Senior Program Manager, Transit Area Investment Zone
Salary
$80,000.00 - $105,800.00 Annually
Location
Denver Metro, CO
Job Type
Full Time
Job Number
EDA_SrPrgMgr_6/2026
Department
Office of Economic Development and International Trade
Opening Date
06/05/2026
Closing Date
6/12/2026 5:00 PM Mountain
FLSA
Determined by Position
Primary Physical Work Address
1600 Broadway, Denver, CO 80210, USA
Department Contact Information
oedit.info@state.co.us
Type of Announcement
This announcement is not governed by the selection processes of the classified personnel system. Applications will be considered from residents and non-residents of Colorado.
How To Apply
Please submit an online application for this position at https://www.governmentjobs.com/careers/colorado. Reach out to the Department Contact to apply using a paper application, including any supplemental questions. Failure to submit a complete and timely application may result in the rejection of your application. Applicants are responsible for ensuring that application materials are received by the appropriate Human Resources office before the closing date and time listed.
Department Information
DEPARTMENT INFORMATION
The Office of Economic Development and International Trade ("OEDIT") was created to foster a positive business climate that encourages economic development through support of local and regional economic development activities throughout the State of Colorado. A comprehensive slate of programs within OEDIT's divisions support economic development efforts 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.
The Business Funding & Incentives (BF&I) division provides the (strategic) funding and
performance-based incentives needed to create and retain jobs, bridge gaps in economic
opportunity, and provide access to strategic funding/capital/support for a variety of businesses across Colorado. This division strives to make Colorado a great place to do business by collaborating with local, diverse stakeholders and providing equitable economic development opportunities through grants, tax credits, and financing options.
Description of Job
NOTE: The position offers full-time employment as an at-will State of Colorado Employee with an anticipated duration of approximately 5 years or more with the possibility of extension based on funding and current statutory authorization. While we anticipate the program will continue, should the specific funding for this role be reduced or eliminated, the position may be ended.
DESCRIPTION OF JOB:
The Transit Area Investment Zone Senior Program Manager will implement, manage, and strategize around the overall administration of the Transit Area Investment Zone program (HB26-1065) within the Business Funding and Incentives team at OEDIT. Specifically, the Senior Program Manager will be responsible for managing the application process and ongoing lifecycle management of this program as well as other separate program management and special projects to be determined. This includes the development, implementation, and ongoing oversight of internal and external program materials, policies, applications, reports, procurement documentation. They will also work the Department of Revenue, Department of Transportation, the Department of Local Affairs, the OEDIT Housing Team, the OEDIT Rural Opportunity Office, the salesforce administration team, the Attorney General's Office, the Colorado Economic Development Commission, Local Governments and Transit Agencies, the Governor's Office, private developers and other related stakeholders such as the Colorado Association of Transit Agencies and the Colorado Economic Development Commission. This work includes outreach and education, holding applicants conferences, and managing ongoing compliance and reporting over many years.
The ideal candidate for this position will be a self-starter, with a demonstrated track record of developing programs from scratch in a collaborative way across a range of stakeholders, have local government and private sector development experience, and have strong communications and diplomatic skills and someone who absorbs strategic guidance but does not require tactical day to day supervision to get things done. They will also demonstrate a strong interest in supporting localities and regionals across Colorado and be passionate about public transportation, improving the built environment, supporting walkable and mixed use, transit oriented communities, density and sustainability, and community and economic development at the local and regional levels.
Structural/Supervisor Reporting Note: *In future years this position may be assigned to report to a deputy director of direct report of the BF&I, rather than the Director.
KEY DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:
Manage the Transit Investment Area program;
May collaborate with existing intern to create transit investment zone map
Meet statutory timelines
Develop and implement and oversee contract with third party analyst required by statute
Develop timeline and hit milestones for multistage application process
Launch, develop and management the baseline growth rate calculation process
Launch, develop and manage the application process for Transit Area Investment Zones, communicate the program requirements to local governments and transit agencies, facilitate strong applications, oversee a fair and thorough review protocol, manage third party analyst and plan review timelines and processes with the Economic Development Commission.
Promote the Transit Area Investment Program to interested local governments, transit agencies and developers setting accurate expectations about the difficulty and expense of the process and the odds of success.
Develop marketing materials and communications strategies.
Present applicants to the Colorado Economic Development Commission for approval.
