Environmental Analyst 2 (35 Hour)

The Environmental Justice Program at The Department of Environmental and Energy Protection (DEEP) is one of the oldest environmental justice programs in the nation!  Since its’ creation in 1993, it has developed  policy, strategies, and law in response to the needs identified by BIPOC communities  and residents or urban areas.  The policy of this Department is that no segment of the population should, because of its racial, ethnic, or economic makeup, bear a disproportionate share of the risks and consequences of environmental pollution or be denied equal access to environmental benefits. The Department is committed to incorporating environmental justice and equity into its program development and implementation, its policy making and its regulatory activities.

 

The Selected candidate will:

• Collaborate on the development and maintenance of a statewide Environmental Justice Mapping Tool using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to analyze the DEEP permitting and enforcement programs. This includes geographic analysis of environmental pollution, emissions, enforcement, health disparities and socioeconomic indicators that may impact the health of a community.
  
• Provide technical and administrative support and interpretation to multiple stakeholders including but not limited to neighborhood groups, academia, local and state government agencies, and the business communities.
  
• Facilitate outreach and engagement activities to raise awareness and generate interest among EJ community partners and reporting on outcomes.
  
• Review and assess the impacts of and opportunities provided by its activities with regard to racial and ethnic minority groups and lower income residents.
  
• Engage with community organizations focusing on addressing environmental justice, disparities in health outcomes, inequities in living condition for communities of color, including Black, Indigenous, Latinx, Americans, immigrants, other People of Color (“BIPOC”), low-income communities, people with disabilities, and other historically disadvantaged people.
  
• Plan and facilitate meetings and workshops both virtual and in-person.

This is a unique   position that  will inform DEEP  on those areas that are overburdened with pollution and  enable prioritization of those geographic areas for enforcement, planning, grant funding, technical assistance and targeted outreach and engagement.  The position is Mon - Fri, 35 hours per week and offers competitive benefits plan that includes healthcare coverage, a retirement plan as well as generous paid time off!

Position specific questions can be sent to Edith.Pestana@CT.Gov.

The immediate vacancy is listed above, however, applications to this recruitment may be used for future vacancies in this job class.  Please ensure that your application is complete.  You will be unable to make revisions once it is submitted.  Questions can be sent to Emily.Kennedy@CT.Gov.

This posting may require completion of additional referral questions (RQs) which will be sent to you via email after the closing date. The email notification will include an expiration date by which you must submit (Finish) your responses. Please regularly check your email for notifications. Please check your SPAM and/or Junk folders, as emails could end up there in error.

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

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

In the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection this class is accountable for independently performing a full range of tasks in the technical review and analysis of environmental program data and issues within the environmental field, developing recommendations on courses of action and assisting with the implementation of policy and program decisions.

In other state agencies this class is accountable for independently performing a full range of tasks in the technical review and analysis of environmental program data and issues, developing recommendations for courses of action and assisting with the implementation of policy and program decisions.

• Statistical analysis of state and local data by Town
• Plotting the location of potential pollution facilities and assessing potential risk of exposures
• Assisting the creation of a public mapping tool that will be accessible to local, state, and federal government, communities, and industry
• Assess populations vulnerable to climate change
• Assess populations at risk for environmental health hazards
• Update US Census population data
• Update and maintain content in the Environmental Justice Program webpage 
• Engage with municipalities and towns to gather data 
• Assist municipalities and the state in planning processes 
• Plan and facilitate meetings and workshops both virtual and in-person 
• Travel the state and participate in occasional evening and weekend meetings 
• Interpret and present GIS products to better inform regulations, statutes, guidelines, and other written materials 
• Perform complex GIS analysis to develop client focused outputs, maps, and dashboards that integrate data relevant to client mission areas
• Design, build, deploy, and maintain web-based geospatial applications; 
• Evaluate and integrate spatial data from various environmental, health indicators, infrastructure, hazard, and climate data sources and data types (geodatabases, web services, raster, and image files) 
• Assist in formulating policy options; provides technical consultation to environmental justice communities, local, regional, state, federal officials, educators, academia, and the public 
• Coordinate outreach efforts and prepare related paperwork 
• Research and adopt new analytical tools and statistical methods / Prepares reports 
• May prepare publications and guidelines on the interpretation of GIS maps and agency processes
• Related duties as required

Knowledge of principles and practices in fields relative to environmental protection; knowledge of principles and practices of environmental and policy analysis; knowledge of local, state and federal laws, statutes, regulations and policies pertaining to environmental protection; knowledge of environmental program planning principles and practices; knowledge of statistics; interpersonal skills; oral and written communication skills; research and organizational skills; ability to understand and interpret legislation and technical data; ability to utilize computer software.

Six (6) years of experience involving technical analysis and interpretation of environmental program data or planning and implementing environmental programs.

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 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.

Note: Education may only be substituted for a total of five (5) years.

3. For State Employees one (1) year of experience as a Environmental Analyst 1 may be substituted for the General Experience.

• Bachelor, or master’s degree in geography, statistics, Geographic Information Systems, public health, natural science, engineering, or related discipline in Information Systems, environmental science, or related discipline
• Experience working with environmental justice and health disparities
• Experience performing complex geospatial analysis, ArcGIS Pro, ArcGIS module “Parcel Fabric”, GIS mapping and BI tools such as ArcGIS Online, Microsoft Excel, SAS programming, Statistical computing
• Experience with  concepts and analytical methodologies for visualizing different types of spatial data - and related software tools
• Experience with automating data pipelines using open source like R/Python or proprietary tools
• Experience creating applications (app) to collect and export data to create mapping projects
• Experience showing strong critical thinking, problem-solving skills, and interpreting data in a manner that the public understands
• Experience in community engagement and working with communities that have been historically underserved and overburdened by environmental pollution
• Experience with Facilitation and collaboration
• Ability to travel to work locations throughout the state and region and participate in occasional evening and weekend meetings
• Proficiency in Spanish

1. Incumbents in this class may be required to travel.
2. Incumbents in this class may be required to possess and retain a valid Motor Vehicle Operator’s license.

Incumbents in this class may be exposed to some danger of injury or physical harm from on-site environments and a moderate degree of discomfort from exposure to year round weather conditions.

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.