Director of Strategic Projects and Special Initiatives

About the Department

The Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade (OEDIT) is the state’s central hub for fostering a robust, diversified, and inclusive economy. OEDIT works to support existing businesses, attract new investment, and provide the resources necessary for Colorado’s creative, rural, and specialized industries to thrive on a global stage.

The Office of Economic Development and International Trade (OEDIT) fosters a positive business environment and encourages high-quality economic development by supporting local and regional economic development activities across the state. 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 the continued competitiveness of Colorado’s economic base, and job training to keep Colorado’s workforce the best in the nation.

Position Duties

NOTE: This posting is open only to individuals on a promotional list of the listed department. The posting is for transparency purposes only to comply with the Equal Pay for Equal Work Act. Applications from individuals not on the department promotional list will not be accepted.

Position Description

The Director of Strategic Projects and Special Initiatives reports to the Executive Director and ensures that the agency’s 10+ diverse divisions move in strategic lockstep. This role is responsible for the immediate execution of Governor-led initiatives. The Director is the Executive Director’s primary troubleshooter and connective tissue across the agency. 

Key Responsibilities:

1. Special Projects & Project Management

• Serve as the primary liaison to the Governor’s Office regarding Executive Orders (EOs), translating high-level EO mandates into actionable, operational tasks for OEDIT staff.

• Lead the Executive Director’s “strike team” on urgent, high-stakes special projects that fall outside traditional divisional boundaries. You will serve as the Executive Director’s primary troubleshooter for initiatives requiring rapid deployment and strategic discretion.

2. Executive Support and Decision Making 

• Ensure the Executive Director is prepared for meetings, board engagements, speeches and presentations through cross-agency briefing memos and decision documents.

• Maintain a master view of all strategic Executive initiatives across the agency, tracking statuses and risks 

• Serve as the Executive Director’s point person for managing external partners, and cross- sector relationships

• Represent the Executive Director in meetings as needed

3. Agency Integration & Alignment

• As the connective tissue across OEDIT’s 10+ divisions, ensuring cohesive messaging and preventing resource silos.

• Partner with division leadership to assemble and lead cross-functional project management teams. Work closely with Division Directors to identify strategic priorities and oversee the implementation of high-priority projects.

• Manage the leadership team’s weekly Director’s Meeting agenda and take primary responsibility for tracking and driving all follow-up items to completion. 

4. Business Engagement and Insight 

• Design and conduct surveys and structured interviews with business leaders to capture timely intelligence on the issues shaping Colorado’s economy (for example venture capital and financing conditions or the business impact of federal tariff policy).

• Establish and maintain a feedback loop that ensures businesses see the state listening and responding to what they report. 

• Synthesize survey and interview data into clear, actionable recommendations for the Executive Director

5. State Competitiveness and Business Support  

• Represent Colorado in public forums, articulating the state’s value proposition and competitive climate to external leaders. 

• Collaborate with the Legislative Affairs team and champion policies that enhance Colorado’s business climate and remove barriers to growth.

• Support the implementation of the IDEA committee’s strategic plan. Lead the planning and execution of the OEDIT Outreach & Impact Summit to bring focus and resources to under resourced communities across the state. 

Minimum Qualifications

Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in business, finance, economics, or related field; advanced degree preferred.

• Related occupational experience or a combination of education and relevant, proven experience in comparable fields will substitute for the degree requirement on a year-for-year basis.

• +5 years of experience in entrepreneurship, startup ecosystem development, economic development or related fields.

• Demonstrates success managing complex, cross-functional projects with multiple projects 

• Excellent communication skills with the ability to engage diverse stakeholders and articulate complex concepts.

• Strategic thinker with the ability to develop and execute comprehensive plans to achieve objectives.

• Experience working with government agencies, industry associations, and community organizations.

• Commitment to promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion within the business ecosystem.

Other Qualifications

Salary Range: $85,000 - $95,000 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 Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion website.

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: [email protected]

Application

Please submit a cover letter and resume addressing the minimum and preferred qualifications; required knowledge, skills and abilities; that pertain to the key duties and responsibilities of this position. 

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.

Benefits

Please note that each agency's contact information is different; therefore, we encourage all applicants to view the full, official job announcement which includes contact information and class title. Select the job you wish to view, then click on the "Print" icon.

Supplemental Questions

Required Question

Agency Information

EmployerState of ColoradoAddress See the full announcement by clicking
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Location varies by announcement, Colorado, -- Website https://careers.colorado.gov/