Review Vacancy
AgencyEnvironmental Conservation, Department of
TitleEnvironmental Program Specialist 1 / Trainee 1 / 2 - NY HELPS
Occupational CategoryI.T. Engineering, Sciences
Bargaining UnitPS&T - Professional, Scientific, and Technical (PEF)
Salary RangeFrom $53764 to $85138 Annually
Appointment Type Contingent Permanent
Duties Description The Division of Fish and Wildlife collects and processes data on freshwater wetlands and other habitats through surveys and permit applications. The candidates will have responsibility for managing data collected for select fish and wildlife programs, including assisting with coordination and use of the software used to collect, store, and analyze such data. One incumbent will be housed within the Information and Data Management Unit in the Bureau of Fish and Wildlife Coordination; the other candidate will be housed in the Bureau of Habitat.
These positions will be responsible for a variety of technical and program activities to support the work of the Bureau of Habitat’s freshwater wetlands program. Duties include: maintaining, compiling and analyzing existing data sets that will be used to inform habitat protection and provide information to the Bureau of Habitat and the Division of Environmental Permits; assisting with the development of data and data systems, (geographic and other) associated with wetland protection and permit reviews; developing maps, performing topological gap analysis and automating GIS workflows; contribute as a team member to the freshwater wetlands program, participating in the development of remote data collection and processing; maintaining metadata associated with various data sets and feature classes; and fulfilling routine data requests from internal staff, consultants, or general public. Professional experience in GIS data management and analysis is preferred.
Specific duties include:
•Demonstrated ability to design and automate end-to-end geospatial workflows using ESRI tools (Survey123, Experience Builder, web maps), R, and related SaaS/automation platforms to improve efficiency, data quality, and delivery speed.
•Create, manipulate, and maintain MS Access, ESRI Survey123, and other fish and wildlife database platforms associated with various fish, wildlife, or habitat surveys, research, population monitoring, and other programs.
•Develop geospatial automation tools (R, Python, GIS) to streamline fish, wildlife, and habitat permit reviews, spatial analyses, and data workflows.
•Design, configure, deploy, and support mobile and scannable forms (e.g., Survey 123, nForm) to streamline data entry from various fish, wildlife, and user surveys and other data sources.
•Maintain and update computer programs used to analyze habitat data and fish and wildlife survey data, automating and streamlining processes when possible.
•Provide data visualization products, user-friendly reports, and perform standardized and ad-hoc queries from the above databases as needed for management or public information purposes (Power BI, ArcGIS Dashboards, SQL, R, Python).
•Provide oversight, training, and troubleshooting for mobile data collection processes and serve as a technical expert in Survey123 form development and data organization.
•Work with program staff to assess and optimize fish and wildlife data collection processes and data flows.
•Communicate directly with software and hardware vendor support services to resolve issues that require immediate attention and advocate for fixes/patches/updates to applications when appropriate.
•Identify and help resolve database related issues and provide back up and data recovery services. Work with the DEC "help desk" as needed to assist staff experiencing database-related issues.
•Implement and support data governance best practices, including data validation, standardized field naming, version control, and metadata documentation.
•Evaluate and pilot emerging technologies (e.g., AI, Azure, AWS, Shiny) to meet fish and wildlife data collection, data analysis, and management needs.
Preferred Qualifications:
Successful candidates will possess a solid working knowledge of data collection and management tools, GIS, and geoprocessing, with demonstrated experience analyzing spatial data across multiple formats. Proficiency in data manipulation and analysis, including experience with R, ESRI products, Microsoft Access, and Excel, is strongly preferred. Demonstrated ability to design and automate end-to-end geospatial workflows using ESRI tools (Survey123, Experience Builder, web maps), R, and related SaaS/automation platforms to improve efficiency, data quality, and delivery speed is highly desirable.
Minimum Qualifications This title is part of the New York Hiring for Emergency Limited Placement Statewide Program (NY HELPS).
For the duration of the NY HELPS Program, this title may be filled via a non-competitive appointment, which means no examination is required but all candidates must meet the minimum qualifications of the title for which they apply.
At a future date, it is expected employees hired under NY HELPS will have their non-competitive employment status converted to competitive status, without having to compete in an examination. Employees will then be afforded with all of the same rights and privileges of competitive class employees of New York State. While serving permanently in a NY HELPS title, employees may take part in any promotion examination for which they are qualified.
Qualifications for NYHELPS or 55b/c* appointment are:
EPS TRAINEE 1:
Four years or experience in a position where you have responsibility for the following: development and implementation of program policies and procedures; preparing and interpreting rules and regulations; development, preparation, and management of procurement (solicitation) documents, contracts, or grants; providing non-engineering technical assistance and information to consultants, public officials, and facility managers; collecting data, reviewing alternatives, performing qualitative or quantitative policy analyses; writing technical or programmatic reports; developing, implementing, analyzing, and evaluating programs; developing and implementing expenditure plans, procuring external funding sources, collecting and forecasting the impact of funding or organizational change efforts; assisting with the development of environmental public information campaigns.
