STATE OF CONNECTICUT EXECUTIVE BRANCH JOBS

Environmental Intern (35 Hour)

Environmental Justice

Recruitment #211203-0196ES-001

Introduction


Looking for an entry level position in the environmental field?
If so, we invite you to check out this outstanding opportunity!

The State of Connecticut, Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP), is looking to hire a full-time Environmental Intern to work in DEEP's Environmental Justice Program.

POSITION DETAILS
This is a full-time, 35 hour-per-week position on first shift (Monday-Friday). The length of this position (training period) will be determined by your degree (2 years for a Bachelor's Degree, 1 year for a Master's Degree). You will be automatically promoted to the target class Environmental Analyst 1 upon successful completion of the training period.

DEEP’s Environmental Justice Program 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 for this Environmental Intern position will have responsibilities to:
  • 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.
  • Travel to work locations throughout the state and region and participate in occasional evening and weekend meetings.
  • Perform administrative duties as directed.
We offer a competitive benefits plan that includes healthcare coverage, a retirement plan as well as paid time off, including 12 paid holidays per calendar year!

For an inside look at what it's like to Make an ImpaCT as a State of Connecticut Employee, check out the video below:
         
ABOUT US
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.

Selection Plan

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

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

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. 

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, transcripts, diplomas, 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. 

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. 

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

Questions about this recruitment should be directed to Jake Ferrari via email at jake.ferrari@ct.gov.

PURPOSE OF JOB CLASS (NATURE OF WORK)

In a state agency receives training in introductory professional environmental work for the development of technical and professional skills and knowledge in order to qualify for advancement to the professional environmental work of the agency; performs a wide variety of increasing difficult duties as technical skills are acquired during the course of the training period.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILL AND ABILITY

Some knowledge of basic theories, principles and practices of environmental and policy analysis; some knowledge of basic statistics; general knowledge of environmental program planning principles and practices; interpersonal skills; oral and written communication skills; analytical skills; research and organizational skills; ability to understand and interpret legislation and technical data; ability to utilize computer software.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS - GENERAL EXPERIENCE

A Bachelor's or 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; leisure services; geographic information systems; geography with a concentration in geographic information systems; environmental or natural sciences; or natural resources.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

  • Bachelor's 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 in or course work related to environmental justice and health disparities
  • Experience performing geospatial analysis, ArcGIS Pro, ArcGIS module “Parcel Fabric”, GIS mapping and BI tools such as ArcGIS Online, Microsoft Excel, SAS programming, Statistical computing
  • Understand concepts and applicable software tools and analytical methodologies for visualizing different types of spatial data
  • Experience automating data pipelines using open source like R/Python or proprietary tools
  • Experience working with data collection software, including mapping projects and exporting data
  • Experience showing 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 disseminating information to coworkers or the public
  • Facilitation and collaboration experience
  • Bilingual or proficiency speaking Spanish

WORKING CONDITIONS

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

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.