- What the Credential Is (and Is Not)
- Where CIES Holders Actually Work
- Job Titles and Day-to-Day Duties
- The Five Competencies as Job Skills
- The Florida Licensing Angle
- Qualifying: Experience That Employers Value
- Cost, Exam Format and Logistics
- CIES Compared With CMRS and CIER
- Pay, ROI and What We Cannot Claim
- Matching Your Prep to the Job You Want
- Frequently Asked Questions
- CIES means Council-certified Indoor Environmental Supervisor, issued by ACAC's CIES Certification Board and accredited by CESB.
- The credential spans asbestos, lead, hazardous materials, microbial contaminants and allergens, and chemicals, not mold alone.
- Applicants need documented field experience across at least three of five disciplines, plus four project sheets.
- Passing a state licensing exam alone does not confer CIES certification; the two paths are distinct.
What the Credential Is (and Is Not)
Searching "CIES jobs" produces confusing results because several unrelated credentials share the same four letters. On this site, CIES refers to exactly one thing: the Council-certified Indoor Environmental Supervisor credential, issued by the American Council for Accredited Certification (ACAC) through its CIES Certification Board. The program is accredited by the Council for Engineering and Scientific Specialty Boards (CESB). If you need the basics first, our explainers on what CIES is and what CIES stands for cover the naming in more detail.
The job-market relevance comes from the credential's scope. It is a supervisory certification for people who plan and run remediation work in indoor environments, and the experience required to earn it is hands-on field work, not classroom study. That shapes the kinds of roles where it matters: positions where someone must be accountable for how contaminated material is identified, controlled, removed and cleared.
Where CIES Holders Actually Work
Because the credential is built around remediation of multiple contaminant classes, the employers that benefit most are those running multi-hazard projects. We have no verified employment statistics for CIES holders specifically, so the following describes the types of organizations where the required skill set applies rather than quantified hiring trends.
- Remediation and abatement contractors: firms that remove asbestos, stabilize lead hazards, and handle mold or chemical cleanup often need a supervisor who can credibly oversee more than one trade.
- Environmental consulting firms: consultants who write remediation scopes and oversee contractors benefit from supervisors who understand how the work is actually performed.
- Industrial hygiene practices: the credential's fifth competency area touches chemicals and toxicology, which overlaps with industrial hygiene fieldwork.
- Facilities and property management organizations: large owners with aging building stock manage recurring asbestos, lead and moisture-related issues and may prefer in-house supervisory expertise.
- Disaster and emergency restoration companies: contamination events involve mixed hazards, and the chemical and microbial competencies map directly to that work.
- Mold remediation firms in Florida: CIES appears in the regulator's list of mold-remediation examinations, which makes it relevant to a specific licensing pathway (see below).
Job Titles and Day-to-Day Duties
Job titles vary by employer, and ACAC does not publish a list of titles tied to the credential. Typical supervisory titles in this field include remediation supervisor, project manager, abatement supervisor, field operations manager and environmental project coordinator. Treat these as common industry labels, not as ACAC-defined positions.
What stays consistent is the nature of the work. ACAC's published competencies state that each area addresses engineering controls, cleaning and removal methods, worker safety and applicable regulations. In practice, a supervisor holding this credential is expected to:
- Decide which engineering controls (containment, negative air, isolation) suit the contaminant and the building.
- Direct cleaning or removal methods and verify the work meets the scope.
- Protect workers through appropriate respiratory protection selection, training and hazard communication.
- Keep the project compliant with the regulations that govern each contaminant class.
- Document the problem, actions taken and outcome, the same structure you will use on your project sheets.
The Five Competencies as Job Skills
ACAC publishes five competency headings for CIES. They are unweighted preparation topics, and the issuer does not publish an official exam-domain chart or percentages, so we do not assign any. Each one, however, corresponds to a recognizable body of job skill. For a full walk-through of how these are tested, see our guide to all five CIES content areas.
Domain 1: Asbestos Remediation in the Indoor Environment
The classic abatement discipline. Employers value supervisors who can run regulated work areas and keep exposure controlled.
- Regulatory references listed by ACAC include 40 CFR 763, 40 CFR 61 Subpart M and 29 CFR 1926.1101.
- Expect to understand containment, work practices, worker protection and waste handling.
Domain 2: Lead Remediation in the Indoor Environment
Relevant to older housing and commercial renovation, where lead hazards intersect with disturbance of painted surfaces.
- Listed references include 40 CFR 745 and 29 CFR 1926.62.
- Know how controls, cleaning and worker safety differ from asbestos work.
