CODE:  9511    PAY GRADE:  20 ($54,724.80 - $72,883.20/yr.) *

* Salary includes an $0.85 Market Pay Adjustment

MAINE DEPARTMENT OF INLAND FISHERIES AND WILDLIFE

MAINE WARDEN SERVICE

                                                       IMPORTANT

Before you start the application process, please have the following documents ready to upload and include with your application or it will not be processed.

• proof of age (copy of birth certificate or driver’s license);

• a copy of your high school diploma or GED certificate;

• a letter from the Maine Criminal Justice Academy showing your Pre-Employment Physical Fitness Test results (date of test must be within a year of the closing date of this posting). Schedule a fitness exam by calling 877-8000

• Answers to Supplemental Qualifications form.

Note: If you are only age 20, you must attach within the application proof of your associate degree or completed 60 credit hours of post-secondary education.

APPLICATION PERIOD

Opening Date: October 06, 2023
Closing Date: Until Filled

GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT MAINE WARDEN SERVICE:

The Maine Warden Service dates back to 1880, when the first wardens were appointed to enforce laws giving Maine’s moose and deer their first legal protection. The service’s first enforcement action occurred on March 12, 1880 when two men were apprehended for killing a doe in closed season. From this modest beginning, the Maine Warden Service now has a complement of 124 uniformed members and is the largest of three bureaus in the Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife. It consists of a control headquarters located in Augusta and five divisions with a varying number of districts. Division headquarters are located in Gray, Sidney, Bangor, Greenville, and Ashland. Each division is administered and supervised by a Lieutenant and sectional Sergeants. Warden districts cover the entire state; they are generally geographically smaller in southern Maine where the population is higher and larger in the more sparsely populated Northern sections.

Today, the Maine Warden Service is a modern, professional, highly effective law enforcement agency.  Members are certified law enforcement officers who use state-of-the-art equipment, including four-wheel drive trucks, boats, snowmobiles, ATV’s, personal computers, a two-way radio repeater network, portable radios, fixed wing aircraft, and night vision equipment, in carrying out their responsibilities. In addition, the service maintains its own forensic mapping team, evidence recovery unit, dive team, K-9 unit, and aircraft fleet. These aircraft enable Wardens to patrol remote sections of their assigned districts, effectively respond to search and rescue situations, fish and wildlife enforcement, fish stocking, and oversee recreational boating activity.

GAME WARDEN JOB DESCRIPTION:

This is certified, uniformed, law enforcement work as a member of the Maine Warden Service, Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife, protecting inland fish and wildlife resources and the safety of the public. A Game Warden’s work includes:

• Patrol an assigned area called a district. Patrolling is usually done alone in areas where there is a concentration of hunting, fishing, and trapping activity. While on patrol, Wardens inspect licenses as well as fish and wildlife possessed by individuals. Explain fish and wildlife, recreation, and environmental laws, rules, and regulations. Patrol may be conducted on foot or by truck, boat, canoe, snowmobile, all-terrain vehicles (ATV’s), or airplane.
• Issue warnings and summonses and making arrests as necessary. In addition to enforcing fish and wildlife, recreation, and environmental laws, Wardens are empowered to enforce all other state laws.
• Conduct investigations, gathering evidence, writing reports, and testifying in court. Investigations may stem from citizen complaints or observed incidents of law violations, and may include complaints involving ATV’s, sick or nuisance wildlife, and landowner issues.
• Investigate hunting incidents and crashes involving recreational vehicles.
• Organize, directing, and/or participating in search and rescue operations. This is a priority requirement and may entail working on the recovery of drowning victims and other deceased persons.
• Working with biologists, animal control agents, and/or wildlife rehabilitators.

To be a successful Maine Game Warden, an individual must possess considerable knowledge of wildlife, hunting, fishing, trapping, and other related outdoor sports; a strong desire to work in law enforcement; self initiative and a willingness to work out-of-doors in adverse weather conditions, often without assistance. In all cases, a Warden seeks to promote good public relations and compliance with all fish and wildlife regulations.

PREFERENCES:

Preference will be given to any candidate that currently holds an active, in good standing, Certification of Eligibility for Law Enforcement or any candidate that has passed the Law Enforcement Pre-Service training.

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS TO APPLY FOR GAME WARDEN:

In order to qualify, you must:

• have a high school diploma or equivalent;
• be at least 21 years old -OR- can be only 20 years old and have completed an associate degree or 60 credit hours of post-secondary education by the date the application is submitted; have successfully passed the Maine Criminal Justice Academy’s ALERT examination; (see below for scheduling)
• have successfully passed the Maine Criminal Justice Academy’s Pre-Employment Physical Fitness Test within a year of submitting application; (see below for scheduling)
• have or be able to obtain a valid Maine Class C motor vehicle operator’s license;
• be willing to locate anywhere within the State of Maine.

