Staff Attorney 2

The State of Connecticut, Department of Public Health (DPH) is hiring! We are seeking an experienced and qualified individual for a meaningful role as a Staff Attorney 2, within the Environmental Health and Drinking Water (EHDW) Branch. The selected candidate will serve as a direct report to the DPH General Counsel to coordinate a variety of legal functions related to Environmental Health and Drinking Water. This Staff Attorney 2 position will assure consistency in legal actions, legislation preparation, and regulatory packages throughout the many units in the Branch. These are critical functions to assure consistent legal support to the Branch as we work with the public, the regulated community, and all stakeholders within the environmental and drinking water disciplines.

The Department's EHDW Branch regulates over 2,500 public water systems that provide safe drinking water to over 2.8 million people in the State of Connecticut and oversees activities related to food protection, private wells, subsurface sewage disposal, lead, radon, asbestos and over 15 environmental licensing and certification categories.

Discover the opportunity to:

• Oversee regulation preparation, development, and processing through all levels of review and approval including the preparation of primacy applications
• Draft and develop of legislative proposals, and oversight of the tracking, monitoring and amendment of legislative proposals
• Draft and track legislative testimony
• Participate in the decision‐making process of reviews and dockets conducted under CGS Sections 16‐262 n, 16‐262o and 25‐34, and drafting of decisions related to these statutory requirements
• Arrange, coordinate and lead hearings and reviews of cases associated with CGS Sections 16‐262n and 25‐34
• Prepare responses, rulings and determinations to public inquiries related to regulatory and statutory requirements
• Oversee of the Branch implementation of the programmatic changes to address the auditors’ recommendations
• Responsible for FOI requests and recordkeeping requirements, and the coordination of all methods used for records storage, saving, and sharing

The Mission of the Department of Public Health (DPH) is to protect and improve the health and safety of the people of Connecticut by assuring the conditions in which people can be healthy, preventing disease, injury, and disability, and promoting the equal enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of health, which is a human right and a priority of the state.

DPH accomplishes this through the implementation of its Strategic Plan which outlines the actions that DPH is taking to accomplish its Mission.

Are you interested in joining our team as a Staff Attorney 2? We encourage you to apply today! This position is conveniently located in Hartford, CT. The work schedule for this position is typically Monday - Friday, 40 hours per week. A flexible schedule may be permitted following the successful completion of a working test period.

We offer a competitive benefits package, excellent health care, generous leave policies, retirement plan, and more!  We also encourage a healthy work-life balance to all employees! 

The minimum experience and training requirements must be met by the close date on the job opening, unless otherwise specified.

These positions will be filled in accordance with contractual language, reemployment, SEBAC, transfer, promotion and merit employment rules. In order to be considered for this job opening, you must meet the Minimum Qualifications as listed on the job opening. You must specify your qualifications on your application.  

Due to the volume of applications anticipated, we are unable to provide confirmation of receipt or status during the recruitment process. Updates will be provided through your JobAps portal account. 

Interviews will be limited to candidates whose experience most closely meet the preferred requirements of the position.  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. Applicants must meet the minimum qualifications as indicated to apply for this position. 

Please Note: You will be unable to make revisions once you submit your application for this posting to the JobAps system.

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 question'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. 

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. 

The immediate vacancy is listed above, however, applications to this recruitment may be used for future vacancies in this job class.

All State employees shall follow the guidelines as listed in Executive Orders 13F (3a) and 13G (3a).

Should you have questions pertaining to this recruitment, please contact Chelsea Moore at Chelsea.Moore@ct.gov

In a state agency this class is accountable for independently performing a full range of tasks in the legal work of the agency.

Performs advanced and complex legal work of an agency; researches, interprets, analyzes and applies complex and conflicting laws and regulations, case law and legal principles; acts as hearing officer or represents agency in formal administrative and public proceedings on a full range of cases involving complex legal and technical issues; negotiates and drafts settlement agreements; drafts advisory opinions, rulings, decisions, recommendations, findings, legislation, statutes, regulations, publications and other related legal documents; assists in the preparation and presentation of trials and appeals; consults with the Office of the Attorney General on legal issues; researches complex legal issues; conducts investigations and enforcement proceedings; prepares comprehensive reports for use in administrative and court proceedings; prepares pleadings and other court papers; interprets and applies complex or conflicting laws and regulations, case law and legal principles; participates in the conduct of various educational activities; provides legal guidance when duly authorized; provides input into policy formation; may testify at or monitor legislative proceedings; may represent agency in court when authorized; reviews court decisions, new and proposed laws and regulations to determine impact on agency operations; prepares and maintains precedent manuals; reviews legal and other related documents for legal sufficiency; performs related duties as required.

Considerable knowledge of legal principles, practices and procedures in Connecticut; considerable knowledge of legal research techniques; considerable knowledge of the Uniform Administrative Procedures Act; considerable knowledge of and the ability to interpret and apply relevant state and federal laws, statutes, regulations and legislation; considerable knowledge of relevant agency policies and procedures; knowledge of the rules of evidence; knowledge of criminal and constitutional law and legislative process; considerable interpersonal skills; considerable oral and written communication skills; considerable ability to apply judicial decisions to the interpretation of statutes; considerable ability to comprehend, analyze and organize technical data and coordinate elements of legal cases.

STAFF ATTORNEY 2: Two (2) years of experience in the practice of law.
STAFF ATTORNEY 3: Three (3) years of experience in the practice of law at the level of Staff Attorney 2 in the same state agency.

• Experience developing proposed legislation and drafting regulations
• Experience working with management level staff and legislators regarding proposed legislation
• Experience assuring legal consistency in state or federal regulations and laws governing public drinking water and/ or environmental health impact
• Experience with high-volume, consistent legal support in preparation of regulatory packages, enforcement activities and legal actions to meet state and federal regulatory demands
• Experience arranging, coordinating and leading hearings and case reviews
• Experience coordinating Freedom of Information requests, including adherence to recordkeeping requirements for all storage and sharing methods
• Experience drafting contracts, memorandums of agreement/understanding, and/or Orders/Consent Orders

1. Must be admitted to practice law in the State of Connecticut.
2. May be required to travel.

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.