Executive Director of the Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment

Who We Are

Colorado Governor-elect Phil Weiser is committed to an administration that represents all of Colorado, and serves and protects every Coloradan. Governor-elect Weiser and his team will lead State government to ensure that we serve the people of Colorado, working to make their lives better, and together, we meet opportunities and challenges with creativity, collaboration, and compassion. His commitment to serve as the People’s Governor means that he and his team will have a sustained focus on how to make Colorado safer, more affordable, more sustainable, and a great place to live, build a business, and raise a family.

We Have Strong Core Values

Our core values drive our actions. We are: 1) principled, maintaining the highest ethical standards, acting with integrity, and operating transparently; 2) public servants, who are always ensuring our work is not about us, but instead is about improving the lives of the people of Colorado; 3) innovative, by seeking to solve problems creatively and operate with a continuous improvement mindset; and 4) "better together," by working to support each other as a team and collaborate effectively.

Department Information

The Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment (CDPHE) works to advance Colorado’s health and protect the places where people live, learn, work, and play. The department’s vision is a healthy and sustainable Colorado where current and future generations thrive. It serves Coloradans by providing public health and environmental protection services that promote healthy people in healthy places. Its public health professionals and environmental quality experts use evidence-based practices to create the conditions in which residents can be healthy.

The department’s health programs include chronic disease prevention, infectious disease control, family planning, injury and suicide prevention, and the promotion of health and wellness. The department also maintains health statistics and vital records, licenses and certifies health facilities, and provides laboratory and radiation services and emergency preparedness. It partners closely with local public health agencies across the state.

The department serves as the state’s principal agency for protecting environmental quality, administering and enforcing state and federal environmental laws and regulations. Through its environmental divisions, the department establishes and implements regulatory requirements, issues permits, monitors environmental conditions, inspects regulated entities, and takes enforcement action to address violations. It works in coordination with federal, state, and local agencies to ensure compliance, reduce pollution, and protect Colorado’s natural resources and the health of its residents.

Department: Office of the Governor; Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment

Position Title: Executive Director

Summary of Functions: The Executive Director is the Chief Executive Officer of the Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment. The position is part of the Governor’s Cabinet and is responsible for overseeing the administration, programs, and strategic plan of the department and for the consistent achievement of its mission and objectives. Its purpose is to protect and improve the health of the people of Colorado and the quality of the state’s air, water, and land. The Executive Director will oversee environmental regulation of air, water, hazardous materials and waste, and drinking water and ensure the state is properly implementing disease control, chronic disease prevention, vital records, and health data.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

• Oversee and manage the department’s operations and ensure alignment with the department’s goals, the Governor’s initiatives, and the expectations of stakeholders

• Direct and oversee the department’s budget and ensure fiscal management that operates within the approved budget, makes full use of available resources, and keeps the organization in a positive financial position

• Build and cultivate a high-performing team through effective leadership focused on recruiting and retaining top talent and providing guidance, coaching, and development to direct reports

• Administer the department and its divisions under the authority of the State Board of Health, the Air Quality Control Commission, the Water Quality Control Commission, and the Solid and Hazardous Waste Commission

• Appoint directors for key state offices and initiatives 

• Strengthen air and water quality monitoring and oversee environmental regulation, permitting, and enforcement for air, water, hazardous materials and waste, and drinking water

• Oversee public health initiatives including disease control, chronic disease prevention, vital records, and health data

• Direct the state’s emergency public health response and build a resilient public health infrastructure that can respond rapidly to future emergencies

• Partner with local public health agencies, hospitals and health systems, Tribal health programs, environmental advocacy organizations, and regulated industries such as oil and gas, manufacturing, and water utilities

• Support community-based prevention efforts

• Brief the Governor’s Office on all relevant policy issues arising from state and federal legislative activities

• Build a good relationship with the General Assembly and serve as the point person for directing the department’s response to proposed legislation that may affect its operations

Organizational Relationships: State Board of Health; Air Quality Control Commission; Water Quality Control Commission; Solid and Hazardous Waste Commission; Department of Natural Resources; Colorado Department of Transportation; U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; Chief Resilience Officer and Colorado Resiliency Office; Chief Performance Officer

Preferred Education/Experience:

• A bachelor’s or advanced degree in public health, environmental health, public administration, law, medicine, or a closely related field

• Five or more years of professional executive management experience in public or environmental health that includes setting goals and objectives and managing a budget to achieve them

• Five or more years of experience fostering effective and efficient process improvements for an organization of twenty-five or more employees

• Five or more years of experience leading regulatory, permitting, or enforcement programs in public health or environmental protection

• Five or more years of experience managing programs funded or overseen by federal agencies

• Experience building relationships with a diverse range of stakeholders with varying perspectives and interests

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience stewarding federal grant awards and meeting the compliance obligations attendant to them

• Experience administering regulatory programs in which the rulemaking authority is vested in independent boards and commissions

• Experience leading air and water quality monitoring, permitting, or enforcement programs

• Experience building or modernizing public health surveillance and data systems

• Experience using health and environmental data to set priorities and guide policy decisions

• Demonstrated leadership in public health crisis and emergency response

Conditions of employment: Applicants must pass a thorough background check prior to employment and reside in Colorado once employed

HOW TO APPLY: 

Please submit an online application for this position at buildingcoloradosfuturetogether.org. 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 before the closing date.

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.

Benefits 

The State of Colorado offers a competitive benefits package to permanent employees:

• PERA retirement benefits including PERA Defined Benefit Plan, PERA Defined Contribution Plan, plus 401K and 457 plans

• Medical, Dental, and Vision insurance coverage

• Automatic Short-Term and Optional Long-Term Disability Coverage

•  Life and AD&D Insurance

• Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs)

• Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) job protection and State of Colorado Paid Family Medical Leave (PFML)

• 11 Paid Holidays Annually and Accrued Annual and Sick Leave

• Variety of discounts on services and products available through the State of Colorado's Work-Life Employment Discount Program

To learn more about State of Colorado benefits visit: https://www.colorado.gov/dhr/benefits.

ADAAA Requests

The State of Colorado is committed to the full inclusion of all qualified individuals. As part of this commitment, our office 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].

We believe that diverse teams produce better results and encourage people of a variety of backgrounds and qualifications to apply.