Environmental Protection Assistant Division Director

Looking for a leadership position in the field of environmental protection?

If so, we invite you to explore this opportunity with the State of Connecticut!

At the Connecticut Department of Energy & Environmental Protection (DEEP), we are dedicated to conserving, improving, and protecting our natural resources and the environment- and increasing the availability of cheaper, cleaner and more reliable energy.

Within the State Parks and Public Outreach Division, our mission is to provide natural resource-based outdoor recreational and educational opportunities through a system of state parks and forest recreation areas.

Connecticut has over 255,000 acres of state-owned public lands that are part of our state park system, with 110 State Parks and 32 State Forest Recreation Areas. The ultimate goal of our Division is, through the work of our team of dedicated professionals, to provide outstanding recreational opportunities across our state. If outdoor recreation and working to create great experiences for our state’s citizens and visitors are important to you, then perhaps this position is the right fit for you.

With this goal in mind, the State Parks and Public Outreach Division is currently looking for an Assistant Division Director - State Parks Operations, at our downtown Hartford Office, located at 79 Elm Street, across from historical Bushnell Park.

POSITION DETAILS
This position is full-time, forty (40) hours per week, Monday-Friday. Some hybrid work may be approved.

The position affords a dedicated and experienced manager committed to public service and creating positive outdoor recreation experiences, an exciting opportunity. The successful candidate will thrive in a fast-paced workplace with a talented and committed group of professionals, working to plan and implement the future of Connecticut State Parks.

The Assistant Director’s primary duties will be to direct the Operations and Field Management section of the Division. The section is organized into two unique field operations districts, each managed by a district supervisor and overseen by the Assistant Director. In addition, the Assistant Director manages the central administration unit which includes special use licensing, enterprise program development, the Office of Trails and Greenways, waterfront safety, and Division wide human resource support. The Assistant Director coordinates with the Assistant Director of Education and Public Outreach on cross cutting issues in the Division.

For a full range of duties, please see the "Examples of Duties" section below.

The Assistant Director receives administrative direction from the Director of the State Parks and Public Outreach Division within the Bureau of Outdoor Recreation.

We offer a competitive benefits plan that includes healthcare coverage, a retirement plan as well as paid time off, including 13 paid holidays per calendar year!

For an inside look at what it is like to Make an ImpaCT as a State of Connecticut employee, check out the video below!

Before you apply, make note of the following:

• 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.
• The minimum experience and training requirements must be met by the close date on the job opening, unless otherwise specified.
• 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.
• 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 DAS.SHRM@ct.gov.

Important information for after you apply:

• 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.
• 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, performance reviews, attendance records, supervisory references, licensure, etc., at the discretion of the hiring agency.
• The immediate vacancy is listed above, however, applications to this recruitment may be used for future vacancies in this job class.

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

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.

This position is directly responsible for planning, organizing, managing, and controlling the field operations of the state parks system.

Specific responsibilities will include but not be limited to:

• Day to day management responsibility of State Parks field operations;
• Providing direction of staff and operations of CT State Parks;
• Determines priorities, coordinates plans and manages activities;
• Assists in formulating program policies, goals and objectives and ensures implementation of same by balancing competing priorities to efficiently use available resources;
• Prepares or directs the development of office implementation plans for achieving goals and objectives utilizing innovative approaches;
• Reviews and evaluates effectiveness of established or proposed policies and/or programs assessing options and developing recommendations for improvement;
• Interprets and administers pertinent laws and regulations;
• Evaluates staff performance;
• Provides or directs staff training and development;
• Assists in preparation of division budget;
• Prepares and/or oversees preparation of reports and correspondence;
• Oversees special projects;
• Represent Connecticut on the local, state, regional and national level;
• May serve as director in his/her absence;
• Coordinates with partners as appropriate, including consultation to local, regional, state and federal officials; and non-governmental organizations and constituent groups;
• Builds and provides the mentoring necessary to develop and expand staff capacity at all levels, with a focus on managing change and succession planning.

Considerable knowledge of and ability to apply management principles and techniques; considerable knowledge of environmental protection principles, techniques, practices and issues; considerable knowledge of relevant state and federal laws, statutes and regulations; considerable ability to apply relevant agency policies and procedures; considerable interpersonal skills; oral and written communication skills; analytical, organizational and negotiating skills.

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.

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. Notes:
1. Supervisory capacity is interpreted as scheduling, assigning and overseeing work, establishing performance standards for employees and taking corrective measures to implement those standards.
2. For State Employees, the Special Experience is interpreted at the level of Environmental Protection Supervising Sanitary 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.

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; 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; 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.

• Experience leading and applying personnel management to supervise a workforce of professionals assigned to different park and recreation locations;
• Experience managing program budgets and grant programs;
• Experience interpreting and administering state and federal laws, regulations, policies, and procedures;
• Experience managing productivity, defining expectations, and providing direction to a workforce;
• Experience in construction management planning and practices;
• Experience communicating information in writing, through presentations, and in person to the public, state and federal agencies, and advocacy groups;
• Experience with outdoor recreation facility maintenance, development, and operations;
• Experience synthesizing data and utilizing that information in developing planning strategies and actions.

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.