Important notes:

YOU MUST ATTACH THE FOLLOWING WITH YOUR DIRECT HIRE APPLICATION:

• proof of age (copy of birth certificate or driver’s license);
• a copy of your high school diploma or GED certificate;
• a letter from the Maine Criminal Justice Academy showing your ALERT examination score;
• a letter from the Maine Criminal Justice Academy showing your Pre-Employment Physical Fitness Test results (date of test must be within a year of the closing date of this posting).
• Answers to Supplemental Qualifications form.

Note: If you are only age 20, you must attach within the application proof of your associate degree or completed 60 credit hours of post-secondary education.

FAILURE TO PROVIDE ANY OF THESE MATERIALS WILL RESULT IN FAILURE OF THE MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS.

TESTING AND EVALUATION PROCESS FOR GAME WARDEN RECRUITMENT:

Because of the responsibilities and authority of a Game Warden, the selection process is extensive and thorough. The following outline summarizes the testing and screening process used to evaluate every applicant for Game Warden before a hiring decision is made. The Game Warden application process has changed from past recruitments and the following application and testing process involves multiple evaluation phases. You must successfully complete each phase in order to proceed to the next.

Current full time Maine State Law Enforcement Officers who are Basic Law Enforcement Training Program (BLETP) certified may be exempt from certain components of the application process. – However, BLETP certified candidates are required to have completed the MCJA PFT within a year of applying to this posting.

THE GAME WARDEN TESTING PROCESS IS AS FOLLOWS (all exam dates are tentative):

1. PHYSICAL FITNESS TEST (MCJA):  Applicants must take and pass the Pre-Employment Physical Fitness Test within the past year prior to the opening date of this Posting. This may be done by calling (207) 877-8000. The Physical Fitness Test is a Pass/Fail test. It consists of three events: Timed Push-Up Test (on minute); Timed Sit-Up Test (one minute); and 1.5 Mile Run. Testing information and standards for successful completion of the Physical Fitness Test are available by accessing the Maine Criminal Justice Academy’s website at www.maine.gov/dps/mcja (click “Forms”, then Under Law Enforcement Basic Training, click “Physical Fitness Testing Protocol”).  This information can also be obtained by calling the number listed above.

2. ALERT EXAMINATION (MCJA): Applicants must take and pass the ALERT test prior to applying. This may be done by calling (207) 877-8000 (there is a $50.00 fee for this test). Testing is normally scheduled for the first and third Wednesday of every month at the Maine Criminal Justice Academy (MCJA) in Vassalboro, Maine, however, during this posting period they may have other dates scheduled. Test questions are multiple choice and fall within the categories of Writing Skills and Reading Comprehension.

1. GAME WARDEN APPLICATION PERIOD: (October 06, 2023 – TBD) Applications will only be accepted during this period. Applicants are encouraged to submit their application as soon as they have pulled the required materials together.

APPLICATION EVALUATION: Applications are reviewed to ensure that each applicant meets the minimum requirements defined in this Bulletin. Applicants MUST answer all Supplemental Questions (see below) outlined in this posting and attach them to the Application. Any applicant who does not meet these requirements is disqualified from further consideration. Supplemental Qualification Questions are at the end of this posting.

1. GAME WARDEN EXAM PROCESS: All applicants who meet the minimum requirements will be scheduled to take the following exams. The Exams will consist of three phases, a multiple-choice Written Exam along with an Oral Interview and Written Essay. Failure of any phase of these Exams constitutes a failure of the entire hiring process.

• Written Exam - The questions (multiple choice) fall within the following categories; Hunting, Trapping, Fishing, and associated equipment; Mammals, Fish, and Birds of Maine; Watercraft, Snowmobiles, and All-Terrain Vehicles; and General Knowledge. All Exams will be scored, and the top candidates will be scheduled for the next phase (a designated cut off score will be determined).

• Written Essay – The Essay will be evaluated using the following criteria: how well the writer develops a position on the question; appropriate use of examples and reason to support their position; organization, coherence, and logical progression of ideas; facility with choice of language and vocabulary; variety of sentence structure; and correct use of grammar, spelling and mechanics.

The Essay will be given a numerical score using a 12-point system.  A cut off score will be determined as minimum criteria for passing. Candidates will have the option to either type or handwrite their Essay.    The Essay will be scored using a nationally recognized, holistic scoring procedure. There is no right or  wrong answer.

• Oral Interview – The Oral Interview is administered by a committee made up from members of the Maine Warden Service. Candidates will be rated in the following categories. Commitment/Independence; Judgment/Logic; Communication Skills; Applied Knowledge; Decision Making/Decisiveness; and Tact and Diplomacy.  

