Continuous Improvement Senior

City and County of Denver; Denver (CO); Hybrid; USD 74,000 - 123,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Pension plan

457B Retirement Plan

PTO & holidays

Health, dental and vision benefits

Job summary

City and County of Denver seeks a Continuous Improvement Senior to join the DHS Continuous Process Improvement team. The role leads Lean events, designs and manages cross‑agency projects, and builds staff capability in Lean tools.

You will coordinate with DHS leadership to deliver measurable improvements and sustain outcomes. The ideal candidate has Lean expertise, strong facilitation, and experience in public services, with the ability to manage complex initiatives and communicate benefits to

Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree required.
• Three years of professional-level experience in process improvement consulting for management.
• Experience applying Lean tools and project management in public/municipal settings.

Responsibilities

• Lead Lean Rapid Improvement Events and end-to-end projects.
• Scope, design, and execute division-wide projects with clear objectives and timelines.
• Develop and maintain project documentation (charters, plans, dashboards, risk logs).
• Deliver training curricula on Lean principles and tools to staff.
• Engage stakeholders and communicate progress, benefits, and sustainability.

Skills

Lean methodology

Project management

Data analysis

Training & facilitation

Stakeholder engagement

Education

Bachelor's Degree

Tools

Microsoft Office

Visio

SharePoint

Excel

Job description

Continuous Improvement Senior

With competitive pay, great benefits, and endless opportunities, working for the City and County of Denver means seeing yourself working with purpose — for you, and those who benefit from your passion, skills, and expertise. Join our diverse, inclusive, and talented workforce of more than 11,000 team members who are at the heart of what makes Denver, Denver.

About Our Job

Continuous Improvement Senior

With competitive pay, great benefits, and endless opportunities, working for the City and County of Denver means seeing yourself working with purpose — for you, and those who benefit from your passion, skills, and expertise. Join our diverse, inclusive, and talented workforce of more than 11,000 team members who are at the heart of what makes Denver, Denver.

The City and County of Denver offers a competitive salary commensurate with education and experience. The salary range for this position is $74,276 - $122,555. New hire target starting range is $74,276 – $98,415. We also offer generous benefits for full-time employees which include but are not limited to:

• A guaranteed life-long monthly pension, once vested after 5 years of service
• 457B Retirement Plan
• 140 hours of PTO earned within first year + 11 paid holidays, 1 personal holiday and 1 volunteer day per year
• Competitive medical, dental and vision plans effective within 1 month of start date

Location

The City and County of Denver supports a hybrid workplace model. Employees work where needed, at a job site 24 hours a week and off‑site as needed. Employees must work within the state of Colorado on off‑site days.

What You’ll Do

At Denver Human Services (DHS), we envision a healthy community where people are connected, supported, safe, and well. One in three people in Denver turn to DHS for support at all stages of life. Our employees help children, older adults, families, and individuals navigate social and economic pressures by connecting them to services and experts who support their overall well-being.

Denver Human Services is seeking an enthusiastic, innovative, experienced, and relationship-driven Continuous Improvement Senior to join the Continuous Process Improvement team within the Strategic Insights and Impact Division. We are looking for candidates with a proven track-record of success using Lean tools as well as Project Management expertise to improve services to our customers.

Anchored in the Mayor’s Peak Performance initiative, our work begins with a simple yet bold vision: drive innovation by daring to be bold and creative. The City is committed to delivering breakthrough solutions with speed, efficiency, and impact which strengthens a culture that embraces continuous improvement at all levels.

At DHS, our team focuses on making the right work easier to do. The Continuous Improvement Senior will play a critical role in driving service transformation by leading improvement efforts, and managing complex projects from concept through sustainability. Responsibilities include:

Lean Practice and Facilitation
Lead and facilitate comprehensive Lean Rapid Improvement Events, Operational standard Work workshops, and end-to-end projects. Collect, validate, collate, and analyze qualitative and quantitative data to understand current-state processes and identify improvement opportunities. Recommend measures to improve efficiency, reduce waste, and enhance customer experience.

