The NJ Historic Preservation Office (HPO) is excited to expand our team with two Program Specialist Trainees in our project review section. From the Crossroads of the American Revolution to the Doo-Wop Motels of the Wildwoods, the urban and industrial centers of Newark and Paterson to the Pinelands of South Jersey, the Garden State boasts a diversity of historic resources – including New Jersey’s favorite elephant-shaped building, Lucy the Elephant! The HPO offers a dynamic, fast-paced work environment within a collegial and supportive atmosphere. We are located within the NJ Department of Environmental Protection, with offices in Trenton near the Trenton Transit Center.

The Program Specialist Trainees will be responsible for assisting members of the public, federal, state, and local government agencies, and non-governmental entities in the identification, evaluation, preservation, protection, and treatment of historic properties in NJ. This assistance is provided by conducting professional reviews of projects under various state and federal regulatory requirements, including identification of historic properties and assessing National Register eligibility, negotiating measures to avoid, minimize, or mitigate impacts to historic properties, reviewing and understanding project plans and specifications, establishing cooperative working relationships with representatives from local, state, federal government agencies, historical and/or environmental groups and members of the general public, providing technical assistance of historic preservation matters such as use of appropriate building materials and construction methods.

Trainees who successfully complete the 12-month training period will be promoted to Program Specialist 1. The promotion includes a pay raise; the current starting salary for the Program Specialist 1 position is $53,050.20. Fulltime permanent NJ State employees receive annual pay increases in accordance with the current State contract negotiated through collective bargaining by our labor union.

The State of NJ offers excellent benefits, including but not limited to health and dental insurance, a prescription drug plan, a state-administered retirement system, and a deferred compensation program. Information regarding state employment benefits can be found on the Department’s website: https://www.nj.gov/dep/jobs/.

Additional benefits to employment at the Historic Preservation Office:

·         35-hour workweek.

·         Paid holidays and sick, vacation, and administrative leave.

·         Telework up to 2 days a week with supervisor and Department approval.

·         Full-time employees in the Department may be eligible to apply for the Alternate Work Program (AWP) after promotion from the trainee title. The program provides employees with a day off every week or one day off every two weeks, by compressing their schedules into longer hours on the remaining workdays of the same pay period.

·         Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program (PSLF). The PSLF program allows employees of non-profits or public employers to forgive their federal student loan debt after 120 payments (10 years) while working for a qualified employer and under a qualified repayment plan.

Please see the complete Notice of Vacancy for the Program Specialist Trainee position job description and qualifications:

https://www.nj.gov/dep/jobs/cier-2023-2.pdf