Work with OEDIT leadership, the Attorney General, applicants and their counsel and the Economic Development Commission to develop, amend, and oversee written Resolutions implementing the awards
Ensure the Resolutions have appropriate guardrails to protect the interests of the state.
Coordinate with the Department of Revenue to track the financial performance of the awards,
Create, document, and execute a system for monitoring and reporting the program's results.
Conduct application rounds each year, while continuing to lifecycle manage existing awardees including establishing governing resolutions. Workflows with annual cohorts will overlap requiring managing multiple concurrent process flows.
Manage collecting Annual Report data in Salesforce and publishing reports.
Handling, press, legislative and stakeholder inquiries.
Any other task related to managing the Transit Area Investment Project Program.
Other duties to support other programs, efforts and initiatives as assigned.
Minimum Qualifications, Substitutions, Conditions of Employment & Appeal Rights
COMPETENCIES
Stakeholder Management - Provides regular, frequent, and clear communications to establish transparency, credibility and trust with application during a long, high-stakes, high pressure competitive and highly selective process. Uses diplomacy, communication and fairness to manage applicants expectations.
Knows when and how to escalate.
Understand working with local governments.
Multi-disciplinary program management. Participates in and leads cross-functional and stakeholder teams; works to engage others in implementing programs and creates collaboration; takes charge as appropriate of groups and situations.
Planning - Can identify or foresee issues or opportunities and works with OEDIT leadership to anticipate and frame emerging challenges, strategic questions and make recommendations on how to deploy resources in alignment with statutory priorities.
Project Management - Plans, directs and monitors projects and programs, consistently creating high-quality results and meeting tight mult-stage interdependent deliverable requirements. Clearly articulates statutory priorities and expectations; provides transparent directions and explanations so that all participants have mutual shared understanding. Anticipates and plans for contingencies and assures that projects are on schedule and completed successfully.
Attention to details is important to ensure strong execution.
Drives multiple work flows forward simultaneously.
Communication - 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.
Analytical - The ability to collaborate with partners and to perform program management functions such as contract oversight, budgeting, results metrics, reporting requirements, and financial and spreadsheet analysis to support these functions.
Good understanding of financial flows and spreadsheets.
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; moves tasks and assignments toward closure; invests considerable effort to ensure goals are met in a high-quality manner. Problem solver.
REQUIRED KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS & ABILITIES
The Senior Program Manager must have the demonstrated capability to implement a strategic vision.
Ability to understand and articulate to others via verbal and written communications relevant funding and incentive programs and their potential impacts for community and economic development strategies.
Flexibility and willingness to modify approaches based on feedback from stakeholders and or leadership
Knowledge of Colorado's local governments, communities and regional economic needs and backgrounds.
Experience in drafting formal documents, including written resolutions, contracts, statements of work, and requests for proposals.
Exceptional interpersonal, public relations, oratory and presentation skills.
Excellent organizational skills and attention to detail; strong oral and written communication skills; problem solving acumen; demonstrate personal integrity, confidence, and tact/diplomacy as well as flexibility.
Effective interaction with businesses, communities, local governments, and other decision-makers during conversations or meetings.
Passion for public service and the state of Colorado and issues mentioned above around creating a more sustainable state with improved land use and public transportation opportunities..
Familiarity with and desire to support geographically equitable state-wide economic development in all regions of Colorado from from corner to corner and border to border across the front range, suburban, urban, small town, rural, resort rural, mountains and eastern plains.
Experience with and passion for public transportation is desired.
This role is based in Denver.
EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE
Supplemental Information
Salary Range: $80,000 - $105,800 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: jennifer.salvatore@state.co.us
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.
Please note that each agencys 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.
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Colorado Residency: Colorado Constitution, Article XII, Section 13 requires that employees in the state personnel system reside in Colorado unless the work to be performed is primarily within 30 miles of Colorado's border. Ongoing remote work outside of Colorado is not allowed except for positions required to work permanently out of state because the State is required to conduct business in the other state. Any work performed out-of-state for other extenuating circumstances is permissible only on a temporary, non-permanent basis and shall not exceed eight weeks in a calendar year. These arrangements must be approved by the Executive Director and HR Director. I live in Colorado or plan to move to Colorado if I accept this position.
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Have you included both a cover letter and your resume in your application materials?
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Required Question
Employer State of Colorado
Address See the full announcement by clicking
the "Printer" icon located above the job title
Location varies by announcement, Colorado, --
Website https://careers.colorado.gov/