Introduction
Are you looking to grow your career with the State of Connecticut? If so, take a look at this great opportunity below!
WHAT WE CAN OFFER YOU
In addition, the State puts an emphasis on:
- Providing limitless opportunities;
- Hiring for diversity and fresh perspectives;
- Performing meaningful work and;
- Encouraging a healthy work/life balance!
POSITION HIGHLIGHTS
- This position is full-time, following a first shift schedule, 7:00 AM - 2:30 PM, 35 hours per week, scheduled Monday - Friday.
- Incumbents in this class must have sufficient strength, stamina and ability to perform assigned duties.
- Incumbent will be required to live on-site in state provided housing and provide 50% of the off-hours coverage for facility.
- Incumbent in this class may be exposed to some danger of injury or physical harm from environmental conditions and to a moderate degree of discomfort from year-round weather conditions.
- Note: The schedule and hours for this position may be subject to change and the incumbent must possess a valid driver's license.
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.
The Kensington State Fish Hatchery was constructed in 1934, making it our second oldest hatchery in operation. Kensington Hatchery is a pumped well facility and as such, requires two staff to live in state housing to provide off-hours coverage in the event of power outages or other emergencies. There are two separate dwelling units at the hatchery and the Fish Hatchery Supervisor is required to reside in one of those units.
One of the former functions of the Kensington State Fish Hatchery was to support Atlantic Salmon Restoration efforts. With Federal restoration efforts concluded (2013), DEEP began the “Legacy Program”, to maintain enough Atlantic Salmon at the hatchery to preserve genetic integrity of the Connecticut River strain. For over 45 years, biologists have been breeding adult salmon that have returned to the Connecticut River as part of the restoration program. Fish that were originally stocked to support restoration came from Maine, but over time the genetic identity of the strain shifted as fish adapted to their new river. The current strain is the southernmost population of Atlantic salmon and it is important to maintain this strain, not only to support CT’s Atlantic Salmon Legacy program but also to preserve this unique genetic resource, the importance of which may go beyond the boundaries of Connecticut.
In addition, each year, surplus broodstock and 2-3 year old salmon (raised specifically for this fishery) are released into the Naugatuck and Shetucket Rivers as well as selected lakes. These fish provide a unique angling opportunity that attracts anglers worldwide. Surplus eggs are supplied to over 80 schools that participate in the Salmon-In-Schools program. Students are responsible for caring for the eggs until they hatch, feeding the fry, and then releasing them into local waters. Kensington Hatchery also supports a broodline of Seeforellen Brown Trout that serves as the backbone of the State's trout fishery in numerous coldwater lakes.
For an inside look at what it's like to work as an employee for the State of Connecticut, please watch the video below!
Selection Plan
Before you apply:
- 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.
- For assistance in applying please read or watch our Applicant Tips on How to Apply!
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.
- For current state employees, salary calculations are not necessarily comparable from branch to branch but it does not impact your state service credit.
Questions about this position should be directed to Alejandro G. Davila-Hurtado at Alejandro.Davila-Hurtado@CT.Gov.
PURPOSE OF JOB CLASS (NATURE OF WORK)
In the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection this class is accountable for supervising the operation and maintenance of a large State Hatchery and Rearing Station or assisting in the supervising of a large, automated state fish hatchery.
EXAMPLES OF DUTIES
- Supervises two or more maintainers, seasonal workers and other employees of lower grade;
- Schedules, assigns, oversees and reviews the work of the staff and operations of a Hatchery and Rearing Station or assists in a large facility;
- Provides staff training and assistance;
- Conducts performance evaluations;
- Determines priorities and plans hatchery work;
- Establishes and maintains hatchery procedures;
- Develops or makes recommendations on the development of policies and standards;
- Acts as liaison with other operating units, agencies and outside officials regarding policies and procedures;
- Prepares reports and correspondence;
- Requisitions supplies and equipment and keeps time and material records;
- Supervises and assists subordinate employees in such work as checking temperatures and conditions for various species of fish eggs;
- Maintains proper conditions, prepares food and feeds fry, fingerlings and adult fish;
- Treats diseased fish;
- Strips fish and collects spawn;
- Sorts, collects, and prepares for shipment fish to be distributed;
- Nets fish from drained pools and ponds;
- Controls vermin and rodents in and around hatchery buildings and grounds;
- Cleans, maintains, constructs and repairs hatchery equipment and structures, including pools, reservoirs, filters, traps, inlets, screens, racks, frames, and dams; runs feeding experiments to determine the efficiency of various foods;
- Prescribes treatment for fish that have parasites or disease;
- Conducts visitors through hatchery buildings and grounds;
- Performs related duties as required.
Specific duties include but are not limited to supervising the following:
- Propagation of trout from egg to adult;
- Cleaning fish rearing units;
- Weighing feed and feeding fish;
- Driving CDL Class tanker trucks and distributing fish statewide;
- Manually spawning mature trout and kokanee salmon;
- Enumerating and treating fish eggs;
- Performing basic maintenance in the areas of carpentry;
- Masonry and plumbing;
- Operating shop and hand power tools;
- Operating landscaping equipment (mowers and trimmers);
- Operating a small tractor;
- Talking to hatchery visitors about Kensington Hatchery operations and the culture of Atlantic Salmon and Seeforellen Brown Trout;
- Monitoring wells and maintaining pumps; and
- Generators and chilling units.
KNOWLEDGE, SKILL AND ABILITY
- Considerable knowledge of
- relevant agency policies and procedures;
- relevant state and federal laws, statutes and regulations;
- Knowledge of
- approved methods and techniques of fish culture;
- the diseases of fish and their treatment;
- plumbing, painting and carpentry
- Considerable
- interpersonal skills;
- oral and written communication skills;
- Ability to
- maintain records;
- utilize computer software;
- Supervisory ability.
MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS - GENERAL EXPERIENCE
Five (5) years of experience in the care and propagation of fish.
MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS - SUBSTITUTIONS ALLOWED
College training in fishery science 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.
PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS
- Experience with Cold-water fish culture at a production facility that includes rearing trout and salmon from egg to adult;
- Experience diagnosing fish pathogens and experience with their treatment;
- Experience communicating verbally to groups of people and experience writing technical information;
- Experience with record keeping, and data management;
- Experience supervising or leading staff;
- Experience with Microsoft Office 360 including Excel, Outlook, Teams, and Word;
- Experience in buildings and grounds maintenance;
- Experience planning projects for facility upgrades; and
- Experience operating and maintaining well pumps, generators, and chillers.
SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS
Incumbents in this class may be required to live on site.
PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS
Incumbents in this class must have adequate physical strength, stamina, physical agility and visual and auditory acuity, and must maintain such physical fitness as to be able to perform the duties.
WORKING CONDITIONS
Incumbents in this class may be exposed to some danger of injury or personal harm from environmental conditions and to a moderate degree of discomfort from 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.
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.