Environmental Protection Assistant Division Director

Introduction

The State of Connecticut, Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) is currently seeking a dynamic and collaborative leader to join our agency as the Environmental Protection Assistant Division Director for the Emergency Response and Spill Prevention Division. This is a full-time opportunity to work for a progressive environmental agency, located in Hartford, CT.

WHAT WE CAN OFFER YOU:

1. Visit our new State Employee Benefits Overview page!
2. The opportunity to work for a Forbes top company: 'Forbes' State of Connecticut Ranked One of the Best Employers of 2023 - State of CT Receives National Recognition for Offering Job Growth, Competitive Benefits, and Flexible Schedule
3. Professional growth and development opportunities
4. A healthy work/life balance to all employees

Our state has a lot to offer - from fun activities for all ages, to great food and shopping, to beautiful state parks and forests, to our diverse cultures and rich history. Connecticut is a great place to live! Learn more about Connecticut here.

POSITION HIGHLIGHTS

• Full Time (40 hours per week)
• First Shift: 8:00AM - 5:00PM, Monday through Friday
• Hybrid position, based in Hartford, CT

OUR MISSION

The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) is charged with conserving, improving and protecting the natural resources and the environment of the state of Connecticut as well as making cheaper, cleaner and more reliable energy available for the people and businesses of the state. The agency is also committed to playing a positive role in rebuilding Connecticut’s economy and creating jobs – and to fostering a sustainable and prosperous economic future for the state.

OPERATIONS WITHIN OUR DIVISION

Nearly every day, despite preventative measures, there are incidents that threaten the environment. The Emergency Response and Spill Prevention Division is prepared to limit the risks and handle incidents ranging from a spill of a few gallons to a tanker full of petroleum liquids, from abandoned or leaking underground storage tank or unknown drums of chemicals to anthrax or chemical fire.

Releases, even small ones, can endanger public health or the environment by making the water or air unsafe. Releases of hazardous materials can contaminate surface water, groundwater or soil, impact plants, fish and wildlife and their habitat or create unsafe exposure for the general public or emergency responders. The Emergency Response and Spill Prevention Division responds 24 hours per day to emergencies that result from accidental and deliberate discharges and uncontrolled releases of oil, petroleum, hazardous wastes, and chemicals to the air, land and waterways from roadway incidents, industrial processes, oil and chemical spills, failed tanks/pipes and abandoned drums as well as biological and chemical weapons.

You may learn more about our division here.

YOUR ROLE

This position is critical to the Department, Division, and in particular the mission to protect human health and safety and the environment from releases of petroleum and hazardous materials. This position serves as support for the State Emergency Response Commission (SERC) and is responsible for management of the Emergency Planning & Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA), Site Assessment & Technical Support including Field Analytics and FAA Compliant Drone Operations, and other activities in support of the mission of response to spills and environmental emergencies. This includes various grant programs and activities which are aimed at preparedness for and response to releases. In addition, this position oversees the reporting by more than 2,200 facilities which report what hazardous materials are present, how and where they are stored, and what measures are in place to address an emergency involving those hazards to protect the communities in which they reside.

Supervisors provide direct supervision to staff involved in conducting compliance audits for permitted cleanup contractors; environmental site assessments including sampling activities for drinking water wells, installation and sampling of borings and monitoring wells, FAA-compliant drone program, site and plume mapping, field analytical instrumentation capabilities to ensure that environmental contamination is quickly identified and addressed to protect human health; and to ensure community awareness of more than 2,200 facilities in Connecticut with hazardous materials storage and use. Drinking water supplies are particularly vulnerable to releases of hazardous chemicals and it is critical to maintain these functions in order to ensure safe and drinkable water.

This Assistant Director position provides leadership to the highly skilled and technical work force performing these critical tasks in order to steer and direct these important functions both now and into the future.

More details about this position can be found in the class specification.

Selection Plan

This is a competitive recruitment, open to the public. For current state employees, salary calculations are not necessarily comparable from one of the three branches of state government (i.e. Executive, Legislative, Judicial) to the other.

TO APPLY:

1. In order to be considered for this job opening, you must meet the Minimum Qualifications as listed on this job opening. You must specify your qualifications on your application.
2. The minimum experience and training requirements must be met by the close date on the job opening, unless otherwise specified.
3. Ensure that your application is complete and detailed before submitting it. In order to comply with Public Act 21-69, the State of Connecticut is no longer asking for resumes during the initial application process. You will not be able to make revisions once your application is submitted into the JobAps system.
4. Please select all location(s) and shift(s) you are willing to work on your application. Failure to do so may result in not being considered for vacancies in that specific location or shift.
5. In order to receive educational credits toward qualification for this job posting, the institution must be accredited. If the institution of higher learning is located outside of the U.S., you are responsible for providing documentation from a recognized USA accrediting service which specializes in determining foreign education equivalencies to the recruiter listed on this job posting.
6. All application materials must be received by the recruiting agency by the time specified on the job opening for the position for which you are applying. Late applications may not be submitted and will not be considered. Exceptions are rare and limited to documented events that incapacitate a candidate during the entire duration of the job posting time period. It is the candidate’s obligation and responsibility to request an exception and provide a legally recognized justification to accommodate such exception. Requests should be made to

FOR ASSISTANCE IN APPLYING:

1. Please read or watch our Applicant Tips on How to Apply!

IMPORTANT INFORMATION AFTER YOU APPLY:

1. This posting may require completion of additional referral questions (RQs). You can access these RQs via an email that will be sent to you after the posting's closing date or by visiting your JobAps Personal Status Board (Certification Questionnaires section). Your responses to these RQs must be submitted by the questionnaire's expiration date. Please regularly check your email and JobAps Personal Status Board for notifications. Please check your SPAM and/or Junk folders on a daily basis in the event an email provider places auto-notification emails in a user's spam.
2. Although applicants will receive correspondence via email, as a backup they are also encouraged to sign on to their Personal Status Board on a daily basis to monitor their status, view all emailed notices and complete tasks required in the recruitment process.
3. Note: At any point during the recruitment process, applicants may be required to submit additional documentation which support their qualification(s) for this position. These documents may include: a cover letter, resume, performance reviews, attendance records, supervisory references, licensure, etc., at the discretion of the hiring agency.
4. Interviews will be limited to candidates whose experience and training most closely meet the requirements of the position.
5. The immediate vacancy is listed above, however, applications to this recruitment may be used for future vacancies in this job class.
6. Read through this helpful link to prepare for your interview.

