Log In
Sign Up
Transportation Planner 2 (Cultural Resources) Fulltime
Introduction
The State of Connecticut, Department of Transportation (DOT), is now recruiting for an archaeologist to serve as a Transportation Planner 2 in the Cultural Resources Unit, part of the Office of Environmental Planning. This position is within the Bureau of Policy & Planning, at our headquarters, located in Newington Connecticut.
WHAT WE CAN OFFER YOU:
NEW: A Platinum Healthcare Plan, the nation’s best for state employees and dependents, according to a report by Georgetown’s Center on Health Insurance Reform an article by Ellen Andrews, Ph.D., along with comprehensive benefit offerings
Extensive pension plan and supplemental retirement offerings
Paid time off including 13 paid holidays per calendar year
A culture that encourages work/life balance
Professional growth and development opportunities
Ample free parking with easy access from major highways or by public transportation
The convenience of an on-site, low-cost fitness center, on-site cafeteria, and Electric Vehicle (EV) charging at our Newington, CT Headquarters facility.
Work for a Forbes top company: State of Connecticut Ranked One of the Best Employers of 2023 – State of CT Receives National Recognition for Offering Job Growth, Competitive Benefits, and Flexible Schedule
State of Connecticut is an eligible Public Service Loan Forgiveness employer, meaning you may be eligible to have qualifying student loans forgiven after 10 years of service. Click here for more information.
Position Details:
Full-time, 40 hours per week, and is in the P-4 (Engineering and Scientific) bargaining unit.
Reports to a Transportation Supervising Planner or employee of a higher level.
This position is eligible to apply for telework after successful completion of the working test period, and thereafter, in accordance with the Telework Policy. The Policy can be found here: chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://portal.ct.gov/-/media/opm/olr/notices/2021-tw-final-agreement-with-arbitrated-issue-included.pdf. Employees in their initial working test period must work on site in the office.
Position Responsibilities:
This position is dedicated to balancing transportation project delivery and historic preservation and ensuring conformance with Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) for projects funded by Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) and The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA).
The NHPA, which became law in 1966, establishes national policy on the preservation of historic and cultural places. Section 106 of the NHPA requires federal agencies to take into account the effect of any undertaking on any historic property prior to the approval of the expenditure of any Federal funds on the undertaking or prior to the issuance of any license. An integral portion of this process is consultation with multiple local agencies and organizations, Tribes, and the public.
The Cultural Resources Unit is responsible for guiding Department projects through this process from initiation through construction. Candidates should be knowledgeable and have practical experience in cultural resource management including identification of potential historic resources (through desktop and field reviews), determination of potential impacts, as well as developing avoidance and mitigation measures. Candidates should also have practical experience applying Section 106 legal requirements to projects including the ability to fulfill stakeholder and public outreach requirements specific to Section 106 of the NHPA.
This position requires written and verbal communication skills and will be responsible for coordination internally as well as with designers, consultants, federal funding agencies, the Connecticut State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO), the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation (ACHP) as well as leading and participating in meetings with Tribal Nations, elected officials, stakeholders, and the public.
About Us
As one of Connecticut’s largest State agencies, DOT employs approximately 3,300 individuals statewide in five distinct bureaus. It is our mission to provide a safe, accessible, and efficient multimodal transportation network that improves the quality of life and promotes economic vitality for the State and the region.
Selection Plan
To Apply:
In order to be considered for this job opening, you must meet the Minimum Qualifications as listed on this 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.
Please select all location(s) and shift(s) you are willing to work on your application. Failure to do so may result in not being considered for vacancies in that specific location or shift.
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.
In order to receive educational credits toward qualification for this job posting, the institution must be accredited. If the institution of higher learning is located outside of the U.S., you are responsible for providing documentation from a recognized USA accrediting service which specializes in determining foreign education equivalencies to the recruiter listed on this job posting.
For Assistance In Applying:
Please read or watch our Applicant Tips on How to Apply!
Important Information After You Apply:
For current state employees, salary calculations are not necessarily comparable from one of the three branches of state government (i.e., Executive, Legislative, Judicial) to the other.
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.
Interviews will be limited to candidates whose experience and training most closely meet the requirements of the position.
The immediate vacancy is listed above, however, applications to this recruitment may be used for future vacancies in this job class.
Candidates who are offered and accept a position with the State of Connecticut are bound by the State Code of Ethics for Public Officials and State Employees which is available at www.ct.gov/ethics.
Connect With Us:
Due to the large volume of applications received, we are unable to provide confirmation of receipt or status during the recruitment process. Updates will be available through your JobAps portal account. Should you have any questions pertaining to this recruitment, please contact Hayley Newhouse, at Hayley.Newhouse@ct.gov.
