Food Protection Program, Epidemiologist 3

Epidemiologist 3 (Toxic Hazards) (35 Hour) | Hybrid

Recruitment # 241220-0288HC-001

Location Hartford, CT

Date Opened 12/26/2024 12:00:00 AM

Salary $87,332* - $117,173/year (*New State employees start at the minimum)

Job Type Open to the Public

Close Date 1/8/2025 11:59:00 PM

Go Back Apply View Benefits (https://www.jobapscloud.com/CT/jobs/?b=Benefits)

• Introduction

  The State of Connecticut, Department of Public Health (https://portal.ct.gov/DPH/Communications/About-Us/About-Us) is hiring!

  The State of Connecticu t (https://portal.ct.gov/) , Department of Public Health (DPH) is seeking an enthusiastic and driven individual to join our team as an Epidemiologist 3 . This role will support our Environmental Health and Drinking Water Branch's Environmental Health Section Food Protection Program (FPP) (https://portal.ct.gov/dph/food-protection-program/main-page) , who works to reduce the risk of foodborne disease by ensuring reasonable protection from contaminated food and improving the sanitary condition of food establishments. Find out more information on this great opportunity below!

  POSITION HIGHLIGHTS:

• Program : Food Protection Program

• Location : Hartford, CT

• Work Schedule : Full-time, first shift, 35 hours per week

  Please note: This position will have an opportunity to telework a portion of each week in accordance with State policies. A flex schedule may be permitted following the successful completion of a working test period.

WHAT WE CAN OFFER YOU:

• Visit our new State Employee Benefits Overview (https://www.jobapscloud.com/CT/jobs/?b=Benefits) page!

• The opportunity to work for a Forbes top company: 'Forbes' State of Connecticut Ranked One of the Best Employers of 2023 (https://portal.ct.gov/DAS/Press-Room/Press-Releases/2023/Forbes-State-of-CT-Ranked) - State of CT Receives National Recognition for Offering Job Growth, Competitive Benefits, and Flexible Schedule.

• Professional growth and development opportunities.

• A healthy work/life balance (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y6n9M1Qd5fo) to all employees.

WHAT YOU'LL BE DOING:

• Assisting in promulgating new and updating existing regulations.

• Developing and providing training and education to local food inspectors to include comprehensive field standardizations.

• Reviewing training, and certification materials for local food inspectors.

• Serving as technical advisor to local health officials, industry, other government agencies, media, and the public on a wide range of food safety issues including inspections and enforcement.

• Investigating and/or assisting local health departments in investigating foodborne disease outbreak and ensuring that adequate controls are implemented to reduce the risk of additional illness.

• Coordinating with the DPH Epidemiology Program and Laboratory to ensure that timely and adequate environmental investigations are conducted during foodborne outbreaks.

• Collaborating with stakeholders such as the CDC, FDA, and other State of Connecticut agencies to respond to foodborne illness, injury, or suspected intentional contamination cases.

• Working alongside other Connecticut State agencies and FDA to issue recall notifications to local partners and the media.

• Reviewing and approving special food related processes and variances.

• Developing and implementing training labeling training for local health partners and stakeholders.

MORE ABOUT THE AGENCY AND FACILITIES:

The Mission of the Department of Public Health (DPH) (https://portal.ct.gov/DPH/Communications/About-Us/About-Us) is to protect and improve the health and safety of the people of Connecticut by:

• Assuring the conditions in which people can be healthy

• Preventing disease, injury, and disability

• Promoting the equal enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of health, which is a human right and a priority of the state.

  DPH accomplishes this through the implementation of its Strategic Plan (https://portal.ct.gov/-/media/Departments-and-Agencies/DPH/State-Health-Planning/Strategic-Planning/CTDPH2019Strategic-Plan-final.pdf) which outlines the actions that DPH is taking to accomplish its Mission.

  The Food Protection Program (https://portal.ct.gov/dph/food-protection-program/main-page) 's overall mission is to reduce the risk of foodborne disease by ensuring reasonable protection from contaminated food and improving the sanitary condition of food establishments. This is accomplished by enforcement of regulations, training and education, technical consultation, special investigations and food safety promotion.

  START WITH US. STAY WITH US. GROW WITH US.

  Selection Plan

  FOR ASSISTANCE IN APPLYING:

  Please read or watch our Applicant Tips on How to Apply!

  Please Note: 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.

  TO APPLY

• The only way to apply to this posting is via the ‘Apply’ or ‘Apply Online’ buttons on the official State of Connecticut Online Employment Center (https://jobapscloud.com/ct/) job posting.

• In order to be considered for this job opening, you must meet the Minimum Qualifications as listed on the job opening. The minimum experience and training requirements must be met by the close date on the job opening, unless otherwise specified.

