Director Strategic Operations Initiatives jobs in the United States

Department Information: Colorado Governor Jared Polis is committed to building a Colorado For All, a place where everyone has an opportunity to succeed and live the Colorado way of life. Governor Polis is focused on lowering health care costs for hardworking Coloradans, transitioning the state to renewable energy sources, ensuring every Colorado child gets a quality education, making housing more affordable and available, improving public safety, and building an economy that works for everyone.

Position Title: Deputy Director of Operations, Strategic Initiatives 

Department:  Operations and Cabinet Affairs 
Hiring Salary Range:  $105,000 - 120,000 annually

FLSA Classification: Exempt (not over time eligible)

Organizational Relationships: This position directly supervises a team of 1-3 individual contributors, although there may be an initial period of up to six months where this position does not have direct reports. This position reports to the Director of Operations & Cabinet Affairs.

Summary of Functions: The Deputy Director of Strategic Initiatives (hereinafter “Deputy Director”) is responsible for executing on a set of high-priority, time-bound initiatives or projects for the Governor’s Office, to support effective operations of State government and the priorities of Governor Polis. These projects will include both proactive efforts to identify opportunities to make State government operations more effective and efficient, as well as efforts that are responsive to emergent needs identified by the Governor, Chief of Staff, and/or Director of Operations. 

The Deputy Director may lead statewide operational excellence initiatives similar to the Reimagine State Government initiative launched in 2020, which set a vision for how the State would adapt to workforce trends and operational challenges brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic. A new initiative would likely focus on further advancing the shift toward digital and omnichannel government, as well as staying ahead of trends in the areas of workforce, climate and the environment, and technology. 

Finally, the Deputy Director may take responsibility for overseeing aspects of statewide professional development in the areas of operational excellence and innovation.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities: 

The individual in this position will work directly with Governor’s Office leadership and staff, and agency leadership and staff to execute on key initiatives, including:

• Overseeing the work of up to three members of the operations team, including maintaining a project pipeline, making recommendations on priority projects, conducting regular reviews and retrospectives to improve team performance, and monitoring the execution of projects.

• Scoping each initiative or project, including identifying who needs to be involved, identifying key project outcomes, and creating project plans. Projects may focus on issue discovery, user experience, labor negotiations, emergency response, program evaluation, and/or project management for mission-critical agency programs.

• Facilitating cross-functional teams within executive branch agencies, community stakeholders, and/or vendors, as needed, to build enthusiasm and accountability to execute on the initiative.

• Delivering a set of recommendations at the outcome of each initiative or project, which may include recommendations on pursuing or discontinuing further work on an initiative, the structure for future work, and any resource, staffing, or structural needs.

• Overseeing the team’s professional development portfolio, including courses offered to state employees, leadership training programs, and employee recognition awards.

• Supporting the Director of Operations in their responsibilities, as needed.

Minimum Qualifications:

The incumbent in this role will demonstrate the following attributes:

• A skilled project leader, who has a demonstrated ability to mobilize and motivate teams around shared goals, to set direction and approach in a complex and ever-changing environment, to make difficult decisions, and to deliver tough messages with grace.

• Strong analytical skills, with a sound understanding of statistics and ability to identify and use data to inform decisions and to make recommendations.

• Strong organizational skills, and self motivation to follow-up on projects, information, and issues until resolved.

• Empathetic and creative problem solver able to listen, understand, and lead various decision makers at all levels of state government in an emotionally intelligent manner.

• Enthusiastic about the power of performance management, data, and information to drive action toward positive outcomes.

• Possesses the political savvy to coach agency leaders, as well as the team of advisors, on how to connect the expectations of the public to the work of government.

• Ability to survey the state of the workplace, identify arising concerns, and propose effective solutions.

• Ability to quickly adapt to and navigate a dynamic work environment using flexible problem-solving skills. 

Minimum Education/Experience: 

OPTION 1: Combination of Education & Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in public administration, political science, economics, or a related field and five (5) years of relevant work experience.

• A Masters Degree in a relevant field may substitute for up to two (2) additional years of professional experience.

OR

OPTION 2: Experience

• At least nine (9) years of relevant work experience in an area closely related to the work areas to be performed by this role, including government administration, strategic planning, goal setting, and/or project management.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Graduate degree in public policy, public administration or business administration

• Previous experience in state government

Conditions of Employment

Applicants must pass a thorough background check prior to employment.

The State of Colorado/Office of the Governor offers a generous benefits package including: 

• Medical, dental and vision plan coverage - including extensive prescription drug coverage (many preventive medications covered at no cost)*.

• Health Savings Account (with state contribution) when electing HDHP medical coverage*.

• Wellness programs - participation can reduce employee premiums*.

• Short-term and optional long-term disability coverage*.

• Life and Accidental Death/Dismemberment 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

• Welcome Aboard Program - July 1, 2023.pdf

• Retirement benefits** - including PERA Defined Benefit Plan or PERA Defined Contribution Plan, plus optional 401(k) and 457 plans - https://www.copera.org/

• Hybrid work arrangements.

• Variety of discounts on services and products available through the State of Colorado's Work-Life Discount Program.

• Training and professional development opportunities, including reduced college tuition through CSU Global (contact CSU Global for latest offerings).

• Access to the Colorado State Employee Assistance Program (CSEAP): offers confidential mental health counseling, professional coaching, employee mediation, 24/7 crisis support.

• Free RTD EcoPass to all eligible State Employees.

• Credit Union of Colorado Membership Eligibility.

*To learn more about State of Colorado benefits, please visit the state’s benefits portal: https://www.colorado.gov/dhr/benefits.

**For information on mandatory employee salary deferral (in lieu of contribution to Social Security), see COPERA for details: https://www.copera.org/member-contribution-rates

Equity, Diversity and Inclusion

The State of Colorado believes that equity, diversity, and inclusion drive our success, and we encourage candidates from all identities, backgrounds, and abilities to apply. The State of Colorado is an equal opportunity employer committed to building inclusive, innovative work environments with employees who reflect our communities and enthusiastically serve them. Therefore, in all aspects of the employment process, we provide employment opportunities to all qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, disability, age, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, pregnancy, medical condition related to pregnancy, creed, ancestry, national origin, marital status, genetic information, or military status (with preference given to military veterans), or any other protected status in accordance with applicable law. 

ADAAA Accommodations

The Office of the Governor is committed to the full inclusion of all qualified individuals. As part of this commitment, our agency 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 Staffing Coordinator (the Director of Human Resources) at gov_hr@state.co.us