Program Manager, Climate & Compliance

Full Job Description

This mission of the Colorado Energy Office (CEO) is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and consumer energy costs by advancing clean energy, energy efficiency and zero emission vehicles to benefit all Coloradans.

The Colorado Energy Office is a great place to work, with collaborative and talented employees who are passionate about our mission and a flexible hybrid (work from home/work from office) atmosphere.

Employees report high satisfaction with their work, their colleagues and manager, and CEO leadership. Join us!

We are committed to increasing the diversity of our staff and providing culturally responsive programs and services. Therefore, we encourage responses from people of diverse backgrounds and abilities.

The State of Colorado strives to create a Colorado for All by building and maintaining workplaces that value and respect all Coloradans through a commitment to equal opportunity and hiring based on merit and fitness.

The State is resolute in non-discriminatory practices in everything we do, including hiring, employment, and advancement opportunities.

Governor’s Office staff should demonstrate a commitment to equity, diversity, inclusion and accessibility (EDIA) in the workplace to fulfill the promise of a Colorado For All.

Staff are expected to participate in learning opportunities and training to increase their knowledge around EDIA, have a growth mindset, and embed new learnings and skills into daily business practices.

Creating inaccessible digital content such as web pages, emails, presentations, or documents leaves the state open to fines up to $3,500 based on the language in House Bill 21-110. Staff should strive to make all digital content accessible using provided accessibility resources.

Requirements

Starting Salary Range: $70,012.80 - $90,001.60 Annually

*This position is eligible for a hybrid working arrangement. Hybrid positions are expected to be present at the office location for no less than one day per work week.

The Local Government Climate Solutions team (the team, hereafter) supports local action toward meeting Colorado’s greenhouse gas reduction targets.

The team’s portfolio includes several programs, with a present focus on managing the Local Implementation, Mitigation, and Policy Action (Local IMPACT) Accelerator (Accelerator, hereafter) grant program.

This program is funded through the EPA’s Climate Pollution Reduction Grant (CPRG) and will provide grants to local governments in Colorado to advance local policy adoption and project implementation in four sectors: Buildings, Land Use, Transportation, Waste.

The CPRG program also funds CEO’s work with other agencies to mitigate methane which requires providing general oversight and integration with cross-agency teams working on methane capture analysis, subgrants and programs.

The ideal candidate for this position brings a strong background in sustainability and a broad understanding of emissions reductions as it relates to the Accelerator’s four sectors: Buildings, Land Use, Transportation, and Waste).

In addition, specific knowledge and/or experience related to methane capture is also highly preferred with other topic-specific experience with land use policy and renewable energy siting being desirable but not required.

Candidates should have strong project management skills and direct experience with grant management. Navigating compliance and reporting on federal grants is beneficial.

Supporting skills include collaboration across diverse teams, facilitating group discussions, creating training materials, tracking deadlines.

Funding for the position is tied to the federal grant period of performance, which ends October 2029.

Responsibilities:

Under the general supervision of the Associate Director, the program manager:

• Prepares Accelerator grantee scopes of work, supports contract negotiation and contracting with procurement team.

• Oversees active grants by setting monthly meetings, reviewing and approving invoices and project deliverables, ensuring successful adoption of policies/completion of projects, and managing project close-out.

• Provides topic specific support to teams and local governments on the four areas of the Accelerator (i.e. land use, waste, buildings, and transportation).

• Supports Methane program management , including collaboration with other State agencies (Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment and Colorado Energy & Carbon Management Commission) to understand and oversee their scopes of work relating to methane mitigation and federal grant compliance.

• Works with section staff, other CEO teams and other state agencies, to coordinate program efforts, review documents, develop knowledge of other programs, and establish strong partner relationships.

• Helps ensure grants are managed properly and effectively and helps with team coordination by establishing training, tools and systems to support federal grant compliance and reporting requirements.

• Supports team compliance with federal grant terms and conditions, including Build America Buy America (BABA), Davis-Bacon and Related Acts (DBRA), National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA), as well as with EPA’s Quality Assurance (QA) program and other federal grant requirements.

• Complies with state grant requirements including and related to following Colorado Revised Statutes, CEO policies and procedures.

• Supports grant and invoice processing through CEO’s financial management system (Salesforce) and helps advance procurement processes in Salesforce and more broadly.

• Works with the Local Government Team, grant recipients and technical vendors to track data, report progress, and other activities related to policy adoption and project implementation.

• Supports, as needed, outreach and education efforts for local governments including providing technical assistance, developing materials, traveling to presentations, facilitating meetings, making documents accessible and coordinating with CEO’s communications teams.

Qualifications

Minimum Qualifications:

• Three years of professional experience; or a bachelor’s degree in a related field (public administration, political science, environmental science, engineering, sustainability, or similar field) and at least two years of professional experience developing, managing, and refining programs that work with local governments on sustainability and/or climate issues.

• Experience leading grant management, tracking, compliance and reporting efforts.

• Experience developing support tools for tracking grant progress, monitoring compliance, etc., and training teams on the use of tools.

• Background in sustainability with a general understanding of greenhouse gas emissions reductions as it relates to building, waste, land use, transportation, and waste sectors.

• Experience with developing scopes of work and contracting.

• Strong time management and organizational skills.

• Strong written, oral, and presentation communication skills.

• Team player with excellent interpersonal, listening, and diplomacy skills to build positive relationships.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience working on federal grants and with EPA grants in particular, or significant demonstrated grant management experience at state or local levels which include tracking, monitoring and for compliance.

• Experience working with federal, state and/or local governments on policy, planning and project development related to sustainability (e.g., climate adaptation and mitigation efforts) especially as it relates to the Accelerator, methane capture, land use policy, and renewable energy siting.

• Experience presenting to diverse groups to explain complex topics in plain language.

• Experience working across teams, agencies or similar groups to advance common goals, track progress, and establish process improvements

• Experience planning, facilitating, organizing and leading complex group discussions in person and online.

• Commitment to collaboration, being flexible and jumping in where needed.

Additional Information

To Apply:

A cover letter and resume must be submitted with the application for consideration.

Your cover letter and resume 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.

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

• Annual leave accrued at 13.33 hours per month (4 weeks a year)

• Sick leave accrued at 6.66 hours a month (10 days a year)

• 12 paid holidays per year

• Medical and dental plans

• State paid life insurance policy of $50,000

• Choice of 2 retirement plans

• 401K and 457 plans

• State paid Short Term Disability coverage

• Additional optional life and disability plans

• Credit Union Membership

• RTD pass

• Training and professional development

To learn more about State of Colorado benefits 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.

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.

Conditions of Employment

Applicants must pass a thorough background check prior to employment.