Deputy Communications Director

ABOUT CDPHE:

At the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, we are charged with protecting Colorado’s health and environment – a responsibility that affects every person and every community in the state. CDPHE is distinctive because we bring public health and environmental protection together under one agency, recognizing that healthy people depend on healthy places. Our teams prevent diseases and injury, respond to emergencies ranging from E.coli outbreaks to global pandemics, reduce air pollution, protect water quality, regulate health facilities, manage environmental hazards, perform advanced laboratory testing, provide birth and death records, and implement health promoting programs. We turn science and data into action, set statewide standards, and work alongside local public health agencies and community partners to meet Colorado’s most pressing health and environmental challenges. Working at CDPHE means applying your expertise to complex, consequential work that can improve lives across the state. 

Our mission captures this broad portfolio of work: to advance Colorado’s health and protect the places we live, learn, work, and play. Our vision is a healthy and sustainable Colorado where current and future generations can thrive. Achieving the mission and vision takes bold action, talented people, broad partnerships, and a commitment to serving every Coloradan.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION:

• This position will have hybrid workplace options available, at the discretion of the supervisor and based on business needs.  The employee will still be required to report to the agency address listed on this announcement: 4300 Cherry Creek S Dr, Denver, CO 80246, USA

Be BOLD.....Make a REAL difference . . . join us in serving our communities advancing Colorado's health and protecting the places we live, work, learn, and play, to create a healthy and sustainable Colorado where current and future generations thrive.

CDPHE offers: 

• Free parking and access to RTD bus lines.

• Flexible working arrangements

• Retirement ( PERA options), Medical and dental health plans

• Defined Benefit Plan or the PERA Defined Contribution Plan, plus optional 401K and 457 plans

• Paid life insurance

• Short- and long-term disability coverage

• 11 paid holidays per year and generous personal time off

• Tuition assistance 

• Wellness programs

• Professional development opportunities on a wide variety of subjects

• Career advancement opportunities throughout the State system

Some positions may qualify for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) Program. For more information, go to: https://studentloans.gov/myDirectLoan/pslfFlow.action#!/pslf/launch

The Work Unit:

The Office of Communications leads and coordinates CDPHE’s enterprise communications function. The office provides department-wide communications strategy, editorial direction, media relations, internal communications, digital communications, marketing, crisis and emergency communications, language access, risk assessment, and coordination with executive leadership and the Governor’s Office.

CDPHE uses a matrixed enterprise communications system. The Office of Communications partners with communications staff and directors across divisions and offices to coordinate communications and share accountability for outcomes. Divisions and offices bring subject matter expertise and knowledge of their programs, partners, regulated communities, and operational needs. The Office of Communications establishes department-wide standards, coordinates significant communications, provides quality control, and helps CDPHE communicate clearly and consistently.

What You Will Do:

The Deputy Communications Director reports to the Senior Director of External Affairs and Communications and helps lead CDPHE’s enterprise communications function. You will supervise four communications professionals, provide strategic editorial review for consequential department communications, lead recurring department-wide communications operations, and manage cross-functional projects. You will work across public health and environmental programs, often under short deadlines and while situations are developing. The position serves as acting office lead when delegated by the Senior Director.
This role requires excellent judgment, exceptional editing skills, the ability to learn technical subjects quickly, and a management style that gives employees clear direction and support.

Key Responsibilities:

1. Team leadership and supervision
2. Strategic editing and quality control
3. Recurring communications operations and coordination
4. Cross-functional project management

Lead and develop the team

• Supervise the webmaster and creative specialist, social media manager, internal communications manager, and a communications specialist.

• Serves as acting office lead when delegated or when the Senior Director is unavailable, making timely decisions consistent with delegated authority and department and state policies.

• Set priorities, assign and review work, coordinate coverage, and manage competing deadlines.

• Set performance expectations and provide coaching, feedback, recognition, performance management, and professional development.

Provide strategic editing and quality control

• Review high-profile, sensitive, cross-divisional, leadership-level, regulatory, legislative, partner-facing, constituent, and media-related communications.

• Edit for plain language, accuracy, conciseness, accessibility, consistency, and alignment with department positions.

• Help subject matter experts explain complex scientific, technical, regulatory, and policy information without changing its meaning.

• Identify communications risks, unanswered questions, conflicting recommendations, and potential areas of public confusion.

Run recurring communications operations

• Plan and manage cross-divisional communications meetings and recurring meetings with local public health agency public information officers.

• Oversee the local public health agency communications digest and routine communications reports for department leaders and communications staff.