Domain 3: Hazardous Materials Remediation in the Indoor Environment
The broadest and most varied area, covering mixed-hazard situations that do not fit a single trade.
- 29 CFR 1910.120 is among the listed references.
- The handbook's mercury material appears in more than one place with differing descriptions, so study the primary references rather than relying on a single summary.
- EPA voluntary guidance for methamphetamine laboratory cleanup is also on the reference list.
Domain 4: Microbial Contaminants and Allergens
The area most familiar to mold-focused practitioners and the one most connected to Florida licensing interest.
- The New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene fungi guidelines (2008) are listed.
- Understand moisture sources, containment, cleaning methods and clearance logic.
Domain 5: Chemicals in the Indoor Environment
Where remediation meets industrial hygiene and toxicology, relevant to spills, residues and chemically contaminated spaces.
- NIOSH Respirator Selection Logic (2004) supports respiratory protection decisions.
- Be ready to connect chemical properties to controls and worker safety.
Key Takeaway
A supervisor who is strong in one domain but weak in the others is exactly the profile this credential is designed to challenge. Employers hiring for multi-hazard projects want breadth, so your preparation should be broadest where your field experience is thinnest.
The Florida Licensing Angle
One reason CIES shows up in job searches is its connection to Florida mold-related licensing. The Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation's mold-related services examination page lists CIES among the examinations associated with mold remediation, according to indexed content we reviewed. We could not complete a fresh direct retrieval of that page, so verify current eligibility with the regulator before building a career plan around it.
If your target job is a Florida mold remediator role, treat the CIES exam as one possible component of a larger licensing process. If your target is broader multi-hazard supervision, the ACAC certification itself, with its project sheets and experience verification, is the more meaningful signal.
Qualifying: Experience That Employers Value
The eligibility rules are a useful proxy for what hiring managers should expect from a holder. ACAC requires documented indoor environmental remediation experience in combination with education:
| Education Background | Additional Requirement | Documented Remediation Experience |
|---|---|---|
| Related four-year postsecondary degree | Or 30 qualifying college credits | Four years |
| Related two-year degree | Or 15 qualifying credits | Six years |
| High school diploma or GED | None | Eight years |
Experience must cover at least three of these five areas: asbestos, lead, hazardous materials, microbial and allergens, and industrial hygiene, chemicals and toxicology. Applicants submit four project sheets, educational evidence where applicable and experience verification. ACAC describes each project sheet as the problem, your own responsibilities and actions, and the outcome. Actual field experience is required.
That structure matters for job seekers. If you are early in your career, concentrate on getting assigned to projects that broaden your discipline coverage, and keep records of your personal role on each one. For the complete rules, see our CIES requirements guide.
The Application Timeline Conflict
ACAC's current application page describes online submission with required email verifications, a six-month window that includes the examination, and unanimous board approval, with the board meeting every four to six weeks. The candidate handbook instead gives 90 days and describes notarized forms and employer affidavits. The issuer has not reconciled these, so confirm the current process directly with ACAC before you plan around a hiring deadline. Our exam dates and scheduling guide tracks what is known.
Cost, Exam Format and Logistics
Budgeting for the credential is straightforward because ACAC publishes a single fee schedule with no separate member and non-member rates. All amounts are in US dollars.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Examination fee | $100 |
| Certification fee (includes a $100 nonrefundable processing fee) | $400 |
| Total for the initial two-year term | $500 |
| Retake | $100 |
| Renewal | $400 |
A fuller breakdown is in our CIES certification cost guide.
What the Exam Looks Like
- Length and format: 120 multiple-choice questions, each with at least four answer options, in a three-hour computer-delivered written examination.
- Rules: closed book. No separate practical assessment is described. Calculator permission is unverified, so confirm it before test day.
- Passing score: 75%, set using the Modified Angoff method. The split between scored and unscored items is not published. See the passing score breakdown.
- Delivery: proctored testing center or online with video. The handbook describes a fixed question set with randomized item and answer order. Adaptive testing is not described.
- Results: available electronically immediately and confirmed by email.
- Check-in: testing-center candidates need two government-issued IDs, including one photo ID. The examinations page gives a 15-minute early arrival, while the handbook says 30, so plan for the longer window. Online candidates need a computer, an approved webcam, a private location and at least 2 Mbps upload and download. Phones and tablets are excluded.
