Salary : $85,000.24 – $100,000.16 Annually
Location : Denver Metro, CO
Job Type: Full Time
Job Number: EFA-AdvncdCleanEnergy-06.12.23
Department: Colorado Energy Office
Opening Date: 06/13/2023
Closing Date: 6/15/2023 11:59 PM Mountain
Primary Physical Work Address: 1600 Broadway, Suite 1960, Denver, CO 80202
FLSA Status: Exempt; position is not eligible for overtime compensation.
Department Information
This announcement is open only to eligible individuals currently employed within the Office of the Governor. The announcement is for transparency purposes only to comply with the Equal Pay for Equal Work Act. Only applications from eligible individuals currently employed within the Office of the Governor will be accepted.
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.
Description of Job
Starting Salary Range: $85,000.24 – $100,000.16 Annually
This position will help lead the Colorado Energy Office’s work on advanced clean energy technology research and policy, including renewable energy with storage, clean hydrogen, enhanced geothermal, carbon capture use and storage, and advanced nuclear. Key areas of focus will include developing studies that will directly impact the policy and programmatic strategies that the Office is developing to address the climate crisis, and supporting regulatory and legislative policy efforts. CEO will engage in a range of studies to look at policy and technology options to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, including several in the electric power sector. The Advisor will help develop expertise in these areas and will lead these studies including contracting, stakeholder work, and guiding the interrelated work of the various studies. The Advisor will also be responsible for hiring and overseeing the work of an additional analyst that will provide additional capacity to conduct the studies.
Analytic research has been a foundation of Colorado’s approach to policy making. This position will work on the Policy team within CEO to oversee the development of studies addressing the implementation of clean energy technologies, hydrogen market regulation, innovative rate, and other topics with the expectation that those analyses will lead to eventual development of policies. The Advisor will identify and lead the convening of meetings of key state staff and stakeholders, draft sections of the report, work with other teams in CEO to design policy recommendations based on the analysis.
Responsibilities:
- Research Development
- Lead work with other subject matter experts within CEO to understand the policy interests that are driving each study and to develop the potential policy outcomes
- Lead strategy meetings and brainstorming sessions with program staff and partners
- Identify key stakeholders and develop a strategy to engage stakeholders in the study and policy development process
- Develop and maintain relationships with foundations, consultants, and other groups that can perform key aspects of studies and analysis
- Provide briefings to CEO staff on analysis, findings, and opportunities
- Prepare draft statements of work for reports
- Work with the procurement team to ensure procurement is compliant with state rules and is done on-time
- Maintain all records related to contracts for outside vendors engaged in writing reports for CEO in appropriate format and locations
- Track important contract dates and milestones
- Communicates and direct workflow of all contract stages.
- Legislative and Regulatory policy support
- Participate in the development of the office’s legislative agenda
- Develop legislative language
- Provide technical support and legislative briefings
- Participate in stakeholder meetings to support policy development
- Work with counsel and case lead to identify and track parties positions at the PUC related to clean hydrogen and other advanced clean energy proceedings
- Support development of CEO positions, including participating in stakeholder talks.
- Support regulatory proceedings at AQCC as needed
- Data Management and Report Writing
A key part of this role will be working with CEO report leads to help create work groups, arrange meetings for functional teams, and help ensure accurate and timely flow of data among internal and external working groups.
- Work with contractors, state staff, and outside stakeholders to ensure relevant data and information is gathered and distributed to appropriate work groups for each report
- Assist with the drafting of reports, including analysis of data and policy recommendations as requested
- Energy Assurance and Clean Energy Projects
- Serve as lead for the Emergency Support Function, ESF 12
- Serve as CEO lead for the Western Interstate Hydrogen Hub
Unit Director Duties:
- Hire and train new staff to support CEO’s research agenda.
- Supervise staff and maintain employee performance and accountability. Identify unit staffing needs, and support employee professional development and training. Conduct staff performance evaluations, and provide guidance and mentoring.
- Ensure unit staff are accountable for maintaining compliance with statutory requirements and the Governor’s Office Employee Handbook and office policies and procedures.
- Create an environment in which CEO employees are valued and effective, and supporting attainment of CEO’s mission.
- Meet regularly with Policy team leadership, including other Unit Directors to provide input and recommendations on office-wide priorities.
- Work with staff in other units to help plan and implement policy strategies.
- Collaborate with communications staff to develop targeted strategies, resources and materials.
- Provide consumer education on energy policy and utilities in Colorado.
- Work collaboratively with the Operations staff to streamline the office’s policies and procedures in order to reduce operational inefficiencies, and promote the use of data driven decision making throughout the organization.
General
- Dedicated curiosity and passion for affecting positive change for clean energy issues
- Adhere to all health and safety policies in the planning and execution of activities
- Maintain positive working relationships with a diverse range of stakeholders within the market.
- Abide by office policies and procedures in a manner that ensures fiscal responsibility and promotes efficient, effective and elegant government
- Use word processing, spreadsheet, database, and scheduling software applications to prepare correspondence, plans, reports, and other documents
- Assist other CEO departments in carrying out unit and office wide priorities
- Participate in travel as necessary to designated events and conferences in support of office programming
- Other duties as requested and required
Minimum Qualifications, Substitutions, Conditions of Employment & Appeal Rights
- 10 years of professional experience or a Master’s degree in a related field and an additional 1 year of professional experience.
- Knowledge of production, transportation and use of clean hydrogen preferred.
- Project and contract management experience including developing and tracking budgets.
- Highly motivated and detail oriented.
- Excellent written, oral, and presentation communication skills.
- Strong time management and organizational skills.
- Team player with excellent interpersonal, listening, and diplomacy skills to build positive relationships.
- Demonstrates a high level of initiative and strong work ethic. Ability to work both independently and in a team environment.
- Excellent computer skills, including the Microsoft Office suite and Google suite
- Demonstrated interest in the mission of the Colorado Energy Office.
- Knowledge about energy or climate issues in Colorado strongly preferred.
- Experience in policy analysis and research, such as cost-benefit analysis, greenhouse gas emissions modeling, or other approaches strongly preferred.
Supplemental Information
To Apply:
A resume must be submitted with the application for consideration. Your 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:
- 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)
- 12 Paid Holidays Annually and Accrued Annual and Sick Leave
- 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.
Conditions of Employment
Applicants must pass a thorough background check prior to employment.
Effective September 20, 2021, employees will be required to attest to and verify whether or not they are fully vaccinated for COVID-19. Employees who have not been fully vaccinated may be required to submit to serial testing in the future. Upon hire, new employees will have thirty (30) business days to provide attestation to their status with proof of vaccination. Vaccinated employees must provide proof of vaccination. Note: Fully Vaccinated means two (2) weeks after a second dose in a two-dose series of the COVID-19 vaccine, such as the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine, or two (2) weeks after the single-dose vaccine, such as Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen vaccine, as defined by the most recent State of Colorado’s Public Health Order and current guidance issued by the Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment.
Employees who have not been fully vaccinated are encouraged (and may be required) to test before and/or wear a mask while spending time in person at the Energy Office.
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