At a state environmental agency, EPA region, or federal toxics program, you oversee programs addressing toxic substances — TSCA Section 6 chemicals, state-toxics-use-reduction laws, pesticide programs, chemical-risk management — coordinating regulation, outreach, and enforcement.
Most weeks tend to involve program oversight, regulator coordination, stakeholder engagement, and policy work — overseeing implementation of state toxics-use rules, coordinating with EPA on TSCA implementation, sitting with industry on rule application, drafting program reports for leadership. You're often the program leader on a portfolio of chemical-management work. Program outcomes and regulatory posture are the indirect measures.
The harder part is often the politics of toxics regulation — chemical regulation involves industry, environmental advocates, public health, and elected officials, each pulling in different directions. Variance across employers is wide: at federal EPA the role runs on national policy work; at state agencies it tilts toward implementation; at smaller jurisdictions it may compress with other environmental programs.
The role rewards people who are deeply regulatorily fluent, politically aware, and steady under multi-stakeholder pressure. PE, CHMM, CIH, and senior environmental-policy training anchor advancement. The trade-off is the political weight of toxics programs and the multi-year cycles that chemical regulation runs on.
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This time it works for you.
Where this role sits in the broader career landscape — and where it can take you.
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Roles like this one sit within a broader occupational category. The numbers below reflect that full landscape — helpful for context, but your specific experience will depend on level, specialty, and where you work.
Roles with similar work and overlapping career paths
View all Business Operations roles →At a state environmental agency, EPA region, or federal toxics program, you oversee programs addressing toxic substances — TSCA Section 6 chemicals, state-toxics-use-reduction laws, pesticide programs, chemical-risk management — coordinating regulation, outreach, and enforcement.
Median pay for a Toxics Program Officer is about $78K nationally, with the field ranging roughly from $46K to $130K depending on experience, employer, and metro (BLS).
Core skills for this role include Critical Thinking, Reading Comprehension, Writing, Active Listening, and Speaking.
Most people in this role hold a bachelor's degree.
Employment in this field is projected to grow about 3% through 2034, with roughly 397,770 people working in it today (BLS).
Closely related roles include Program Director, Compliance Coordinator, and Compliance Analyst.
Remember “your permanent record”?
This time it works for you.