Staying Certified
Certification lasts two years. ACAC's current recertification procedures specify 40 recertification credits, made up of 10 for continued field activity and 30 for professional development during the term, with an attestation and evidence retained for possible audit. A current photo is requested. Other ACAC pages describe the requirement differently (for example, 20 professional-development hours annually), so check the procedures page when you renew. From an employer's perspective, this recertification cycle is part of what keeps the credential meaningful.
CIES Compared With CMRS and CIER
Job seekers often weigh CIES against other ACAC credentials. We have not verified a dedicated search result comparing them, and the fine print of each program should come from ACAC directly, but the scope difference is the key point: CIES spans five discipline areas, while ACAC's mold remediation certification (CMRS) is focused on mold. If your career is mold-only, a narrower credential may fit; if you supervise varied remediation work, CIES's breadth is the differentiator.
| Consideration | CIES | Mold-focused credentials |
|---|---|---|
| Contaminant scope | Asbestos, lead, hazardous materials, microbial/allergens, chemicals | Primarily microbial and mold work |
| Experience requirement | At least three of five disciplines documented | Confirm directly with ACAC |
| Best fit | Multi-hazard supervisors | Mold-specialist roles |
Before choosing, read ACAC's current program pages for each credential, since requirements and fees differ by program.
Pay, ROI and What We Cannot Claim
Most readers searching for CIES jobs want to know what the credential pays. The honest answer is that no reliable salary survey specific to ACAC CIES holders was verified, and no causal earnings premium has been established. Compensation in this field depends heavily on region, employer type, project mix, and your years of field experience, which is already a prerequisite for sitting the exam. Any website quoting a precise CIES salary or percentage bump without a named source should be treated with caution.
A more defensible way to think about return on investment: the direct cost is $500 for the initial two-year term, plus $400 at renewal, plus the time spent on project sheets and study. The potential benefit is qualitative: a recognized signal of multi-discipline supervisory competence that may support promotion, bidding on work, or meeting a licensing component. Whether that is worth it depends on your situation. Our salary analysis and ROI discussion lay out the reasoning without inventing figures.
The small certified population cuts both ways. It means the credential is rare and may stand out, but it also means a given employer may not recognize it. In a job application, explain what it covers instead of assuming the reader knows.
Matching Your Prep to the Job You Want
This is the one place we will talk about scheduling, and only because the right sequence depends on your career target. The exam covers all five areas, so no domain can be skipped, but you can order your preparation to build on what you already do for a living. For the full method, see the CIES study guide.
Start with your thinnest discipline
- If your work has been mostly mold, begin with Domains 1 and 2 (asbestos and lead) and read 40 CFR 763, 29 CFR 1926.1101 and 29 CFR 1926.62.
- If your background is abatement, begin with Domain 4 and the NYC fungi guidelines.
Hazardous materials and chemicals
- Work through Domains 3 and 5 together, since respirator selection and 29 CFR 1910.120 apply across both.
- Resolve the mercury reference discrepancy by checking the primary sources the handbook names.
Integration and practice
- Take practice questions that mix domains, since the exam is a single fixed set with randomized order.
- Review weak areas and practice finishing 120 questions inside three hours.
ACAC advises comprehensive study of the references, not just the sample pages in its public study guide, which it describes as examples rather than exhaustive coverage. ACAC does not develop or administer preparation courses, and its prep directory did not explicitly list CIES, so independent materials are your main route. Our CIES training overview and one-page cheat sheet can supplement your references, and you can try the CIES practice questions to test where you stand. If you are wondering about difficulty, read how hard the CIES exam really is.
Frequently Asked Questions
The credential supports supervisory work in indoor environmental remediation across asbestos, lead, hazardous materials, microbial contaminants and chemicals. Titles vary by employer, and ACAC does not publish a list of positions tied to the certification, so confirm what a specific employer expects.
Not by itself. The Florida regulator lists CIES among mold-remediation examinations in indexed content, but licensing also involves application, education and experience, fingerprinting and insurance requirements. Verify current rules with the regulator, and remember that a licensing-only exam result does not confer ACAC certification.
No reliable salary survey specific to ACAC CIES holders was verified, and no earnings premium has been established. Pay depends on region, employer and experience. See the salary guide for a discussion that avoids unsupported figures.
It depends on your education: four years of documented remediation experience with a related four-year degree (or 30 qualifying credits), six years with a related two-year degree (or 15 credits), or eight years with a high school diploma or GED. Experience must cover at least three of five disciplines, and four project sheets are required.
The initial two-year term totals $500: a $100 examination fee plus a $400 certification fee that includes a $100 nonrefundable processing fee. A retake costs $100 and renewal costs $400. No separate member and non-member schedule is published.