Series 0028

Environmental Protection Specialist

Environmental protection specialists who manage environmental programs and make sure facilities follow environmental laws.

Plain-language description based on the OPM series definition.

0000 Miscellaneous Occupations Group · General Schedule

See open 0028 jobs on USAJOBS Compare with another series Back to Series Directory

At a glance

Job postings, last 12 months: 426
Open now: 12
Trend (last 3 months vs. 3 before): Steady (-3%)
Demand score: 82/100
Remote opportunity score: 75/100
Veteran opportunity score: 81/100

What these scores mean

Grades and pay

Typical grades

GS-9 to GS-13

Most common promotion potential: GS-11

GS pay plan, used by 95% of this series' postings.

Typical posted salary range

$85,377 to $116,362 per year

Median of the yearly salary ranges in posted announcements.

Who can apply

Share of job postings in the last 12 months, by who the announcement was open to.

Open to the public: 35%
Federal employees and other special groups only: 65%
Listed a veterans hiring path: 48%
Telework eligible (open now): 75%
Fully remote (open now): 0%

Who is hiring and where

Top hiring departments

Department of the Navy (83)
Department of Veterans Affairs (70)
Department of Defense (49)
Department of the Army (44)
Department of Homeland Security (40)

Top states

California (61)
District of Columbia (37)
Virginia (35)
Texas (30)
Colorado (20)

Hiring patterns

Based on job announcements since Mar 2017. How patterns are calculated

When this series usually posts jobs

Postings usually peak in March and August and are lowest in December and January.

Typical postings for series 0028 by calendar month, compared with an average month
Month	Compared with an average month
January	13% below average
February	6% below average
March	18% above average
April	About average
May	7% above average
June	About average
July	7% below average
August	14% above average
September	About average
October	About average
November	5% above average
December	17% below average

Postings by fiscal year

The federal fiscal year runs from October 1 to September 30. Fiscal years 2025 and 2026 include the government-wide hiring freeze that began in January 2025.

Job announcements for series 0028 by fiscal year
Fiscal year	Postings
FY 2018	669
FY 2019	811
FY 2020	797
FY 2021	751
FY 2022	961
FY 2023	1,231
FY 2024	1,243
FY 2025	389
FY 2026	386

Postings by month, last 12 months

Job announcements for series 0028 opened each month
Month	Postings
Dec 2025	11
Jan 2026	21
Feb 2026	35
Mar 2026	39
Apr 2026	45
May 2026	35
Jun 2026	43
Jul 2026	48
Aug 2026	56
Sep 2026	37
Oct 2026	29
Nov 2026 (month to date)	27

0080 Security Administration 2,429 postings in 12 months
0083 Police 1,355 postings in 12 months
0081 Fire Protection and Prevention 1,117 postings in 12 months
0018 Safety and Occupational Health Management 1,045 postings in 12 months
0025 Park Ranger 720 postings in 12 months

About this data

Job numbers come from the USAJOBS API: 244,223 job announcements opened from December 1, 2025 to November 15, 2026, plus 12,260 announcements open on November 15, 2026. Canceled announcements are not counted. Series descriptions summarize the OPM Handbook of Occupational Groups and Families.

These figures describe posted job announcements, not hiring outcomes. Always read the official announcement and its qualification requirements before applying. How the scores are calculated.