Project Management
Scope, design, and execute division and agency-wide projects, establishing clear project objectives, timelines, deliverables, roles, and communication plans. Develop and maintain project documentation including charters, project plans, dashboards, risk logs, process maps, and post‑implementation reviews. Utilize established project management methodologies to ensure alignment with agency strategy, stakeholder expectations, and business needs. Monitor and track project progress, risks, dependencies, timelines, and key performance indicators to ensure outcomes are achieved. Facilitate project prioritization workshops and support senior leadership in selecting improvement initiatives aligned with DHS’ Strategic Roadmap, values, and goals. Support implementation of approved improvements and conduct sustainability checks to ensure long‑term adoption. Track, report, and communicate program benefits across the organization, illustrating cumulative progress and impact.

Training & Curriculum Development
Develop and deliver training curricula tailored to division and agency needs. Train staff on Lean principles, tools, and techniques while assessing and refining training effectiveness. Build staff capability in critical Lean tools such as standard work, PDCA, A3 problem solving, root cause analysis, metrics, and visual management.

Communications & Stakeholder Engagement
Build and maintain collaborative working relationships with staff, managers, executives, and cross‑departmental partners to encourage adoption and ongoing engagement with continuous improvement. Deliver clear, persuasive written and verbal communication to stakeholders within DHS and across the City and County. Provide guidance, coaching, and support to cultivate a continuous improvement mindset throughout the organization. Engage with management and project teams to review progress, gather input on improvement needs, and ensure clear communication throughout the implementation of Lean initiatives. Ensure the sustainability of improvements.

What You’ll Bring

We value diversity across ethnicity, race, socioeconomic status, sexual identity, gender, religion, ability, language, and lived experience. You will thrive here if you build strong relationships, take initiative, challenge the status quo, and elevate your work, your team, and Denver.

Our ideal candidate has some or all the following experience, skills, and characteristics:

• Expert-level knowledge of Lean and comparable continuous improvement methodologies, with the ability to select the right tools and approaches for each project.
• Proven project management skills, including scoping, planning, scheduling, risk identification, stakeholder engagement, and delivering results on time.
• Relevant certifications such as Peak Academy Black Belt and/or Project Management Professional (PMP).
• Experience operating in human services, social services, or public-sector environments.
• Advanced facilitation skills for guiding diverse groups through workshops, improvement events, and complex decision-making.
• Strong communication, interpersonal, and influencing skills, using data and evidence to support decisions and drive change without formal authority.
• Ability to collaborate across all organizational levels, lead performance dialogues, and identify root causes using structured problem‑solving methods.
• Demonstrated analytical ability, including process mapping, gap analysis, prioritization matrices, and the use of standard project management and Lean tools.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities independently, break down large efforts into manageable steps, and maintain momentum toward actionable outcomes.
• High proficiency in developing and delivering training and materials, working across cross-functional teams, and using Microsoft Office and related platforms (Teams, SharePoint, Excel, PowerPoint, Visio).

Required Minimum Qualifications
Education requirement: Bachelor's Degree. Experience Requirement: Three (3) years of professional level experience consulting with management providing expertise in process improvement techniques to achieve department/agency objectives and which includes applying organization and business knowledge to market and communicate the benefits of Continuous Improvement and operates with substantial latitude for independent action or decision. Education/Experience Equivalency: One (1) year of the appropriate type and level of experience may be substituted for each required year of post-high school education. Additional appropriate education may be substituted for the minimum experience requirements. License/Certifications: None

Application Deadline
This position is expected to remain open until October 11. Please submit your application as soon as possible and no later than October 11 at 11:59pm to ensure consideration.

About Everything Else
Job Profile
CA3108 Continuous Improvement Senior
To view the full job profile including position specifications, physical demands, and probationary period, click here.

Position Type
Unlimited

Position Salary Range
$74,276.00 - $122,555.00

Target Pay
Though the full range is listed, our expected hiring range is between $74,276 and $98,415.

Agency
Denver Human Services

Redeployment during Citywide Emergencies
City and County of Denver employees may be re-deployed to work in other capacities in their own agencies or in other city agencies to support core functions of the city during a citywide emergency declared by the Mayor.

The City and County of Denver provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, genetic information, age, or any other status protected under federal, state, and/or local law. It is your right to access oral or written language assistance, sign language interpretation, real-time captioning via CART, or disability-related accommodations. To request any of these services at no cost to you, please contact [e-mail] with three business days’ notice. Applicants for employment with the City and County of Denver must have valid work authorization that does not require sponsorship of a visa for employment authorization in the U.S. For information about right to work, click here for English or here for Spanish.