Failure to pass either the Written Exam, Written Essay or Oral Interview will constitute a failure for the entire hiring process.

GAME WARDEN EMPLOYMENT REGISTER: Applicants who pass all phases of the application/testing process will be placed on an Employment Register maintained at the Natural Resources Service Center. This register will be used to fill vacancies throughout the State.

FINAL SCREENING PROCESS

After a conditional offer of employment is made, the Maine Warden Service will conduct an extensive background investigation concerning the applicant, including military service, education, motor vehicle record, criminal history record, financial record, work history, and references. A screening committee will review the results for information that would eliminate the candidate from further consideration. 

An applicant will automatically be eliminated if they:

1. Have committed any crime classified in Maine law as a Class A, Class B, or Class C crime (any felony);
2. Have been found guilty of any crime classified in Maine law as a Class D crime (a Class D crime is a misdemeanor with a maximum term of imprisonment of 364 days). A person may make application to the Maine Criminal Justice Academy (MCJA) Board of Trustees for a waiver of this provision. Persons with questions regarding this provision should contact the Office of the Game Warden Colonel at 207-287-2766;
3. Have an extensive record of motor vehicle or fish and wildlife law violations;
4. Have convictions for Murder, Class A, B, C, or D crime, or convictions for any violation of the Maine Criminal Code, Chapters 15, 19, 25, or 45 or a conviction for any equivalent crime in another jurisdiction outside the State of Maine. A person may make application to the Maine Criminal Justice Academy (MCJA) Board of Trustees for a waiver of this provision;
5. Have engaged in any conduct that is penalized in this state as Murder, Class A, B, C, or D crime, or any provision of the Maine Criminal Code, Chapters 15, 19, 25, or 45; or engaged in such conduct in another jurisdiction outside the State of Maine, unless that conduct is not punishable as a crime under the laws of that jurisdiction. A person may make application to the Maine Criminal Justice Academy (MCJA) Board of Trustees for a waiver of this provision;
6. Have convictions for operating a motor vehicle under the influence of intoxicating liquor during the ten-year period prior to application to the Basic Law Enforcement Training Program, or have been adjudicated of committing the administrative offense of operating a vehicle under the age of 21 with a greater than a 0.00 blood alcohol content during the ten-year period prior to application to the Academy Basic Law Enforcement Training Program. After six years a person may make application to the Maine Criminal Justice Academy (MCJA) Board of Trustees for a waiver of this provision;
7. Have been found guilty of conduct specified in subparagraphs 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, or 6 in another state of jurisdiction;
8. Have ingested or been injected with or used a hallucinogenic drug;
9. Have illegally sold scheduled drugs or drugs which require a prescription;
10. Have engaged in illegal drug use beyond what is considered as experimentation;
11. Is currently abusing drugs or alcohol;
12. Falsified, misrepresents, or omits any information when interviewed, during the background investigation, polygraph examination, or on the pre-polygraph questionnaire.

Upon completion of the background investigation, viable candidates will be scheduled for a polygraph examination. The results of the background investigation and polygraph examination will then be reviewed by a screening committee to determine if the candidate is eligible to continue. This determination will be reached by weighing all the information received.

Candidates successfully completing the background investigation and polygraph examination will be scheduled for an interview with the Colonel of the Maine Warden Service. Final selection will be based on the Colonel’s interview along with the successful completion of a medical and psychological assessment followed by the swim test.  

GAME WARDEN SWIM TEST: (Test will only be given to final candidates, date to be announced)

Game Wardens must be able to swim. Candidates will be wearing a bathing suit which contains no floatation material such as closed cell foam, etc., and given rubber boots (appropriately sized) to put on with no socks (ear plugs and swimming goggles may be worn).

The Swim Test is comprised of 4 parts. This is a Pass/Fail test.

1. Candidates will jump into the water and remove the boots. When a person makes an unplanned fall into the water, boots become saturated and may serve as an anchor making it almost impossible to swim. Therefore, they need to be removed.

2. Candidates will immediately begin treading water in the vertical position for 15 minutes with their head out of the water. A horizontal back float is not allowed.

Game Wardens spend a good portion of time in boats; it is possible you may capsize some distance from shore. The ability to tread water may allow you to survive long enough to self-rescue or aid others.

3. Without exiting the pool candidates will swim 200 yards continuously. Surface swim any forward stroke or style without stopping, (may be under during turns at each pool side). The monitor will require you to tag each end of the pool as you reach it. At no time after entering the water may you hang on to the side or touch the bottom of the pool. 200-yard swim must be completed within 10 minutes.

