Job Description

Applicants must email a cover letter and resume to office@secogct.gov to be considered for this position.

The Southeastern Connecticut Council of Governments (SECOG) seeks a highly motivated and creative individual to join its team of planning professionals. The candidate who fills this position will manage two of SECOG’s work programs:

1. Hazard Mitigation and Climate Adaptation, providing technical support to municipalities preparing and carrying out climate resilience and hazard mitigation activities; and
2. solid waste management, maintaining relationships with regional stakeholder groups focused on the reduction and sustainable management of solid waste.

This is a full-time, 35 hour per week position. SECOG offers a highly competitive benefits package including flexibility in work scheduling, health insurance, a pension plan and optional 457(b) retirement plan, life insurance, long-term disability insurance, sick/vacation leave accrual, reimbursement of APA/AICP or other dues, and compensatory time for attendance at night meetings.

Application Process

Send cover letter and resumé to:

Amanda E. Kennedy, AICP, Executive Director

Southeastern Connecticut Council of Governments 5 Connecticut Avenue, Norwich, CT 06360 office@secogct.gov

Closing date: January 15, 2025 or until filled.

Applications will not be accepted without a resumé and cover letter.

About the Position

SECOG currently undertakes several efforts to support environmental sustainability, regional climate adaptation, and hazard mitigation planning for which this position would assume responsibility. At SECOG, this individual will assume work that is already in progress to provide dedicated technical assistance in these areas, and over time, should aim to build programmatic momentum, develop additional technical service offerings for member municipalities, and build SECOG’s capacity to engage individually and as a partner in projects that improve climate resilience and sustainability. SECOG’s climate resilience and hazard mitigation needs are regularly analyzed, memorialized and described in our Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan. Flooding is a primary concern in this region, alongside growing concerns around sea level rise and extreme heat. Working under the supervision of the Director of Regional Planning, this role will also collaborate regularly with SECOG’s GIS Manager, Stormwater Management Coordinator and Regional and Transportation Planners, especially where hazard mitigation and climate adaptation issues overlap with the transportation network, regional water quality goals, open space preservation, and advocating for sustainable land use and development options.

Responsibilities

• Coordinate and staff SECOG’s Regional Solid Waste Sub-Committee, organizing quarterly meetings, finding appropriate speakers, setting agendas
• Manage SECOG’s ongoing CT DEEP Materials Management Infrastructure (MMI) Grant in partnership with the Town of Windham
• Act as the principal custodian of SECOG’s five-year Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan, tracking local actions, pursuing grant applications for hazard mitigation projects of regional significance, and preparing for the next five-year planning cycle
• Act as the agency’s principal point of contact with partners and funders that advance climate adaptation and resilience work, including UCONN CIRCA, CT DEEP, FEMA, CT DEMHS, and others
• Collaborate with the above-listed partners on projects that advance resilience and hazard mitigation
• Manage SECOG’s Sustainable CT Summer Interns
• Seek out grant opportunities for planning and project implementation, and prepare and/or contribute to grant applications
• Develop public information materials, organize and present content at public meetings and professional conferences, conduct community canvassing on a project specific basis
• Manage SECOG webpages related to the position’s work program and generate social media content
• Conduct fieldwork individually and coordinate fieldwork teams as needed
• Bring topical expertise to and collaborate on regional initiatives such as the Regional Plan of Conservation and Development
• Maintain expertise in regulations related to floodplain management and other elements of sustainable development
• Collaborate with SECOG’s GIS Manager to design GIS tools that are useful for local communities in accomplishing local resilience and sustainability initiatives, and otherwise determine new ways to assist local communities with climate resilience
• Serve on local project committees related to sustainability and resilience

Qualifications

The successful candidate will have significant familiarity with principles, state and federal programs, and regulatory requirements related to climate adaptation, hazard mitigation, and sustainability. The successful candidate will also enjoy both in-office and field work, and have a willingness to collaborate with coworkers, partner agencies and local and regional stakeholders. Successful planners with SECOG are self-directed but able to work well in a collaborative environment. Applicants should have excellent communication skills and experience with project management, analyzing and presenting data, and preparing technical written reports.

Salary Range

Planner I: $51,000-71,000 (Bachelor’s Degree)

Planner II: $64,000-$90,000 (+3 years experience or Master’s + 1)

Planner III: $79,000-$100,000 (+6 years experience or Master’s +4)

About the Southeastern Connecticut Council of Governments

SECOG serves 22 municipalities with a total population of 280,430 and functions as the region’s Metropolitan Planning Organization. SECOG also counts as affiliate members Connecticut’s two federally recognized Native American Tribes and works closely with the region’s two military installations, the United States Naval Submarine Base and the United States Coast Guard Academy. Primary focus areas of SECOG are regional planning, which includes producing studies and plans that affect the responsible development of the region; transportation planning and prioritization of State and Federal transportation funding; and regional services, which include staffing assistance to local land use commissions and coordinating inter-municipal cooperation. SECOG staff have the opportunity to engage in multiple subject areas including land use regulation, economic development, natural resource conservation, transportation, housing, human services, sustainability and resilience, renewable energy, and emergency management.

About Southeastern Connecticut

SECOG’s offices are located in Norwich, CT, at the center of a dynamic region known for its diverse assets including Mystic and the southeastern Connecticut shoreline, entertainment/casino destinations, and opportunities for urban, suburban, and rural living. The region is critically important to Connecticut’s economy for its tourism, defense, and defense manufacturing, and is New England’s hub for the growing offshore wind industry. The region is conveniently located within fifty miles of Hartford, New Haven, and Providence and enjoys highway and rail connections to nearby Boston and New York City.

*An Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer*

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