Deputy Policy Director

State of Colorado; Denver (CO); On-site; USD 120,000 - 140,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

PERA retirement benefits including PER

Medical, Dental, and Vision insurance

Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs)

Paid Holidays

Sick Leave

Job summary

State of Colorado is seeking a Deputy Policy Director in the Office of the Governor to provide strategic policy analysis, project management, and guidance on the Governor’s agenda. The role assigns portfolios based on experience and policy expertise and requires collaboration with multiple teams and agencies.

Essential duties include leading policy advisors, briefing senior officials, coordinating with communications and legislative teams, and cultivating statewide stakeholder relationships to

Qualifications

• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Advanced interpersonal skills and the ability to learn quickly.
• Well-developed decision-making, research, analytical, and project management skills.
• Familiarity with governmental and legislative processes.
• Professionalism, confidentiality, and deadline discipline.
• Experience building relationships with diverse stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• Support the Director of Policy in leading the Policy Office and providing mentorship to policy advisors.
• Maintain policy expertise within the assigned portfolio and develop strategies to advance them.
• Brief and advise the Governor, Lieutenant Governor, and other officials on portfolio issues.
• Coordinate work with communications, budget, legal, and legislative teams and state agencies.
• Review pending legislation with the Governor's legislative team and advise on bills to sign or veto.
• Identify and assess policy initiatives within a broad agenda.
• Cultivate relationships with stakeholders across the state to inform work.
• Coordinate policy development across agencies and connect programs addressing state challenges.
• Represent the Governor’s Office in forums and public engagements.
• Synthesize complex information into concise, organized formats for analysis.

Skills

Written communication

Verbal communication

Interpersonal skills

Analytical thinking

Project management

Policy analysis

Job description

Who We Are

Colorado Governor-elect Phil Weiser is committed to an administration that represents all of Colorado, and serves and protects every Coloradan. Governor-elect Weiser and his team will lead State government to ensure that we serve the people of Colorado, working to make their lives better, and together, we meet opportunities and challenges with creativity, collaboration, and compassion. His commitment to serve as the People’s Governor means that he and his team will have a sustained focus on how to make Colorado safer, more affordable, more sustainable, and a great place to live, build a business, and raise a family.

We Have Strong Core Values

Our core values drive our actions. We are: 1) principled, maintaining the highest ethical standards, acting with integrity, and operating transparently; 2) public servants, who are always ensuring our work is not about us, but instead is about improving the lives of the people of Colorado; 3) innovative, by seeking to solve problems creatively and operate with a continuous improvement mindset; and 4) "better together," by working to support each other as a team and collaborate effectively.

Department Information

The Office of the Governor oversees the operation of the executive branch of state government, including the coordination, direction, and planning of agency operations. The Office of the Governor’s staff includes budgeting, communications and outreach, legal counsel, legislative liaison, operations, policy and research, and scheduling.

This recruitment may be used to fill multiple Deputy Policy Director positions.

Assigned policy portfolios will be determined based on each hire’s professional experience and policy expertise.

Department:

Office of the Governor

Position Title:

Deputy Policy Director

Summary of Functions:

The Deputy Policy Director provides strategic policy and legislative analysis and recommendations, project management, press guidance, and general policy support for the Governor’s agenda. Each advisor’s portfolio is assigned based on the needs of the office and the specific advisor’s experience and expertise. The advisor maintains policy expertise on the Governor’s priorities in that portfolio, develops strategies, and is prepared to brief and advise the Governor, the Lieutenant Governor, and other administration officials on all the issue areas in the portfolio. This posting may be used to fill multiple Deputy Policy Director positions and assigned policy portfolios will be determined based on each hire’s professional experience and policy expertise.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

• Support the Director of Policy in leading the Policy Office and providing management and mentorship to policy advisors

• Maintain policy expertise on the Governor’s priorities within the assigned portfolio, and develop strategies to advance them

• Brief and advise the Governor, the Lieutenant Governor, and other administration officials on all the issue areas in the portfolio

• Coordinate this work as needed with other policy advisors, with the communications, budget, legal, and legislative teams in the Governor’s Office, and with the appropriate state agencies

• Work closely with the Governor’s legislative team to review pending legislation and advise on bills to sign or veto

• Identify and assess the role of specific policy initiatives and goals in the context of a broad agenda

• Cultivate and maintain strong working relationships with key stakeholders and constituencies throughout the state to inform this work

• Coordinate policy development across agencies and stakeholders to align resources and connect programs that address the state’s challenges

• Serve as an external representative of the Governor’s Office in forums, public engagement opportunities, and formal organizations

• Assimilate and synthesize complex information and research into concise, relevant, logical, and organized formats for analysis and discussion

Organizational Relationships:

Governor; Lieutenant Governor; Chief of Staff; Deputy Chief of Staff; Chief Communications Officer; Administrative Director; Office of Policy and Initiatives; Chief Legal Counsel; Office of Legislative Affairs; Office of Boards and Commissions

Preferred Education/Experience:

• Public policy research, analysis, and development skills, as demonstrated by professional or academic experience

• Six or more years of experience in public policy analysis

• Strong written and verbal communication skills, advanced interpersonal skills, and the ability to learn and assimilate information quickly

• Well-developed decision-making, research, analytical, and project management skills, and the ability to multitask and function effectively in a complex professional environment

• Familiarity with governmental and legislative processes

• A high degree of professionalism and confidentiality, strong organizational skills, and demonstrated adherence to deadlines while adapting to changing priorities

• Experience building relationships with a diverse range of stakeholders with varying perspectives and interests

Preferred Qualifications

• A well-developed familiarity with Colorado policy issues and demographics

• Experience working with local, state, and federal legislative and governing bodies, with familiarity with Colorado state agency functions and state legislative processes

• Experience communicating with diverse public, philanthropic, and private stakeholders

Conditions of Employment:

Applicants must pass a thorough background check prior to employment and reside in Colorado once employed

Benefits

The State of Colorado offers a competitive benefits package to permanent employees:

• PERA retirement benefits including PERA Defined Benefit Plan, PERA Defined Contribution Plan, plus 401K and 457 plans

• Medical , Dental, and Vision insurance coverage

• Automatic Short-Term and Optional Long-Term Disability Coverage

• Life and AD&D Insurance

• Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs)

• Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) job protection and State of Colorado Paid Family Medical Leave (PFML)

• 11 Paid Holidays Annually and Accrued Annual and Sick Leave

• Variety of discounts on services and products available through the State of Colorado's Work-Life Employment Discount Program

To learn more about State of Colorado benefits visit: https://www.colorado.gov/dhr/benefits.

ADAAA Requests

The State of Colorado is committed to the full inclusion of all qualified individuals. As part of this commitment, our office will assist individuals who have a disability with any reasonable accommodation requests related to employment, including completing the application process, interviewing, completing any pre-employment testing, participating in the employee selection process, and/or to perform essential job functions where the requested accommodation does not impose an undue hardship. If you have a disability and require reasonable accommodation to ensure you have a positive experience applying or interviewing for this position, please direct your inquiries to our ADAAA Coordinator at [e-mail].

We believe that diverse teams produce better results and encourage people of a variety of backgrounds and qualifications to apply.