Director of Rural Opportunity Office

The Office of Economic Development and International Trade (OEDIT) fosters a positive business climate, encourages quality economic development through the support of 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 continued competitiveness of Colorado's economic base, and job training to keep Colorado's workforce the best in the nation.

The mission of the Rural Opportunity Office (ROO) is to ensure that Colorado's rural communities, economic development and business support organizations and small businesses and entrepreneurs have the support and opportunity to attain a resilient future and their full potential. The ROO supports our rural partners by connecting them to relevant OEDIT programs and funding opportunities. The ROO also executes the following initiatives:

• The Statewide Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy, supported by the EDA

• The CO|Align Initiative to collaborate in building a unified economic development voice

for Colorado.

• Other projects as assigned by OEDIT's Executive Director

The Director of the Rural Opportunity Office will be responsible for overseeing and managing the Rural Opportunity Office (ROO) Division within OEDIT. This includes the multiple projects to advance Colorado's rural communities and small businesses and the development of new projects and opportunities. This Director will work across divisions within OEDIT as well as with aligned federal and state agencies, nonprofits, and stakeholders, as well as with partners within the rural communities to execute initiatives that impact these regions. The Director of the ROO will report to the Executive Director of OEDIT.

KEY DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

• Oversight and management of the ROO and ROO team.

• Oversight and management of the ROO budget, application for and receipt of grants, and programs. Ensure the efficient and effective execution of a variety of initiatives by establishing benchmarks and project completion dates.

These include:

• EDA Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy grant

• Lead strategy, documentation, and execution of rural economic development initiatives, including statewide programs for rural economic development programming.

• Establishing trust with rural economic development stakeholders throughout the State

• Work closely with OEDIT's Legislative Liaison to inform high-level policy decisions that influence rural economic development statewide.

• Collaborate and partner across all OEDIT divisions, other State agencies, and external partners as necessary to ensure alignment and coordination of resources, messages, and programs to meet rural communities' needs.

  • Internal Liaison across OEDIT divisions. Connect applicable OEDIT resources and programming to rural communities and small businesses.

  • Interagency Liaison. Serve as the rural OEDIT representative on requisite multi-agency cabinets, councils, task forces, and initiatives.

  • External Liaison. Enhances focus on rural engagement to foster relationships with rural partners and provide access to resources. This includes attending events on behalf of OEDIT and speaking engagements and helping other OEDIT divisions organize rural outreach events and programming where feasible.

• Connect rural communities and economic development or business support organizations to technical assistance and/or funding opportunities

• Work closely with OEDIT's various incentive, grant, and technical assistance program managers to maximize investment and business activity within rural communities.

• Provides key insight and expertise on rural trends and needs to inform initiatives and programs within OEDIT and the broader State government.

COMPETENCIES

• Leadership - Communicates the vision; leads a team; works to engage others in implementing the vision; builds enthusiasm; participation and positive morale and loyalty; takes charge as appropriate of groups and situations; promotes a safe, challenging work environment.

• Customer Service provides timely responses to partner inquiries and identifies support needed for rural communities.

• Cultural Competency with rural and other under-resourced communities

• Collaboration with a variety of State and external partners to advance economic development initiatives.

• Planning - Identifies and analyzes steps required for each project; frames strategic questions; recommends how to deploy resources in alignment with strategic priorities.

• Economic Development Expertise - Demonstrated experience in designing and implementing strategies to foster economic growth, with a focus on rural communities. Proven ability to work with local, state, and federal stakeholders to support rural businesses, attract investments, and drive sustainable economic development initiatives.

• Project Management - Plans, directs and monitors projects and programs, consistently creating high-quality results. Clearly articulates project purpose, defines priorities and expectations; provides clear 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.

• 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.

• Budget - Manages overall budget and alignment of resources to ensure funding is maximized and best used to advance priorities. Ongoing identification of external funding sources, including Federal programs, to advance rural initiatives.

• 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.

• 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.

REQUIRED KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS & ABILITIES

The Director of the Rural Opportunity Office must have the capability to participate in developing a strategic vision utilizing a strong understanding of rural economic development needs across the state as well as the various programs and initiatives at the state and federal level that support and impact rural Colorado communities. As such, the following qualifications are sought:

• Strong leader who is versatile, patient, and has a positive attitude and sound judgment.

• Ability to effectively work with internal and external executive-level staff to achieve objectives/deliverables in various areas of responsibility.

• Support and inform legislative strategy related to funding and programming for rural economic development.

• 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, tact/diplomacy, and flexibility.

• Sound knowledge about strategy planning and business.

• Effective interaction with businesses, communities, and decision makers during conversations or meetings.

• Deep knowledge of rural economies, stakeholders, and political dynamics.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

• Deep understanding of the rural economic development support system across federal and state agencies within Colorado.

• Deep understanding of OEDIT's full slate of programming and individual Division objectives.

• Demonstrated passionate commitment to the success of rural communities

• Minimum of two (2) years of professional rural economic development experience at the federal, state, or local level.

• 5-7 years of experience in project management.

• Being from a rural area and/or having previous experience in rural economic development is required.

• Grant management experience.

• Direct small business experience is preferred.

• Frequent travel across the state is required.

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: $140,000 - $160,000 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: jennifer.salvatore@state.co.us

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.