• 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.

• You must specify your qualifications on your application. You will be unable to make revisions once you submit your application for this posting to the JobAps system.

• In order to comply with Public Act 21-69 (https://www.cga.ct.gov/2021/act/Pa/pdf/2021PA-00069-R00SB-00056-PA.PDF) , the State of Connecticut is no longer asking for resumes during the initial application process.

• 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 .

• This position will be filled in accordance with contractual language, reemployment, SEBAC, transfer, promotion and merit employment rules.

  AFTER YOU APPLY

• Although applicants will receive correspondence via email and/or phone, 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.

• 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.

• 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.

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

• Interviews will be limited to candidates whose experience and training most closely meet the requirements of the position. Read through this helpful link to prepare for your interview .

• 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 (https://portal.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. If you have any questions pertaining to this recruitment, please contact Pamela Rochette at Pamela.Rochette @ct.gov (Pamela.Rochette@ct.gov) .

  PURPOSE OF JOB CLASS (NATURE OF WORK)

  In the Department of Public Health Toxic Hazards Program of the Preventable Diseases Division, this class is accountable for performing the most complex tasks as a specialist investigating and assessing the health risks of toxic hazards in the environment and preparing quantitative and qualitative risk assessments.

  EXAMPLES OF DUTIES

• Supervises and is responsible for routine epidemiologic investigations;

• Assumes lead responsibility for carrying out complex or non-routine investigations;

• Develops and implements strategies for containment and control measures among identified high risk groups;

• Writes outbreak investigation and other technical and analytical reports;

• Collaborates in writing standard protocols for disease investigation, intervention and control;

• Develops questionnaires and other research instruments;

• Analyzes surveillance and outbreak data for trends and risk factors;

• Designs and implements workshops and training sessions and conducts in-service training;

• Prepares news releases relative to disease problems;

• Uses other statewide data banks to complement disease surveillance data;

• Assists with preparation of budgets, grants and contracts;

• Participates in development of program goals and objectives;

• Represents department at functions for health promotion and disease prevention;

• Speaks before professional and lay groups;

• Participates in performance evaluations of assigned staff;

• Carries out related duties including those of Epidemiologist 1 and 2 levels as assigned;

• May establish and maintain a working network with federal and state agencies, local health departments, hospitals and professional and lay groups to promote and facilitate disease surveillance, intervention and control;

• Performs related duties as required, for more information click here (https://www.jobapscloud.com/CT/specs/classspecdisplay.asp?ClassNumber=0289HC&R1=undefined&R3=undefined) .

  KNOWLEDGE, SKILL AND ABILITY

• Considerable knowledge of

• occupational/environmental epidemiology and/or toxicology;

• relevant disease processes which affect humans and animals;

• epidemiological methods;

• Considerable

• interpersonal skills;

• oral and written communication skills;

• statistical skills including familiarity with mainframe and/or personal computer applications and interpretation of data;

• Considerable ability to

• perform complex epidemiological investigations;

• carry out all aspects of data collection, analysis and interpretation of epidemiological data independently;

• Supervisory ability.

  MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS - GENERAL EXPERIENCE

  Eight (8) years of experience conducting epidemiological investigations in a responsible technical or professional capacity.

  MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS - SPECIAL EXPERIENCE

  Two (2) years of the General Experience must have involved the full range of tasks in designing and conducting epidemiologic occupational/environmental investigations including interviewing and performing trend analyses at the level of an Epidemiologist 2.

  MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS - SUBSTITUTIONS ALLOWED

• College training 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.

• A Master's degree in bacteriology, biochemistry, biostatistics, environmental science, health physics, industrial hygiene, physiology, public health or toxicology may be substituted for one (1) additional year of the General Experience.

• A Doctorate in a related discipline such as medicine, public health or a behavioral or natural science may be substituted for one additional year of the General Experience.

  PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• CT Food Inspector certification OR equivalent regulatory experience conducting risk-based inspections at retail food establishments.

• Experience conducting foodborne outbreak investigations, including interviewing, sampling, utilizing the CDC National Environmental Assessment Reporting System, and assessing control measures.

• Experience managing competing priorities while working with food safety partners on foodborne outbreak investigations and other food safety matters.

• Experience developing training and presenting to diverse audiences.

• Experience developing guidance and providing technical assistance to local health officials and industry on regulatory food safety issues.

• Experience reviewing HACCP Plans related to special processes and variances.

• Experience developing written standard operating procedures related to a regulatory food protection program.

  SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS

• Incumbents in this class must be willing to be immunized for communicable diseases as necessary and appropriate.

• 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.

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