*An associate degree may substitute for two years of experience; a bachelor’s degree may substitute for four years of experience; a master’s degree may substitute for five years of experience; and a doctorate may substitute for six years of experience.
EPS TRAINEE 2:
Five years or experience in a position where you have responsibility for the following: development and implementation of program policies and procedures; preparing and interpreting rules and regulations; development, preparation, and management of procurement (solicitation) documents, contracts, or grants; providing non-engineering technical assistance and information to consultants, public officials, and facility managers; collecting data, reviewing alternatives, performing qualitative or quantitative policy analyses; writing technical or programmatic reports; developing, implementing, analyzing, and evaluating programs; developing and implementing expenditure plans, procuring external funding sources, collecting and forecasting the impact of funding or organizational change efforts; assisting with the development of environmental public information campaigns.
*An associate degree may substitute for two years of experience; a bachelor’s degree may substitute for four years of experience; a master’s degree may substitute for five years of experience; and a doctorate may substitute for six years of experience.
EPS1:
Six years or experience in a position where you have responsibility for the following: development and implementation of program policies and procedures; preparing and interpreting rules and regulations; development, preparation, and management of procurement (solicitation) documents, contracts, or grants; providing non-engineering technical assistance and information to consultants, public officials, and facility managers; collecting data, reviewing alternatives, performing qualitative or quantitative policy analyses; writing technical or programmatic reports; developing, implementing, analyzing, and evaluating programs; developing and implementing expenditure plans, procuring external funding sources, collecting and forecasting the impact of funding or organizational change efforts; assisting with the development of environmental public information campaigns.
*An associate degree may substitute for two years of experience; a bachelor’s degree may substitute for four years of experience; a master’s degree may substitute for five years of experience; and a doctorate may substitute for six years of experience.
EPS 1: * If applying under the 55b/c, candidates must include with their resume or application, a copy of the letter from Civil Service which indicates approval for the 55b/c program.
Candidates may also be eligible via the following:
Reassignment - Currently in the title and an employee of DEC or Reinstatement Eligible - Previously held the title on a permanent competitive basis or held a title as indicated under the transfer eligible section on a permanent competitive basis.
Or
Transfer Eligible - One year of permanent competitive service at Salary Grade 11 or higher and either: Eligible for transfer under Section 70.4: Must meet the open competitive minimum qualifications below;
Or
Eligible for transfer under Section 70.1: Permanent competitive service as an Environmental Program Specialist 1 (including trainees), Program Aide, Administrative Specialist 1, Biologist1(Aquatic), (Ecology), (Marine), (Wildlife), Public Participation Specialist 1, Environmental Analyst 1 and Trainee 1 &2, Environmental Engineering Technician 2 & 3, Fish and Wildlife Technician 2&3, Legal Assistant 2, Mineral Resources Technician2,Pesticide Control Specialist 1 & 2, Public Health Specialist 2 Environmental, Sanitary Construction Inspector 2, Senior Engineering Research Editor.
Additional Comments Travel may be required.
Overnight travel may be required.
Telecommuting may be available, will be discussed at interview.
We offer a work-life balance and a generous benefits package, worth 65% of salary, including:
• Holiday & Paid Time Off
• Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF)
• Pension from New York State Employees’ Retirement System
• Shift & Geographic pay differentials
• Affordable Health Care options
• Family dental and vision benefits at no additional cost
• NYS Deferred Compensation plan
• Access to NY 529 and NY ABLE College Savings Programs, and U.S. Savings Bonds
• And many more...
For new State employees appointed to graded positions, the annual salary is the hiring rate (beginning of the Salary Range) of the position. Promotion salaries are calculated by the NYS Office of the State Comptroller in accordance with NYS Civil Service Law, OSC Payroll rules and regulations and negotiated union contracts.
The Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) is committed to fostering a culture of diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility. Our work would not be possible without the diverse backgrounds, experiences, ideas, and abilities of our employees. DEC is committed to developing a workforce which represents the diverse population of New York State. DEC embraces a diverse and inclusive work environment by encouraging all individuals, including those with disabilities, to apply to open positions at the agency.
Please be advised, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation does not use E-Verify, and we are unable to provide sponsorship for employment visa statuses (i.e. H-1B, Self-Sponsorship, STEM OPT).
Some positions may require additional credentials or a background check to verify your identity.
Email Address PostingResponses@dec.ny.gov
Address
Personnel, 10th Floor
Notes on ApplyingPlease email/mail your resume to the above address. Be sure to include Vacancy
#26-214009 on your resume and also in the subject line of the email or it may not be accepted. If you are qualified based on your education, you must also include a copy of your college transcript.