Its members, called ingénieurs des ponts, des eaux et des forêts (nicknamed IPEF), are senior civil servants and top-level engineers, mainly employed by the French Ministry of Ecological Transition and by the French Ministry of Agriculture, but they can also work for every French Ministries, public establishments, or public compagnies.
A special entrance exam was recently opened for PhD holders but it offers a limited number of places.
In addition, it is possible for other civil servants to join the Corps des IPEF after passing internal exams so as to widen their career perspectives.
Being admitted to the Corps des IPEF is still considered a significant fast-track for executive careers.
According to the Corps statutes,[1] every IPEF participate, under the authority of the competent ministers, in the design, development, implementation and evaluation of public policies, particularly in areas relating to: They may perform management, supervisory, monitoring, inspection, study, expert appraisal, public policy evaluation, teaching and research functions, including in international organizations.