4. Candidates will exit the pool and complete a head first surface dive from the side of the pool into the deep end to retrieve one object from the pool bottom. After retrieving the object, swimmers will surface; tread water for 2 minutes while holding the object out of the water with either hand. After two minutes the swimmer will swim back to bottom of pool to retrieve a second object.

Pool depth will not to exceed 12 feet. (To remove risk of ear trauma from pressure) 

Approximately one month prior to the start date of the school, the Maine Criminal Justice Academy will again require that every candidate who is attending the Basic Law Enforcement Training Program must successfully pass the Physical Fitness Test.

New Warden Cadets are required to attend and successfully complete the Basic Law Enforcement Training Program at the Maine Criminal Justice Academy. Upon graduation, new Wardens will be placed on an additional one (1) year of probation and will be required to attend and successfully complete the Maine Warden Service Training Academy. 

NOTE TO CURRENTLY CERTIFIED LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS:

Current, full time, Maine State Law Enforcement officers, who are Basic Law Enforcement Training Program (BLETP) certified may be exempt from certain components of the application process.

Candidates selected for initial appointment may be exempted from attending the MCJA's basic course at the discretion of the Colonel of the Maine Warden Service if they:

1. are certified, full-time law enforcement officers in Maine (or are able to obtain a waiver of basic law enforcement training from the Maine Criminal Justice Academy (MCJA) Board of Trustees), and
2. have attained the 50^th percentile on each component of the MCJA Pre-Employment Physical Fitness Test within a calendar year of the application period.

All other selected applicants will be required to attend and successfully complete this course of instruction

NOTE: Each component of the Game Warden examination process must be completed successfully. Failure to successfully complete a component (or portion of a component) will result in disqualification from further consideration.

The Bureau of Human Resources reserves the right to use any other selection devices necessary in order to identify those candidates who are most qualified.

Benefits:

No matter where you work across Maine state government, you find employees who embody our state motto—"Dirigo" or "I lead"—as they provide essential services to Mainers every day. We believe in supporting our workforce's health and wellbeing with a valuable total compensation package, including:

Work-Life Balance – Rest is essential. Take time for yourself using 13 paid holidays, 12 days of sick leave, and 3+ weeks of vacation leave annually. Vacation leave accrual increases with years of service, and overtime-exempt employees receive personal leave. 

·        Health Insurance Coverage– The State of Maine pays 85%-100% of employee-only premiums ($9,893.52-$11,057.52 annual value), depending on salary. Use this chart to find the premium costs for you and your family, including the percentage of dependent coverage paid by the State.  

·        Health Insurance Premium Credit – Participation decreases employee-only premiums by 5%. Visit the Office of Employee Health and Wellness for more information about program requirements. 

·        Dental Insurance– The State of Maine pays 100% of employee-only dental premiums ($350.40 annual value). 

·        Retirement Plan– The State of Maine contributes at least 19.22% of pay to the Maine Public Employees Retirement System (MainePERS), on behalf of the employee.  

·        Gym Membership Reimbursement– Improve overall health with regular exercise and receive up to $40 per month to offset this expense. 

·        Health and Dependent Care Flexible Spending Accounts– Set aside money pre-tax to help pay for out-of-pocket health care expenses and/or daycare expenses. 

·        Public Service Student Loan Forgiveness– The State of Maine is a qualified employer for this federal program. For more information, visit the Federal Student Aid office. 

·        Living Resources Program – Navigate challenging work and life situations with our employee assistance program.

·        Parental leave is one of the most important benefits for any working parent. All employees who are welcoming a child—including fathers and adoptive parents—receive forty-two (42) consecutive days of fully paid parental leave. Additional, unpaid leave may also be available, under the Family and Medical Leave Act.  

·        Voluntary Deferred Compensation– Save additional pre-tax funds for retirement in a MaineSaves 457(b) account through payroll deductions. 

·        Learn about additional wellness benefits for State employees from the Office of Employee Health and Wellness. 

The following page contains the Supplemental Questions that MUST be answered and sent in with your application paperwork.

Maine State Government is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer

SUPPLEMENTAL QUALIFICATIONS QUESTION FORM FOR GAME WARDEN HIRING PROCESS

These must ALL be answered and submitted with your Direct Hire Application material.

Next to each listed Ability/Experience please check only one box that describes your skill level.

• NO EXPERIENCE = no experience
• EDUCATION = completed coursework or classes in this area
• NOVICE = some training and experience but would need basic level training to become proficient
• COMPETENT/EXPERIENCED = Skilled in this area and fully capable applying this skill in the work place
• EXPERT = In-depth knowledge that is used weekly as appropriate. Capable of acting as technical resource to other staff.

                                                           SKILL LEVELS (check only one box for each Ability/Experience)

Applicant’s name________________________Signature_______________________________Date__________