Engineer Director of Wastewater Policy

City and County of Denver; Denver (CO); Hybrid; USD 157,000 - 208,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Lifetime pension

457B Retirement Plan

PTO + holidays + wellness day

Job summary

City and County of Denver seeks an experienced Director of Wastewater Policy to provide strategic direction for the Wastewater Policy Division within the DOTI. Lead enterprise-wide policy, asset management, and financial planning to sustain Denver's wastewater infrastructure and regulatory alignment.

You will collaborate with senior leaders and external partners, managing a team of 20 and guiding investment strategies, master planning, and One Water initiatives.

Qualifications

• Experience leading large public sector programs.
• Strong strategic planning and policy development skills.
• Ability to coordinate across multiple divisions and partners.

Responsibilities

• Set long-term vision and multi-year strategy for Wastewater Policy.
• Direct asset management, financial planning and regulatory alignment.
• Lead a team of professionals and consultants to deliver policy outcomes.

Job description

About Our Job

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

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.

What We Offer

The City and County of Denver offers competitive pay commensurate with education and experience. New hires are typically brought into the organization between $157,385.00 - $208,000.00.

• A guaranteed life-long monthly pension, once vested after 5 years of service
• 457B Retirement Plan
• 140 hours of PTO earned within first year + 12 paid holidays, 1 personal holiday, 1 Wellness Day and 1 volunteer day per year
• Competitive medical, dental and vision plans effective within 1 month of start date

Location & Schedule

The City and County of Denver supports a hybrid workplace model. Employees work where needed, at a job site several days a week and off-site in the field, as needed. Employees must work within the state of Colorado on their remote days.

In this position you can expect to work on site at least 3 days per week at the Denver Wastewater Building (2000 W. 3rd Ave., Denver, CO 80223).

Who We Are & What You’ll Do

The Department of Transportation and Infrastructure (DOTI), through its employees, enhances the quality of life in Denver by efficiently delivering effective, high quality, safe and equitable public infrastructure, and services. For more information, please visit the DOTI website.

DOTI’s Commitment to Equity:

• DOTI is committed to providing attention and resources to the areas, assets and people of the city with the greatest need. Through equitable contracting, equitable investments, and equitable workforce development.
• DOTI’s culture revolves around four key principles: (1) Invest in Our People, (2) Operate with Discipline, (3) Use Data to Drive Decisions, and (4) Deliver Results.

DOTI is seeking an experienced and collaborative leader to serve as the Director of Wastewater Policy.

This position will provide strategic direction and leadership for the Policy Division within Denver's Wastewater Enterprise Fund and will be responsible for establishing and coordinating enterprise-wide policy, planning, asset management, financial programming, regulatory alignment, stakeholder engagement, and long-range investment strategies.

The Policy Division provides overall wastewater program direction and operates at a functional and authoritative level similar to the Wastewater Implementation and Wastewater Operations divisions. The Director will lead a team of approximately 20 employees, including managers, supervisors, professional staff, and consultants, and will provide leadership for Asset Management, One Water, Water Quality, MS4, and Master Planning.

The Director will work closely with the Wastewater Enterprise Executive, City Engineer, Core Infrastructure leadership, Wastewater Operations and Implementation Directors, senior DOTI leadership, Department of Finance, regulatory agencies, elected officials, and other internal and external partners and stakeholders to establish a coordinated, sustainable, and forward-looking approach to management of Denver's wastewater enterprise fund and associated infrastructure.

Specifically, as the Engineer Director of Wastewater Policy, you will:

Strategic Leadership & Policy

• Establishes and advances a long-term vision and multi-year strategy for the Wastewater Enterprise Fund and associated Policy Division, aligning people, resources, programs, and investments with Wastewater Enterprise, DOTI, and citywide priorities.
• Develops and directs implementation of goals, objectives, policies, procedures, work standards, and annual and multi-year work plans.
• Provides overall policy direction and strategic coordination across the Wastewater Enterprise in collaboration with Operations and Implementation leadership.
• Advises senior leadership on complex wastewater infrastructure, organizational, financial, regulatory, and policy matters.
• Reolves complex and sensitive issues by bringing together technical, financial, regulatory, operational, and stakeholder perspectives.

Asset Management & Long-Range Planning

• Provides strategic leadership for the Wastewater Enterprise's asset management program covering wastewater assets including storm drainage, sanitary sewer, waterways, lift stations, buildings, property, bridges, green and related infrastructure.
• Establishes asset-management policies, strategies, and investment frameworks that support long-term reliability, resiliency, regulatory compliance, and financial sustainability.
• Leads long-range infrastructure and master planning and ensures that planning efforts are integrated with asset condition, risk, growth, regulatory requirements, and service objectives.
• Uses data, asset information, performance trends, and emerging practices to inform infrastructure investment and policy decisions.

One Water, Water Quality & Regulatory Alignment

• Provides leadership for Denver's One Water policy and high-level strategy, promoting integrated and sustainable approaches to water-resource planning and infrastructure.
• Directs Water Quality and regulatory policy and coordinates enterprise strategies associated with applicable environmental and regulatory requirements.
• Provides strategic oversight and alignment for MS4 management and compliance and other applicable water-quality requirements.
• Coordinates policy and regulatory matters across Wastewater divisions and with local, regional, state, and federal partners.

Financial Programming & Capital Prioritization

• Leads financial programming for the Wastewater Enterprise Fund in coordination with Wastewater leadership, DOTI Finance, and the Department of Finance.
• Directs development of project prioritization methodologies and the six