Chaplain (35 Hour) at State of Connecticut in Bridgeport, CT

Introduction

The State of Connecticut, Department of Correction (DOC) is expanding their Religious Services Department and Hiring a Protestant Chaplain.

WHAT WE CAN OFFER YOU

• Visit our NEW State Employee Benefits Overview page!
• The 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;
• Professional growth and development opportunities;
• A healthy work/life balance for all employees!

POSITION HIGHLIGHTS

• This position is full-time, following a first shift schedule, 35 hours a week, with a flexible schedule based on program and facility needs, and is entitled to excellent benefits including health and dental.
• Under the supervision of the Religious Services Unit, as a Chaplain, you will offer trauma informed presence grounded in dignity to both staff and inmates.
• You will also provide interfaith pastoral care and denomination-specific spiritual guidance while facilitating individual and collective religious activities, and conducting programming that aims to reduce recidivism.
• Candidates selected for this position will be required to attend the 14-week Training Academy in Cheshire, CT.
• Additional information will be provided during the hiring process.

As a Chaplain at the DOC, you will work with our various offender populations conducting religious services in our state facilities, including:

• Administering rites and sacraments;
• Preparing and preaching sermons;
• Conferring with visiting clergy;
• Counseling individuals and their families;
• Collaborating with facility staff on religious concerns that may arise.
• Meeting the needs of the department, including providing worship services during Holidays.

This recruitment will be used to fill vacancies throughout correctional facilities across the State. Please refer to the list below:

• Bridgeport CC - Bridgeport, CT
• Brooklyn CI - Brooklyn, CT
• Cheshire CI - Cheshire, CT
• Cybulski CI - Somers, CT
• Garner CI - Newtown, CT
• Hartford CC - Hartford, CT
• MacDougall-Walker CI - Suffield, CT
• Manson Youth Institute - Cheshire, CT
• New Haven CC - New Haven, CT
• Osborn CI - Somers, CT
• Robinson CI - Enfield, CT

ABOUT US

The Connecticut Department of Correction is a diverse agency with a wide variety of employees from Correction Officers, to Educators, to Managers and Skilled Professionals. We value differences that make us stronger as a team and support our mission statement.

The Connecticut Department of Correction (DOC) is the agency responsible for corrections in the U.S. state of Connecticut. The agency operates 13 correctional facilities. It has its headquarters in Wethersfield. The DOC protects public safety by ensuring offenders serve their sentences of imprisonments in facilities that are safe, human, and provide re-entry programming.

The State of Connecticut, Department of Correction is a unified system; all sentenced and un-sentenced offenders are supervised by the DOC. The Department also provides supervision for offenders on parole, community release, and other discretionary release programs.

The Religious Services Unit offers to the inmate population trauma informed presence, pastoral care, spiritual guidance, religious facilitation, and programming that reduces recidivism.

Annually, more than 80,000 hours of ministry time, more than 20,000 worship services and religious programs and more than 50,000 individual and group counseling sessions are provided to offenders by the Chaplaincy staff which is supplemented by numerous religious volunteers from the community.

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

FOR ASSISTANCE IN APPLYING:

Check out our Applicant Tips on How to Apply! Need more resources? Visit our Applicant Toolkit for additional support throughout the recruitment process.

BEFORE YOU APPLY:

• Meet Minimum Qualifications: Ensure you meet the Minimum Qualifications listed on the job opening by the job closing date. You must specify your qualifications on your application. The minimum experience and training requirements listed must be met by the close date on the job opening, unless otherwise specified.

• Educational Credits: List your earned credits and degrees from accredited institutions accurately on your application. To receive educational credits towards qualification, 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 contact listed below.

• Resume Policy: Per Public Act 21-69, resumes are not accepted during the initial application process. As the recruitment process progresses, candidates may be required to submit additional documentation to support their qualification(s) for this position. This documentation may include: a cover letter, resume, transcripts, diplomas, performance reviews, attendance records, supervisory references, licensure, etc., at the request and discretion of the hiring agency.

• Preferred Shift/Location: 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.

• Timely Submission: All application materials must be received by the job posting deadline. You will be unable to make revisions once you officially submit your application to the State. Late submissions are rarely accepted, with exceptions only for documented events that incapacitate individuals during the entire duration of the job posting. Request exceptions by emailing DAS.SHRM@ct.gov.