PURPOSE OF JOB CLASS (NATURE OF WORK)
In the Department of Transportation and the Connecticut Airport Authority this class is accountable for acting as a working lead and/or for performing the most complex tasks in transportation planning studies, programs and related activities.
EXAMPLES OF DUTIES
Conducts planning and review of projects in compliance with requirements of Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act and the Connecticut Environmental Policy Act (CEPA); performs field work, documentary research, and on-site evaluation of buildings, districts, and archaeological sites relative to cultural resources; assists in planning studies relative to all transportation modes for the movement of people and goods; conducts and directs surveys related to cultural resources, environmental studies, land use, and transportation needs; develops, coordinates and evaluates transportation programs; collects, analyzes and updates data related to impacts of transportation facilities, projects and programs and makes recommendations based on this analysis; prepares and reviews archaeological and cultural resource studies, surveys and technical documents for conformance with department standards, needs and state and federal laws and regulations; provides planning assistance and coordinates activities and projects with local, regional, state, and federal agencies, private consultants and stakeholders as required; investigates and responds to public inquiries and complaints regarding transportation plans, programs and/or projects; reviews proposed legislation and distributes information; may perform site analysis work; performs related duties as required. Field work in all weather conditions will be required and travel primarily within the State will be necessary.
Duties of this position include:
Reviewing and determining potential presence of cultural resources and determining impacts, avoidance, and mitigation methods.
Coordination and oversight of the required State and federal documentation to satisfy Section 106 of the NHPA, including Memorandums of Agreement and conformance with Connecticut’s Environmental Policy Act (CEPA).
Coordination of the required stakeholder engagement and public outreach to satisfy Section 106 of the NHPA.
Preparing GIS maps and supporting documentation for cultural resource reviews associated with design projects.
Preparing quarterly and annual reports for programmatic agreements, memorandum of understandings, or requests from Federal and State agencies.
Oversee unit’s On-Call Consultant’s task-based assignments related to analysis and assessment of potential cultural resources.
Preparing and providing training to the Department and consultants.
Preparing and commenting on proposed legislation regarding its impact on the Department.
Participating (and preparing presentations) in meetings with federal and state agencies, elected officials, tribal representatives, and the public.
KNOWLEDGE, SKILL AND ABILITY
Considerable knowledge of multi-modal transportation planning theory, practices and methodologies;
Knowledge of environmental considerations involved in transportation planning;
Skills
interpersonal skills;
oral and written communication skills;
Ability to
develop and use computer software including planning models and other programs related to planning process;
forecast trends based upon empirical data;
comprehend and interpret laws and regulations;
Analytical ability;
Lead ability.
MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS – GENERAL EXPERIENCE
Seven (7) years of professional experience in transportation civil engineering or transportation, urban, regional or environmental planning.
MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS – SPECIAL EXPERIENCE
One (1) year of the General Experience must include individual responsibility for the coordination of complex planning projects in a relevant planning area.
NOTE: For state employees this experience is interpreted at the level of a Transportation Planner 1 or Transportation Engineer 2.
MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS – SUBSTITUTIONS ALLOWED
College training may be substituted for the General Experience on the basis of fifteen (15) semester hours equaling one-half (1/2) year of experience to a maximum of four (4) years for a Bachelor’s degree.
A Master’s degree in civil engineering, transportation, urban, regional or environmental planning may be substituted for one (1) additional year of the General Experience.
PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS
A graduate degree in archaeology, anthropology, architectural history, art history, historic preservation, or closely related field.
Experience applying federal and state laws, regulation and guidance associated with cultural resources to projects and guiding projects through the Section 106 evaluation process.
Experience writing, and reviewing, and presenting reports or documents related to cultural resources.
Experience identifying and implementing avoidance and mitigation measures to protect cultural resources, including mitigation actions such as preparing a Memorandum of Agreement
Experience fulfilling outreach and engagement with state agencies, cultural resource stakeholders, and the public as required under Section 106 of the NHPA.
Experience in proper collection and organization of archaeological artifacts, curation methods and reports
Experience with Historic American Buildings Survey and Historic American Engineering Record.
Ability to meet the Secretary of the Interior’s Professional Qualifications Standards.
Experience overseeing and managing consultants.
Experience using Microsoft Office 365 and ESRI or other GIS-related software to interpret other published documents and media such as historic mapping and aerial photography.
SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS
Incumbents in this class may be required to possess and retain a valid Motor Vehicle Operator’s license.
Incumbents in this class may be required to travel.
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.
