Right of Way Services Director

City and County of Denver; United States; Hybrid; USD 157,000 - 268,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Life-long pension (457B)

PTO + holidays + wellness day

Health/Dental/Vision plans

Job summary

City and County of Denver seeks a ROWS Division Director to lead Right of Way Services, shaping annual and multi-year work plans, budgets, and performance metrics. You will drive strategy, oversee staff and resources, and ensure safety and compliance across a large municipal program.

The role requires a PE or Architect registration (or state equivalent) and a bachelor’s in engineering or architecture, with strong leadership and stakeholder engagement skills to partner with city officials and

Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree in Engineering or Architecture is required.
• Five years of management experience at the functional level with supervision of engineers/architects.
• Driver's license and professional registration in engineering or architecture required.

Responsibilities

• Direct the ROWS Division with annual and multi-year work plans and budgets.
• Develop and implement vision; align with DOTI and city goals.
• Lead managers and staff; oversee staffing, progression, and KPI achievement.
• Foster a culture of safety and strong leadership across the division.

Skills

Civil engineering leadership

Public municipal leadership

Stakeholder engagement

Strategic planning

Budget management

Education

Bachelor's Degree in Engineering or Architecture

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.

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. We also offer generous benefits for full-time employees which include but are not limited to: 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 Wellington Webb Building (201 W. Colfax Ave., Denver, CO 80202) and occasionally at the Denver Wastewater Building (2000 W. 3rd Ave., Denver, CO 80223). Please note: Downtown parking expenses are the responsibility of the employee. We offer a flexible spending account option specifically for parking; if you elect this option, you can use pre-tax dollars for parking. We also offer a City-sponsored RTD EcoPass to all City employees– allowing the use of public transportation for free as a City Employee.

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.

Specifically, as the ROWS Division Director you will:

• Direct the DOTI ROWS Division including working with leadership team to develop annual and multi-year work plans and strategies, ensure resources are available to enable work plans, resolve complex business issues, and establish management practices and processes that enable accomplishment of performance standards.
• Develop and implement vision.
• Lead and oversee diverse work functions by providing guidance and oversight for work plan development, budget management, workforce development, succession planning, program objectives and KPI’s, and divisional evolution to ensure that ROWS is continually aligned with DOTI and citywide goals and positioned to respond to Denver’s changing needs.
• Provide leadership and direction to managers, supervisors and staff members to ensure the continued workforce development and management of an efficient division.
• Coach managers and supervisors through effective delegation of authority and responsibility to foster succession planning.
• Grow a culture of safety as an imperative, focused on both internal employees and the traveling public.
• Sustain and enhance ROWS best in class employee culture through strong leadership.
• Guide sections and teams to establish goals, objectives, policies, procedures, and work standards of the division to successfully support the realization of the department's strategic framework.
• Communicate business and work area plans and goals to managers and/or supervisors to secure buy-in.
• Review, approve, and implement recommended changes to plans and lead the development of process and operational improvements.
• Resolve sensitive, escalated, and controversial operational and management issues by making decisions that are inclusive of multiple perspectives.
• Represent the division/department in meetings with elected and/or appointed officials and other city entities.
• Serve as the city representative with a variety of public, business, and community organizations.
• Foster collaborative relationships to the benefit of the organization.
• Select, train, develop, and evaluate subordinate staff.
• Make decisions on hiring, terminations, promotions, and disciplinary actions as required.
• Employ meaningful metrics to manage resources, identify innovation opportunities, and ensure goals are successfully achieved.
• Analyze and pursue utilization of new technologies and innovative business practices to align with the mission more efficiently and effectively.
• Ensure staff and financial resources are utilized effectively and appropriately; develop and shift resources based on business needs and data analysis within budget restraints.
• Create a work environment which encourages team members to recommend and implement process improvements and policies.
• Collaborate with other divisions in DOTI to plan and implement projects, programs, governance and goals for current and future concerns and regulatory compliance.
• Serve on the leadership team for the DOTI ROW Administration.
• Support the Chief Officer of ROW and ultimately the E.D. of DOTI with various initiatives, programs and special efforts.

What You’ll Bring

We value diversity of ethnicity, race, socioeconomic status, sexual identity, gender, religion, language, ability, and experience and exemplify this through the makeup of our team at all levels. You'll be right at home here if you cultivate strong relationships and push yourself, your work, the people around you and Denver to the next level. Our ideal candidate has some or all the following experience, skills, and characteristics:

• Extensive experience with civil engineering leadership in the field of Right of Way.
• Proven leadership experience creating a culture of engagement and trust, fostering staff development and empowerment, ensuring accountability, and striving for continued performance improvements.
• Extensive experience developing, implementing, and managing large and complex projects and programs that deliver the ideal results and the highest quality and safest infrastructure.
• Effective two-way communication skills used at all levels and settings within the division and with all varied stakeholders drawing on innate situational awareness and ability to influence.
• Ability to envision the ideal future and skills to lead a large organization to implement it.
• Character, compassion, courage, humility, balance, consistency and adaptability.
• Demonstrated experience working with diverse communities, internal and external stakeholders under multiple deadlines and expectations.

Required Minimum Qualifications

Education requirement: Bachelor's Degree in Engineering or Architecture.

Experience Requirement: Five (5) years of experience at the type and level of functional or operational management, which must have included management of licensed engineer or architect supervisors.

Education/Experience Equivalency: No substitution of experience for education is permitted. Additional appropriate education may be substituted for experience requirements.

License/Certifications: Requires a valid Driver's License at the time of application. Requires registration as a Professional Engineer (PE) by the Colorado State Board of Registration for Professional Engineers at the time of application. Or requires registration as an Architect by the Colorado State Board of Registration at the time of application. Registration in another state will be accepted in lieu of this requirement, provided that the applicant has Colorado registration at completion of probation. Licenses and certifications must be kept current as a condition of employment.

To be considered for this position, you must include the following on your job application (upload the attachment(s) to the Resume/CV section on the My Experience tab): Resume Cover letter with details about your public municipal leadership skills experience with Right of Way Services, and your interest in the role.

Application Deadline

This position is expected to stay open until November 15, 2026. Please submit your application as soon as possible and no later than November 15, 2026, at 11:59 PM.

About Everything Else

Job Profile CE2783 Engineer-Architect Director To view the full job profile including position specifications, physical demands, and probationary period, click here.

Position Type Unlimited Position Salary Range $157,385.00 - $267,554.00 Target Pay $157,385.00 - $208,000.00, based on experience and education

Redeployment during Citywide Emergencies

City and County of Denver employees may be re-deployed to work in other capacities in their own agencies or in other city agencies to support core functions of the city during a citywide emergency declared by the Mayor.

Equal Employment Opportunities

The City and County of Denver provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, genetic information, age, or any other status protected under federal, state, and/or local law. It is your right to access oral or written language assistance, sign language interpretation, real-time captioning via CART, or disability-related accommodations. To request any of these services at no cost to you, please contact [e-mail] with three business days’ notice. Applicants for employment with the City and County of Denver must have valid work authorization that does not require sponsorship of a visa for employment authorization in the U.S. For information about right to work, click here for English or here for Spanish.

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. See yourself experiencing growth and balance. See yourself being respected and valued. See yourself belonging here. Join our diverse, inclusive and talented workforce of more than 11,000 team members who are at the heart of what makes Denver, Denver. Your journey starts right here. #SeeYourselfHere Never miss Denver Jobs—sign up for job alerts now!