• Salary Calculations: 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.

• Note: 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 job posting.

AFTER YOU APPLY:

• Some email providers may experience delays or issues delivering messages. To avoid missing important updates—such as referral questionnaires or interview scheduling links—please check your Personal Status Board regularly.
• For added convenience, you can also enable text (SMS) notifications. To do this, log in to your Personal Status Board and select “Update My Contact Information.”
• Referral Questions: This posting may require completion of additional Referral Questions (RQs), which must be completed by the questionnaire’s expiration date. If requested, RQs can be accessed via an email sent to you after the job close date or by visiting your JobAps Personal Status Board (Certification Questionnaires section).
• Prepare For An Interview: Interviews are limited to those whose experience and training are most aligned with the role. To prepare, review this helpful Interview Preparation Guide to make the best impression!
• Stay connected! Log in daily to your JobAps Personal Status Board to track your status and check email (including spam/junk folders) for updates and tasks.
• The immediate vacancy is listed above, however, applications to this recruitment may be used for future vacancies in this job class.
• Note: This position will be filled in accordance with contractual language, reemployment, SEBAC, transfer, promotion and merit employment rules. 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, available at http://www.ct.gov/ethics.
• This employer may participate in E-Verify and will provide the federal government with your Form I9 information to confirm work authorization.

QUESTIONS? WE’RE HERE TO HELP:

Due to high volume, we are unable to confirm receipt or provide status updates directly. For recruitment updates, please check your Personal Status Board and review our Frequently Asked Questions. If you have additional questions about the recruitment process, reach out to Alejandro G. Dávila-Hurtado at alejandro.davila-hurtado@ct.gov.

Join the State of Connecticut and take your next career step with confidence!

PURPOSE OF JOB CLASS (NATURE OF WORK)

In the Chaplaincy Department of a state hospital, correctional facility or agency this class is accountable for ministering to the pastoral needs of the population and for conducting religious services.

EXAMPLES OF DUTIES

• Preaches and conducts religious services in a state facility;
• Administers rites and sacraments;
• Prepares and preaches sermons;
• Confers with visiting clergy;
• Consults with facility staff on religious problems;
• Interprets Chaplain function to other departments in facility;
• Under appropriate clinical supervision, counsels individuals and their families;
• Participates in team meetings;
• Keeps records and writes reports;
• Assists in organizing and conducting seminars for community clergy;
• Participates in various in-house educational programs;
• May speak to lay and professional groups;
• May train and conduct choir;
• May serve on a variety of committees;
• May participate in Employee Assistance Program;
• May counsel staff and their families;
• Performs related duties as required.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILL AND ABILITY

• Knowledge of pastoral ministry and ability to perform requirements of formal religious services;
• Skills
  • interpersonal skills;
  • oral and written communication skills.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS - GENERAL EXPERIENCE

• Incumbents must possess one of the following:
  • Graduation from an accredited three (3) year postgraduate theological seminary;
  • A Master of Divinity degree or its equivalent;
  • Completion of all formal religious training required by a recognized religious denomination necessary to perform the pastoral role.

AND

• One (1) year of pastoral experience or equivalent experience within a recognized religious denomination.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Experience in Clinical Pastoral Education;
• Experience working with diverse cultures;
• Experience working with diverse and at-risk populations;
• Experience working in a team environment with others who may come from different backgrounds and/or beliefs;
• Experience working with other faith traditions; and
• Regional or National Endorsement/Ordination/Faculties.

SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS

• Incumbents in this class must have been ordained or commissioned by a religious body and received endorsement by an acceptable recognized denominational authority for this position. Endorsement or credentialing by the same endorsing authority must be ongoing and uninterrupted as a condition of employment.
• Incumbents in this class may be required to possess and maintain a valid Motor Vehicle Operator’s license.
• Incumbents in this class may be required to travel.

WORKING CONDITIONS

Incumbents in this class may be required to lift and restrain individuals or inmates; may have some exposure to communicable/infectious diseases and to risk of injury from assaultive/abusive individuals or inmates; may be exposed to disagreeable 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.