• Gather information about upcoming announcements, reports, campaigns, rulemaking, public meetings, and emerging issues so the right people have shared awareness.

• Maintain calendars and coordination tools and improve recurring processes when they are no longer useful or effective.

Manage cross-functional projects

• Define project scope, participants, roles, milestones, deliverables, timelines, review requirements, and approval paths.

• Track department marketing campaigns, facilitate required reviews and approvals, and share approved campaign materials with local public health agencies.

• Develop constituent messaging and response templates when needed.

• Coordinate with divisions and offices to gather information for CDPHE’s SMART Act presentation and follow up on outstanding materials.

• Keep leaders informed, resolve barriers, and elevate risks.

Residency Requirement:

This posting is only open to residents of the State of Colorado at the time of submitting your application.

Class Code & Classification Description:

H1A3XX Program Management II

Minimum Qualifications:

NOTE: An applicant may meet the minimum qualifications for this job in one of two ways: They may qualify through their work experience alone or through a combination of education and work experience.

Experience Only:

Nine (9) years of relevant professional experience in public sector, public health, or environmental health communications, public relations, journalism, technical writing, marketing, digital communications, communications program management.

Or

Education and Experience:

A combination of related education in communications, journalism, public relations, marketing, public administration and/or relevant professional experience in public sector, public health, or environmental health communications, public relations, journalism, technical writing, marketing, digital communications, communications program management equal to nine (9) years

**You must substantiate that you meet the minimum qualifications when filling out the Work Experience section of the application. Failure to do so will result in the application not moving forward in the hiring process.  “See resume” will not be accepted. Resumes are considered supplemental information and are not considered in the initial evaluation.  In addition, part-time work will be prorated when determining whether minimum qualifications are met.**

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:

The strongest candidates will bring several of the following:

• Experience supervising communications professionals, setting priorities, managing performance, and developing employees.

• Exceptional strategic editing skills, including experience turning complex scientific, technical, legal, regulatory, or policy information into clear public-facing language.

• Experience working in a large, matrixed, highly regulated, or similarly complex organization.

• Experience managing cross-functional projects involving people who do not report directly to you.

• Experience establishing editorial standards, approval processes, quality-control practices, or communications governance.

• Experience coordinating public education or marketing campaign reviews.

• Experience communicating about public health, environmental protection, emergency response, government, science, or another technical field.

CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT: 

• This posting is only open to residents of the State of Colorado at the time of submitting your application.
  

• A pre-employment background check will be conducted as part of the selection process.

Appeal Rights:

As an applicant who has been removed from consideration during the selection or comparative analysis process, you may file an appeal with the State Personnel Board and/or request a review by the State Personnel Director. A standard appeal form is available on the State Personnel Board website, https://spb.colorado.gov/forms-and-filing. If you appeal, your appeal must be submitted in writing on the official appeal form, signed by you or your representative, and received at the following address within ten (10) days of your receipt of this notice: Colorado State Personnel Board/State Personnel Director, Attn: Appeals Processing, 1525 Sherman Street, 4th Floor, Denver, CO 80203. Fax: 303-866-5038. Phone: 303-866-3300. Email address: [email protected]. The ten-day deadline and these appeal procedures also apply to all charges of discrimination. Refer to Chapters 4 and 8 of the State Personnel Board Rules and Personnel Director's Administrative Procedures, 4 CCR 801, for information about the appeals process. The State Personnel Board Rules and Personnel Director's Administrative Procedures are available at spb.colorado.gov.

A complete application packet must include:

• Completed State of Colorado application.

• A Cover Letter - No more than 150 words.

• If using education to qualify for this position a copy of your transcripts (unofficial acceptable) or diploma must be provided with application. Transcripts must be attached to your colorado.gov/jobs application.

• If you are a veteran, a copy of your DD214 must be attached to your colorado.gov/jobs application.

The Selection Process:

• All applications that are received by the closing of this announcement will be reviewed against the Minimum Qualifications in this announcement. Candidates who meet the minimum qualifications proceed to the next step.

• Colorado Revised Statutes require that state employees are hired and promoted based on merit and fitness through a comparative analysis process.

Part of, or all of, the comparative analysis for this position may be a structured application review, which involves a review of the information you submit in your application materials by Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) against the preferred qualifications.

• A top group, up to six candidates, will be invited to schedule an interview with the hiring manager.

E-Verify: 

CDPHE uses e-Verify, an Internet-based system, to confirm the eligibility of all newly hired employees to work in the United States. Learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities.

ADAAA Accommodations:

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. The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment 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 Coordinator at [email protected] or call 303-692-2060, option 5.