Executive Director of the Colorado Energy Office

State of Colorado; Denver (CO); On-site; USD 180,000 - 260,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

PERA retirement benefits

Medical, Dental, and Vision insurance

Disability coverage

Life and AD&D Insurance

Flexible Spending Accounts

Paid Holidays

Family-related leave and benefits

Work-life discounts program

Job summary

The State of Colorado is seeking an Executive Director for the Colorado Energy Office to lead strategy, programs, and operations. The role advances Colorado’s transition to a low-carbon energy economy while ensuring reliable, affordable energy for households and businesses.

You will engage stakeholders, oversee budgeting, and guide policy implementation across utilities, codes, and clean energy initiatives.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s or advanced degree in engineering, economics, public policy, environmental science, business, law, or a closely related field
• Ten or more years of leadership experience in energy, utilities, environmental policy, or public administration
• Five or more years of executive management experience with goal setting, budgeting, and directing large teams
• Five or more years building relationships with diverse stakeholders and coordinating across government, utilities, and industry

Responsibilities

• Oversee and align the office’s operations with strategic goals and stakeholder expectations
• Direct and supervise budget management to maintain a fiscally responsible organization
• Build and lead a high-performing team with coaching and development for direct reports
• Lead energy policy initiatives across solar, wind, geothermal, and energy storage
• Represent the office in proceedings before regulatory bodies and advisory commissions
• Develop programs to reduce energy use and emissions in buildings and expand energy codes

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 Colorado Energy Office develops programs and promotes energy policies that reduce greenhouse gas emissions, improve air quality, and lower energy costs for Coloradans.

Its mission is to drive Colorado's energy policy, ensuring a clean, affordable, and resilient energy future. That work also includes representing the Governor before the Public Utilities Commission, oversight of energy efficiency initiatives, efforts to reduce carbon emissions across the economy, and our adoption of zero emission vehicles. In doing this work, the Office will help position Colorado as a leader in our nation's clean, resilient, and affordable energy future in a manner that is mindful of environmental justice and equity concerns.

Department:

Office of the Governor; Colorado Energy Office

Position Title:

Executive Director

Summary of Functions:

The Executive Director is the Chief Executive Officer of the Colorado Energy Office and part of the Governor’s Cabinet. The Executive Director oversees the administration, programs, and strategic plan of the office and is accountable for the consistent achievement of its mission and objectives. The role advances Colorado’s transition to a low-carbon energy economy while keeping energy reliable and affordable for households and businesses. The Executive Director also works with energy stakeholders and leads the state’s efforts to grow solar, wind, geothermal, and energy storage and to protect consumers from energy cost spikes.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

• Oversee and manage the office’s operations and ensure alignment with the office’s goals, the Governor’s initiatives, and the expectations of stakeholders
• Direct and oversee the office’s budget and ensure fiscal management that operates within the approved budget, makes full use of available resources, and keeps 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
• Work with utilities, communities, and private organizations on the statewide greenhouse gas goals, the renewable energy standard, and clean heat plans
• Administer the office’s grant programs
• Develop programs to cut energy use and emissions in commercial and residential buildings and support adoption of advanced energy codes through technical assistance to counties and municipalities
• Accelerate the development of solar and wind projects by engaging local governments and their communities on siting and transmission
• Help the state plan for large new energy loads so that consumers are protected from cost spikes
• Support geothermal and clean energy development and related workforce training
• Represent the office in Public Utilities Commission and Air Quality Control Commission proceedings through testimony and analysis
• Report annually to the Senate transportation and energy and House energy and environment committees
• Expand safe energy storage and smart grid protections and support the electrification of homes, businesses, and transportation
• Brief the Governor’s Office on all relevant policy issues arising from state and federal legislative activities
• Build a good relationship with the legislature and serve as the point person for directing the office’s response to proposed legislation that may affect its operations

Organizational Relationships:

Chief Resilience Officer on grid reliability and wildfire; Public Utilities Commission; Energy and Carbon Management Commission; Air Quality Control Commission; Department of Transportation; Department of Local Affairs on energy codes

Preferred Education/Experience:

• A bachelor’s or advanced degree in engineering, economics, public policy, environmental science, business, law, or a closely related field
• Ten or more years of leadership experience in energy, utilities, environmental policy, or public administration
• 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
• Five or more years of experience leading energy, utility, or environmental programs
• Experience building relationships with a diverse range of stakeholders with varying perspectives and interests
• Experience working with investor-owned, municipal, and cooperative utilities and clean energy and geothermal developers
• Strong understanding of state and federal energy regulations and policies, including experience working with the relevant agencies and stakeholders

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience in clean energy market and program design, including experience with federal funds
• Experience in utility regulation, including standing before the Public Utilities Commission
• Experience designing building energy codes and efficiency programs
• Experience planning for grid reliability, energy storage, or large new energy loads
• Experience working with counties and municipalities on clean energy siting, permitting, or energy codes
• Experience developing the solar, electrical, and clean energy trade workforce
• Expertise in energy resiliency and energy security programs and policy

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.