massachusetts Nonprofit Network http://massnonprofitnet.org/
resources-2/nonprofit-job-board/
New England Water Environment Association newea.org
Massachusetts Water Pollution Control Association mwpca.org
Low Impact Hydro Power Institute https://lowimpacthydro.org

10. Business
Clean ups (oil/toxics/pollution)
Environmental solutions
Recreation & tourism
Water purification
Hydroelectric power
Water-efficiency
and more
POSITIONS: Administration, Engineering, Design, Finance,
HR, Environmental Law, Communications, Marketing, Sales,
Project Management, ….all the conventional careers you can
imagine, and all the interdisciplinary careers you can dream up.

11. Business
Businesses have career webpages, for example:
Weston&Sampson http://www.westonandsampson.com/join-
our-team/
Horsley Witten Group http://horsleywitten.com/careers/
Clean Harbors https://careers.cleanharbors.com
Aquarion http://www.aquarion.com/MA/EmploymentInquiries

12. Education
Marine, Estuarine, and Freshwater Biology
Oceanography
Hydrology
POSITIONS: Curriculum Development, Teacher,
Professor, Researcher, Communications, etc.

13. Resources
Many institutes and colleges and organizations have career webpages, for
example:
Woods Hole Institute http://www.whoi.edu/jobs/
Northeastern University www.northeastern.edu/hrm/careers/
University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth
www.umassd.edu/hr/employmentopportunities/
Charles River Watershed https://www.crwa.org/education
University of Massachusetts, Boston
Boston University
Suffolk University
Salem State University
Marine Education Program, Center for Coastal Studies
and many more

14. “People protect what they love.” JY Cousteau
“Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and
the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you
believe is great work. And the only way to do great
work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it
yet, keep looking. Don’t settle. As with all matters of
the heart, you’ll know when you find it.” Steve Jobs