Policy Advisor

State of Colorado; Denver (CO); On-site; USD 70,000 - 120,000; 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 and leave

Work-Life discounts

Job summary

State of Colorado is seeking a Policy Advisor to provide strategic policy and legislative analysis, project management, and guidance for the Governor’s agenda. Each advisor’s portfolio will be assigned based on office needs and the advisor’s experience and expertise.

Successful candidates will brief senior leaders, coordinate with multiple teams, and help advance priority initiatives across state government. This role may involve multiple policy portfolios and dynamic assignments.

Qualifications

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

Responsibilities

• 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.

Skills

Public policy research

Policy analysis

Written communication

Verbal communication

Project management

Stakeholder engagement

Interpersonal skills

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 Governor’s staff includes offices for budgeting, communications and outreach, legal counsel, legislative liaison, operations, policy and research, and scheduling.

This recruitment may be used to fill multiple Policy Advisor positions.

Department

Office of the Governor

Position Title

Policy Advisor

Summary of Functions

The Policy Advisor 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.

Note that this posting may be used to fill multiple Policy Advisor positions and assigned policy portfolios will be determined based on each hire’s professional experience and policy expertise.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• 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
• Three 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.