CONNECT WITH US:

1. Due to the large volume of applications received, we are unable to provide confirmation of receipt or status during the recruitment process. Updates will be available through your JobAps portal account. Should you have any questions pertaining to this recruitment, please contact

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PURPOSE OF JOB CLASS (NATURE OF WORK)

In the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection this class is accountable for assisting in the direction of the staff and programs of a scientific, regulatory or technical division.

EXAMPLES OF DUTIES

1. Assists in directing staff and operations of a scientific, regulatory or technical division;
2. Coordinates, plans and manages division activities;
3. Assists in formulating and implementing program goals and objectives;
4. Assists in development of related policy, goals and objectives;
5. Interprets and administers pertinent laws and regulations;
6. Evaluates staff;
7. Assists in preparation of division budget;
8. Establishes and maintains contacts with individuals within and outside of division who might impact on program activities;
9. Provides or directs staff training and development;
10. Prepares and/or oversees preparation of reports and correspondence;
11. Performs public relations tasks;
12. Oversees special projects;
13. Serves as director in their absence;
14. Participates in the recruitment and hiring of staff, including outreach, interview and selection;
15. Performs related duties as required.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILL AND ABILITY

1. Considerable knowledge of management principles and practices;
2. Relevant state and federal laws, statutes and regulations;
3. Environmental protection principles, techniques, practices and issues;

1. Considerable interpersonal skills;
2. Oral and written communication skills;
3. Analytical, organizational and negotiation skills;

Considerable ability to apply relevant agency policies and procedures.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS - GENERAL EXPERIENCE

Nine (9) years of professional experience in natural resource management, environmental conservation, energy research, energy planning, energy policy development, public outdoor recreation, pollution prevention, reduction and management, environmental regulatory programs or other related environmental protection field.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS - SPECIAL EXPERIENCE

One (1) year of the General Experience must have been in a supervisory capacity responsible for the supervision of professional and technical support staff performing environmental protection work.

NOTE: Supervisory capacity is defined as scheduling, assigning and overseeing work, establishing performance standards for employees and taking corrective measures to implement those standards.

For state employees this experience is interpreted at the level of an Environmental Protection Supervising Environmental Engineer (Environmental Protection), Environmental Protection Supervising Air Pollution Control Engineer, Environmental Protection Supervising Civil Engineer, Environmental Protection Supervising Environmental Analyst, Environmental Protection Supervising Forester, Environmental Protection Supervising Fisheries Biologist, Environmental Protection Supervising Wildlife Biologist or other comparable supervisory title responsible for the supervision of professional and technical support staff performing environmental protection work.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS - SUBSTITUTIONS ALLOWED

1. College training in a scientific or technical discipline related to the environmental field including but not limited to the biological, earth or physical sciences; environmental planning; environmental law; economics; leisure services; geographic information systems; geography with a concentration in geographic information systems; natural sciences or natural resources may be substituted for the General Experience on the basis of fifteen (15) semester hours equalling one-half (1/2) year of experience to a maximum of four (4) years for a Bachelor's degree.
2. A Master's degree in a scientific or technical discipline related to the environmental field as listed above including but not limited to the biological, earth or physical sciences; environmental planning; environmental law; economics; leisure services; geographic information systems; geography with a concentration in geographic information systems; natural sciences or natural resources may be substituted for five (5) years of the General Experience.
3. A law degree with a concentration in environmental protection or doctorate degree in a field related to environmental protection may be substituted for six (6) years of the General Experience.

NOTE: Education may only be substituted for a total of six (6) years of the General Experience.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

1. Experience interpreting and implementing Federal, State and Local environmental laws, including the Emergency Planning & Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA), and working with local, state, and federal agencies including the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), U.S. Coast Guard, or response departments.
2. Experience communicating technical information about environmental science and environmental laws pertaining to spills, releases, and contamination to the regulated community, state and federal agencies, non-governmental organizations, the media and the general public.
3. Experience overseeing and reviewing environmental investigation and remediation of chemical and oil spills to soil, surface water and groundwater including conceptual site model, investigation planning, remedial design, and monitoring effectiveness.
4. Experience managing competing priorities and projects, including in time-critical or emergency response situations.
5. Experience managing governmental grants and program budgets.
6. Experience assuring the safety of personnel through adherence with safe work practices and Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) requirements, including personal protective equipment (PPE) such as Levels A through D, monitoring, and the National Incident Management System.
7. Experience developing and implementing strategic plans and solutions to address environmental or programmatic challenges and priorities.
8. Experience developing, drafting, and enforcing state statutes and regulations.

Conclusion

AN AFFIRMATIVE ACTION/EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER

The State of Connecticut is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer and strongly encourages the applications of women, minorities, and persons with disabilities.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

As defined by Sec. 5-196 of the Connecticut General Statutes, a job class is a position or group of positions that share general characteristics and are categorized under a single title for administrative purposes. As such, a job class is not meant to be all-inclusive of every task and/or responsibility.