International Trade Specialist jobs in Aurora, CO

The Governor's Office of Economic Development and International Trade ("OEDIT") was created to foster a positive business climate that encourages quality economic development through the support of local and regional economic development activities throughout the State of Colorado. A comprehensive slate of programs within OEDIT's divisions work together to offer economic development services for all Colorado businesses - new and expanding, traditional and emerging, small and large - including retention programs to ensure continued competitiveness of Colorado's economic base, and job training to keep Colorado's workforce the best in the nation.

The Destination Development program empowers Colorado tourism industry partners to develop, manage, and promote visitor experiences that align with their competitive advantage as a destination and help protect their unique sense of place. This innovative economic development program is structured as a statewide collaboration to develop and promote new tourism offerings aimed at enticing visitors to step off the beaten path, discover hidden gems and engage in a myriad of authentic culinary, outdoor recreation, heritage, creative arts and agricultural experiences.

The Director of Destination Development & Sustainability works to design, deliver and report on industry programs that provide strategic guidance, capacity building, and implementation resources for Colorado tourism destinations, industry associations, and private businesses. The Director of Director of Destination Development & Sustainability works collaboratively with the entire CTO team, CTO Destination Development Committee, state agencies, destination marketing organizations, and tourism industry associations to develop and promote high-quality visitor experiences that drive increased traveler spending, enhance resident quality of life, and protect the integrity of Colorado's cultural and natural resources.

KEY DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

Management

• In concert with key stakeholders, CTO Director and CTO Deputy Director, Destination Stewardship, manages initiatives to drive economic growth through tourism, primarily through the creation of high-quality, sustainable visitor experiences in Colorado destinations.

• Oversees CTO's Destination Development programming to provide capacity across the state to advance tourism-related projects.

• Develops and manages an annual budget to support program initiatives.

• Provides direction for the Senior Manager of Destination Development.

• In collaboration with CTO Deputy Director, Destination Stewardship, recruits members of the Destination Development Committee to represent and generate awareness for all segments of the program in all parts of the state.

• Manages effective communication with the Destination Development Committee, Colorado Tourism Board, and other industry partners engaged in destination development.

• Manages outreach to build an understanding of opportunities to drive economic growth through sustainable product creation and new visitor experiences.

• Establishes and reports against metrics to measure program outcomes, with regular reporting of results to the CTO Director and Deputy Director, Destination Stewardship the CTO Destination Development Committee and the Colorado Tourism Board.

• Other duties as requested by CTO Director or Deputy Director, Destination Stewardship.

Capacity Building Programming

• Directs development and growth of Colorado tourism experiences showcasing Colorado as a premier destination for heritage, cultural, outdoor recreation and agritourism travel opportunities.

• Directs the development and implementation of industry training and planning resources through a series of dedicated capacity-building programs and on-demand technical assistance for the Colorado tourism industry.

• Supports the development of other educational offerings for tourism destinations and tourism industry associations, including educational experiences for the annual Governor's Tourism Conference and regional tourism conferences, as requested.

• Maximizes opportunities to secure and leverage funding support for programs from local, state, and federal government sources or private sources.

• Collaborates with other state agencies, including other divisions of the Office of Economic Development and International Trade, on initiatives that support economic development through tourism.

Destination Stewardship

• Develops and manages programs that support the implementation of the Destination Stewardship Strategic Plan.

• Develops and manages an annual budget to support destination stewardship programs and initiatives.

• Provides input on destination stewardship indicators.

• Provides input on educational offerings related to destination stewardship.

• Collaborates with other state agencies, including other divisions of the Office of Economic Development and International Trade, on initiatives that support destination stewardship.

• Supports new destination stewardship initiatives as requested by the CTO Director or Deputy Director, Destination Stewardship.

Marketing & Communications

In collaboration with the CTO marketing team and in keeping with the CTO brand:

• Provides input for the promotion of heritage, cultural, outdoor recreation and agritourism offerings through CTO marketing, public relations, promotional, and social media campaigns.

• Provides input and supports development of content highlighting travel experiences for Colorado.com and for CTO publications and collateral, including the Official State Vacation Guide and the Official State Highway Map.

• Provides input on media requests related to CTO destination development programs and statewide strategies.

• Provides input to the CTO Communications and CTO PR team on opportunities to build awareness of success stories related to CTO destination development initiatives.

• Elevates the mission and values of the CTO and OEDIT

COMPETENCIES:

• Leadership: Creates and communicates CTO and OEDIT vision; engages others to implement vision; builds enthusiasm, participation and positive morale and loyalty; takes charge of groups and situations; sets a strong leadership role by walking the talk; promotes a safe, challenging work environment.

