Executive Assistant, Office of Legal Counsel

Colorado for All 

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. 

Colorado For All - Colorado Employee Reflections

Department Information 

Colorado Governor Jared Polis is committed to building a Colorado For All, a place where everyone has an opportunity to succeed and live the Colorado way of life. Governor Polis is focused on lowering health care costs for hardworking Coloradans, transitioning the state to renewable energy sources, ensuring every Colorado child gets a quality education, making housing more affordable and available, improving public safety, and building an economy that works for everyone. The Office of the Governor's staff includes budgeting, communications and outreach, legal counsel, legislative liaison, operations, policy and research, and scheduling.

Job Title: Executive Assistant to the Office of Legal Counsel

Department: Office of Legal Counsel (OLC)

Class Title:  non-classified

Primary Physical Work Location: State Capitol; 200 E Colfax Ave; Denver Colorado

Location: minimum of 3 days a week in the office; up to 2 days a week remote

FLSA Status: exempt; position is not eligible for overtime compensation

Job Type: full time

The Executive Assistant is a critical position within the Governor’s Legal Counsel team, supporting the Governor’s Chief Legal Counsel, 5 attorneys and a paralegal. The position is a key participant in the administrative process for the day-to-day activities of the Office of Legal Counsel as well as scheduling, judicial appointments, executive clemency, executive orders, and the legislative lifecycle. This role requires an individual with strong organizational skills who can balance the rigorous precision of legal work with the fast-paced, often unpredictable nature of a Governor’s executive office, and prioritize their time on multiple workstreams.

• Team Logistics: Manage complex, high-volume calendars for Chief Legal Counsel, five attorneys and one paralegal, prioritizing meetings based on an understanding of internal and external stakeholders and their issues.

• Inter-Agency Partnership: Build strong relationships with Executive Assistants across state agencies and the Governor’s Office to streamline communication and facilitate meetings for senior leadership.

• Communications: Assist the legal team in drafting responses, ensuring legal nuances are preserved in public-facing communications. Ensure published communications are accessible.

• Travel: Coordinate all travel requests and submit travel reimbursements for the Office of Legal Counsel. 

• Record Keeping: Maintain the official record of Executive Orders and other records, ensuring all publicly available documents comply with accessibility requirements.

• Correspondence: Manage incoming legal inquiries from the public, ensuring a "joyful and consistent" tone in all interactions with Coloradans.

• Purchasing: Works with external vendors and internal accounting team to renew contracts for software licenses and make purchases for the office.

• Budget Tracking: Track expenses for IIJA Legal Defense Fund created by HB25-1321 and work with counterparts in the Governor’s Office to submit quarterly reports to the Joint Budget Committee. 

• Process Management: Facilitate the end-to-end judicial appointment process for all levels of Colorado state courts. 

• Due Diligence: Conduct sensitive due diligence calls and background inquiries for judicial candidates and clemency applicants, ensuring all information is synthesized for the Legal Counsel and kept confidential.

• Data: Track demographic data for judicial nominations and appointments and update internal documents regarding the makeup of Colorado Courts.

• Other Executive Appointments: Facilitate District Attorney and County Commissioner appointments that arise between elections.

• Bill Review Tracking: Monitor and track the progress of legislative bills during the session; assist in organizing materials for the Governor’s bill review meetings.

• Document Drafting: Prepare and format initial drafts of Executive Orders, proclamations, and formal memos to the Governor.

• Research Assistance: Conduct preliminary policy research to support the attorneys in the bill review process.

• Clemency: Evaluate applications and conduct research for executive clemency cases.

5. Hiring & Onboarding

• Legal Interns: Facilitate recruitment, hiring, onboarding, and offboarding of Legal Interns for the Spring, Fall, and Summer Semesters.

• Process Management: Facilitate minimum qualification review, application review, interview process, and onboarding to backfill positions that report to the Chief Legal Counsel.

6. Reporting and Disclosures 

• Gift Disclosures: Submit quarterly Gift Disclosures to the Secretary of State for the Governor and Lieutenant Governor.

• Conflict Disclosures: Coordinate annual reporting and initial filings for Cabinet Members and Governor’s Office Senior Staff in accordance with Executive Order D 021 09.

• Financial Disclosures: Support the deputies in filing annual financial disclosures for the Governor and Lieutenant Governor. 

Minimum Qualifications:

• Experience: At least 2-4 years of experience in high-level executive support, preferably within a legal, governmental, or legislative environment.

• Discretion: Proven ability to handle highly confidential and sensitive information with absolute integrity.

• Technical Proficiency: Mastery of the Google Workspace (Docs, Sheets, Slides) and the ability to quickly learn state-specific legislative tracking software.

Preferred Skills:

• Legal Literacy: A foundational understanding of legal terminology and the Colorado legislative process.

• Project Management: The ability to manage multiple "moving parts" during the high-pressure 120-day legislative session.

• Writing Excellence: Exceptional proofreading skills; you should be the person who catches the typo that everyone else missed.

• The "Bold" Mindset: You aren't afraid to ask clarifying questions or suggest a more efficient way to manage a workflow.

• Adaptability: You can pivot from a quiet morning of research to a high-speed afternoon of emergency bill signings without losing your cool.

• Commitment to Service: A genuine desire to serve the people of Colorado and contribute to a team that values consistency and professional joy.

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 a minimum of $50,000 or 1x annual salary

• 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.

Inclusion and Belonging

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 Senior Human Resources Director) at [email protected].

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.