Customer Experience Trainee (Target Class: Transportation Planner 1)

Recruitment #260706-1993FS-001
Location: Newington, CT
Date Opened: 7/13/2026 12:00:00 AM
Salary: $58,130 – $80,012/year (*See salary note below)
Job Type: Open to the Public
Close Date: 7/27/2026 11:59:00 PM

The State of Connecticut, Department of Transportation (CTDOT), is now accepting applications for a Customer Experience Trainee (Connecticut Careers Trainee – Engineering And Related) position with a target class of Transportation Planner 1 within the Customer Experience unit in the Bureau of Public Transportation in Newington, CT.

POSITION HIGHLIGHTS

Monday – Friday

Full-time (40 hours per week)

First shift

Location: Newington, CT

This position is eligible to apply for telework after successful completion of the working test period, and thereafter, in accordance with the Telework Policy.  Employees in their initial working test period must work on site in the office.

THE TEAM AND ROLE

The Customer Experience unit was established to ensure that transit customers and their experiences are influencing and supporting innovation and decision-making with the state’s public transportation services. The unit oversees CTDOT’s Customer Experience Action Plan, statewide fare transformation initiatives, FTA Title VI Service and Fare Equity Analyses, public outreach and communication with transit customers and stakeholders, and other customer-facing projects and programs. This role is designed for candidates eager to learn, grow, and contribute to high-impact projects in a collaborative environment. This posting may be used to fill future positions in the Customer Experience unit.

As a Connecticut Careers Trainee, you will receive on-the-job training and mentorship to develop skills in transportation planning. Working closely with experienced transit planners, you will help interpret bus and rail customer feedback data to develop actionable insights.

APPOINTMENT

The length of the development program is determined by the experience and training requirements of the designated class and the prior experience of the incumbent. At the completion of the development program incumbents must meet the experience and training requirements of the designated class. The program cannot be less than one (1) year and cannot exceed three (3) calendar years in accordance with C.G.S. 5-234.

Incumbents in this class will be eligible for reclassification to the designated class without competitive examination upon successful completion of the development program and satisfactory service.

All appointments to this class shall be under terms of a development program and in accordance with a time schedule approved by the Commissioner of Administrative Services. All development programs must be approved by the Department of Administrative Services prior to appointment to this class.

Eligibility for promotion to the target classification of Transportation Planner 1 is earned upon successful completion of your training program:

Candidates with a bachelor’s degree may be eligible to serve a 2-year development program.

Candidates with a master’s degree in a closely related field may be eligible to serve a 1-year development program.

Candidates with three (3) years of professional experience in transportation engineering or transportation, urban, regional or environmental planning may be eligible to serve a 3-year development program.

SALARY NOTE

First year of training:

Bachelor’s degree and/or qualifying experience: FS 15 Step 1 ($58,130/year)

Master’s degree: FS 15 Step 2 ($60,222/year)

Second year of training:

General rate: FS 15 Step 5 ($66,512/year)

The salary for an employee who completes any of the above minimum requirements after initial appointment to the Connecticut Careers Trainee job class will be adjusted commensurate with the schedule above and effective the pay period following the date the master’s degree has been conferred or the pay period following the date the appropriate number of credits as indicated above have been earned.

For current state employees, compensation will be in accordance with guidelines for computing salary adjustments set forth by the Department of Administrative Services, Determining Salary Upon Change in Class manual.

ABOUT US

As one of Connecticut’s largest State agencies, the Connecticut Department of Transportation (CTDOT) employs roughly 3,300 individuals across five bureaus. CTDOT is guided by its mission to improve lives through transportation. Our infrastructure and transit systems are essential to the safety and mobility of Connecticut residents, and our work strengthens both economic and community development. CTDOT is committed to fostering a workforce that reflects the communities it serves, and individuals with broad-ranging backgrounds and life experiences are encouraged to apply.

EXAMPLES OF DUTIES

Contributes to the development of the Bureau of Public Transportation Customer Comment Clearinghouse – an initiative to automate, centralize, and analyze all transit customer feedback data submitted to CTDOT and transit agencies throughout the state;

Assists with responding to transit customer and stakeholder inquiries and tracks and maintains a communications log to ensure responses are provided in a timely manner;

Helps develop and maintain reports, visualizations, and dashboards to communicate insights to staff, leadership, and stakeholders;

Contributes to the development of metrics and key performance indicators aligned with the Bureau of Public Transportation mission and strategic goals;

Assists with the implementation, evaluation, and future updates to CTDOT’s Customer Experience Action Plan;

Assists with public engagement activities with transit customers and stakeholders;

Supports other unit initiatives, including statewide fare transformation, FTA Title VI Service and Fare Equity analysis, and customer-facing transit technology projects, as needed;

Performs related duties as required.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

Candidates must be able to meet the experience and training requirements of the designated job class at the completion of the development program.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

A Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Public Administration, Public Policy, Urban or Regional Planning, Data Science, Computer Science, Data Analytics, Business Analytics, Statistics, Applied Mathematics, Marketing, Communications, or a closely related field

Experience or training with Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook) or similar software through coursework, work experience, or internship experience

Experience or training in data collection, databases, data analysis, and data visualization through coursework, work experience, or internship experience

Experience or training communicating in writing and verbally with members of the public through coursework, work experience, or internship experience

Experience or training working in a high‑volume, deadline‑driven environment while managing multiple priorities simultaneously through coursework, work experience, or internship experience

Experience utilizing public transportation services, or experience or training in public transportation planning and operations through coursework, work experience, or internship experience

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.