• Strategic Planning: Identifies and analyzes organizational opportunities; accurately forecasts trends and emerging needs; frames strategic questions; makes decisions and deploys resources in alignment with strategic priorities; plans for future problems and opportunities by forecasting business trends and outside forces.

• Negotiation & Issue Resolution: Openly manages conflict and disagreement through collaborative discussion to reach positive conclusions; arrives at constructive solutions while maintaining positive working relationships; seeks win-win situations; diplomatically explores common and opposing options to reach mutually acceptable positive solutions.

• Communication: Is understood by and understands others; clearly articulates key points when writing and speaking; actively listens; effectively interprets non-verbal communication and truly hears what a wide variety of people are trying to say; accurately assesses personal styles and adjusts own style of communication to optimize personal effectiveness.

• Results Driven: Drives for successful results; makes things happen and conveys a sense of urgency; sets aggressive goals and works hard to achieve these goals; move tasks and assignments toward closure; invests considerable effort to assure goals are met in a high-quality manner.

REQUIRED KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS & ABILITIES:

Extensive knowledge and demonstrated skill in management, program planning, and coordination of multiple projects and assignments. Ability to work with a wide variety of people at all levels in stressful situations and exercise confidentiality and discretion as appropriate. Skill in relationship building and networking with a diverse population of organizations, associations and interest groups.

Excellent time management skills, including the demonstrated ability to meet timelines and prioritize multiple projects.

Team orientation and the demonstrated ability to work effectively with peers, subordinates, and supervisors. Ability and willingness to work hours beyond the standard daily or weekly schedule when necessary.

EDUCATIONAL AND EXPERIENCE

A four-year college degree in tourism management, development, sustainability, or related subjects, or an equivalent 4 years of experience in sustainable travel, tourism development and/or related subjects.

Experience with sustainable tourism, heritage or cultural tourism, agritourism, outdoor adventure, rural economic development and community relations is strongly preferred.

Conditions of Employment

• Applicants must pass a thorough background check prior to employment.

• Former State employees who were disciplinarily terminated or resigned in lieu of termination must disclose the information on the application and provide an explanation why the prior termination or resignation should not disqualify their application from the current position.

Salary Range: $80,000 - $90,000 Annually

This position is considered non-classified, which means the position is not part of the Colorado State Personnel System. Therefore, the individual appointed to this position is considered at-will, and is not covered by the State Personnel Rules or the State Classification System. However, this position does come with the same benefits (retirement, insurance, etc.) as every other State employee, and with the same opportunities, pride and passion that comes with working for the great State of Colorado. Even though employment is at-will, non-classified positions have protections against discrimination and retaliation in state and federal employment laws. "At-will" employment means that either the employee or the State may terminate the employment relationship at any time for any reason or no reason, with or without notice or cause, as long as no federal or state law is violated.

A wide salary range is posted for this position and any job offer is based upon a salary analysis to comply with the Colorado Equal Pay for Equal Work Act. The salary analysis considers relevant experience, education, certifications, and state seniority as compared to others doing substantially similar work. While all offers are compliant with the Colorado Equal Pay for Equal Work Act, there is no guarantee an offer will be at the top of the posted range based on the salary analysis.

Benefits

The State of Colorado/Office of the Governor offers generous benefits to full-time employees including:

• Annual leave accrued at 13.33 hours per month

• Sick leave accrued at 6.66 hours a month

• 11 paid holidays per year

• Medical plans - choice of Cigna or Kaiser; several plan options (including High Deductible Health Plan with HSA); most plans offered with significant state contribution towards premium

• Dental and vision plans

• Flexible spending accounts

• State-paid life insurance policy of $50,000

• Choice of 2 retirement plans (defined contribution or defined benefit) with generous state contribution

• Optional 401(k) and 457 plans for additional retirement savings

• State-paid short-term disability coverage

• Additional optional life and disability plans

• Access to the Colorado State Employee Assistance Program

• Membership opportunity with the Credit Union of Colorado

• RTD (transit) EcoPass

• Training and professional development

To learn more about State of Colorado benefits, please visit: https://www.colorado.gov/dhr/benefits

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.

To learn more about the "State of Colorado For All", visit our .

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:

Application

Your application must provide sufficient detail about your background and experience to allow the screening panel to properly assess your experience in the required elements, including your experience and achievements.

Due to the large volume of resumes we receive, we do not acknowledge receipt of each application and are unable to give status updates. If a strong match is found between your qualifications and the requirements of the position, a member of the recruiting staff will contact you to further discuss the career opportunity.