Executive Director of the Colorado Department of Transportation

State of Colorado; Denver (CO); On-site; USD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

PERA retirement benefits including PER

Medical, Dental, and Vision insurance

Automatic Short-Term Disability

Life and AD&D Insurance

Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs)

Job summary

The State of Colorado seeks an Executive Director for the Colorado Department of Transportation. The appointee will lead the department, implement the Governor’s transportation agenda, and direct operations to ensure safe, efficient, and multimodal mobility for Coloradans.

You will oversee budgets, guide strategic planning, build a high-performing team, and collaborate with federal, state, and local partners to expand transit, rail, and road infrastructure across Colorado.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's or advanced degree in civil engineering, transportation planning, public administration, law, business, or a closely related field
• Ten or more years of leadership experience
• Five or more years of executive management experience including budgeting
• Five or more years fostering process improvements in a large organization
• Experience building relationships with diverse stakeholders

Responsibilities

• Oversee department operations and align with goals and initiatives
• Direct budget oversight and fiscal management within approved budgets
• Build and cultivate a high-performing team with coaching and development
• Plan and coordinate an integrated transportation system across agencies
• Advance transit and rail connections and expand multimodal options
• Manage federal transportation funding and partnerships with FHWA

Skills

Leadership

Budget management

Stakeholder engagement

Strategic planning

Executive leadership

Education

Bachelor's or advanced degree in civil engineering, transportation planning, public administration, law, business, or a closely related field

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 mission of the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) is to provide the best multimodal transportation system for Colorado that most effectively and safely moves people, goods, and information. The department’s vision is to enhance the quality of life and the environment for the people of Colorado through an integrated transportation system that safely moves people and goods and offers convenient links among travel choices.

More than 23,000 lane miles of highway and 3,464 bridges are maintained, repaired, and plowed by CDOT crews, who also keep more than 35 mountain passes open year-round. The department also monitors avalanche paths, funds highway safety improvements and safety education, distributes federal transit funds, and supports airports through state tax disbursements and grants.

The Transportation Commission of Colorado and several enterprises and councils guide the department’s work. The enterprises include the Colorado Bridge and Tunnel Enterprise, the Colorado Transportation Investment Office, the Clean Transit Enterprise, the Nonattainment Area Air Pollution Mitigation Enterprise, Road Enterprise, and the Fuels Impact Enterprise. The Executive Director leads an Executive Management Team of directors from every division and region.

Department:

Office of the Governor; Colorado Department of Transportation

Position Title:

Executive Director

Summary of Functions:

The Executive Director is the Chief Executive Officer of the Colorado Department of Transportation. The position is part of the Governor’s Cabinet and is responsible for overseeing the administration, programs, and strategic plan of the department and for the consistent achievement of its mission and objectives. The department’s purpose is to move people and goods safely and efficiently across Colorado and to maintain the transportation system the state has built. The Executive Director will also lead the expansion of transit and rail connections across the state.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

• Oversee and manage the department’s operations and ensure alignment with the department’s goals, the Governor’s initiatives, and the expectations of stakeholders
• Direct and oversee the department’s budget and ensure fiscal management that operates within the approved budget, make full use of available resources, and keep the organization in a positive financial position
• Build and cultivate a high-performing team through effective leadership focused on recruiting and retaining top talent and providing guidance, coaching, and development to direct reports
• Exercise supervisory control and provide budgeting, purchasing, and planning for the divisions under the department’s purview
• Plan, develop, construct, coordinate, and promote an integrated transportation system with federal, regional, local, and other state agencies and prepare the statewide plan and project recommendations for the Transportation Commission
• Administer the transportation infrastructure revolving fund, issue revenue anticipation notes, and preside over department hearings
• Expand transit and partner with agencies to grow ridership, protect rural transit, and deliver new rail connections
• Reduce congestion, improve road and bridge repair, and invest in all modes of transportation
• Manage federal transportation funding and the obligations attached to it in partnership with the Federal Highway Administration
• Partner with local transit agencies, metropolitan planning organizations, the Front Range Passenger Rail District, the construction and engineering industry, freight and trucking, and counties and municipalities
• Coordinate with other Mountain West states on highways and cross-border corridors
• Expand vehicle charging along highways and at truck stops and bus depots
• Brief the Governor’s Office on all relevant policy issues arising from state and federal legislative activities
• Build a good relationship with the General Assembly and serve as the point person for directing the department’s response to proposed legislation that may affect its operations

Organizational Relationships:

Transportation Commission, eleven districted Senate-confirmed members; Chief Engineer, who awards all highway construction contracts; Aeronautical Board; Federal Highway Administration; Director of Rural Advancement; Chief Resilience Officer; Chief Performance Officer; Regional Transportation District (RTD); Front Range Passenger Rail District; Colorado Bridge and Tunnel Enterprise; Colorado Transportation Investment Office; Clean Transit Enterprise; Nonattainment Area Air Pollution Mitigation Enterprise; Road Enterprise; Fuels Impact Enterprise

Preferred Education/Experience:

• A bachelor’s or advanced degree in civil engineering, transportation planning, public administration, law, business, or a closely related field
• Ten or more years of leadership experience
• Five or more years of professional executive management experience that includes setting goals and objectives and managing a budget to achieve them
• Five or more years of experience fostering effective and efficient process improvements for an organization of twenty-five or more employees
• Experience building relationships with a diverse range of stakeholders with varying perspectives and interests

Preferred Qualifications:

• Demonstrated command of federal transportation funding formulas and the obligations attached to them
• Experience overseeing engineering and maintenance operations
• Experience expanding intercity bus, bus rapid transit, or rail service
• Experience partnering with regional transit agencies and metropolitan planning organizations
• Experience with enterprise, tolling, or other alternative transportation financing
• Demonstrated commitment to a high-performing safety culture in field operations
• Executive leadership experience in a multimodal transportation, infrastructure, or similarly complex organization

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.