Climate Workforce Development Manager

Department Information

The mission of the Colorado Energy Office (CEO) is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and consumer energy costs by advancing clean energy, energy efficiency, and zero emission vehicles to benefit all Coloradans. The Colorado Energy Office is a great place to work, with collaborative and talented employees who are passionate about our mission and a flexible hybrid (work from home/work from office) atmosphere. Employees report high satisfaction with their work, their colleagues and manager, and CEO leadership. Join us!

We are committed to increasing the diversity of our staff and providing culturally responsive programs and services. Therefore, we encourage responses from people of diverse backgrounds and abilities.

Description of Job

Starting Salary Range: $70,000.06 - $90,000.04 Annually*

• This position is eligible for a hybrid and/or remote working arrangement within the state of Colorado.

As the state of Colorado takes swift action to reduce emissions across sectors, there is a clear need for investments to ensure a qualified and reliable workforce is ready to support these efforts. In particular, a shortage of workers could hamper efforts in beneficial electrification, adoption of solar energy, and electric vehicles (due to the need for at-home charging infrastructure), and renewable energy. From licensed electricians to accredited providers of Weatherization Assistance services to HVAC professionals to electric vehicle technicians to building codes inspectors, the need for workforce development is clear across Colorado but is especially acute in rural areas. At the same time, these jobs offer stable, well-paying work and can be particularly valuable employment and wealth-building opportunities for underserved communities.

The Colorado Energy Office is seeking a motivated, highly collaborative and organized individual to lead its efforts to build the climate workforce needed to achieve Colorado's near term goals on greenhouse gas emissions reduction. The Climate Workforce Development Manager will report to the Director of Communications and Engagement and is shared with the Colorado Workforce Development Council. The position will work collaboratively across the Energy Office and with other agency partners, local governments and industry partners. An ideal candidate will have experience in using collective impact models to meet shared goals, workforce development or workforce training, particularly in underserved communities, and a passion for solving climate change.

Responsibilities

• Manage a vendor to develop a climate workforce development analysis and plan as part of Colorado's Comprehensive Climate Action Plan (funded by the EPA's Climate Pollution Reduction Grants), and set up the infrastructure to implement the plan across the State

• Evaluate climate workforce data and use data to guide workforce development programming.

• Conduct stakeholder engagement, outreach, and education in support of workforce development policies, programs, and strategies.

• Assess existing efforts underway to prepare the renewable energy workforce, identify gaps and work across partners to fill those gaps in order to reach statewide goals

• Engage with non-profits (e.g. community development corporations and financial literacy educators) and community based organizations to ensure disproportionately impacted and just transition communities benefit from the economic opportunities offered by the clean energy transition

• Collaborate with interagency partners, local governments and industry partners on the design and management of programs that provide training, grants, and other support for workforce development in key areas.

• Coordinate work to access key federal funding sources, including available funds from the Infrastructure & Investment Jobs Act and Inflation Reduction Act, for workforce development and training.

• Scale existing programming in partnership with other agencies or organizations, using federal and other available resources to bolster workforce in key (geographic and program) areas, and develop new programming as needed

• Maintain subject matter expertise on climate workforce issues and advise leadership.

• Some travel within the State of Colorado required

Minimum Qualifications, Substitutions, Conditions of Employment & Appeal Rights

The Energy Office seeks a well-rounded professional with the following minimum and preferred education and experience:

• Minimum of 5 years professional experience in workforce development strategy, training and certification, or related fields. Additional education may substitute for professional experience.

• Strategic and Systems thinker

• Understanding of evidence based workforce development and DEIA practices/workforce development in underrepresented communities (women, people of color, rural etc)

• Strong written, oral, and presentation communication skills.

• Familiarity with the workforce needs of communities underrepresented in the renewable energy workforce and knowledge of practices to increase diversity, equity and inclusion and accessibility in training, hiring and promotion practices

• Experience with program management, project management or procurement.

• Experience using collective impact or other collaboration models to meet strategic goals

• Ability to take initiative and work independently as well as in a team environment. Strong time management and organization skills.

• Ability to evaluate workforce related data and use that data to strategically plan efforts and initiatives.

• Strong relationship building and management skills

• Excellent computer skills including the Microsoft Office and Google suite.

Preferred Experience:

• Experience in clean energy preferred (energy efficiency, electrification, renewables, etc)

• Experience with leading stakeholder engagement efforts preferred.

• Experience in and knowledge of Colorado labor, climate, and workforce issues and stakeholders preferred.

• Awareness of apprenticeships, work-based learning, skills-based hiring and other workforce development strategies

• Experience working with government agencies, regulatory bodies, and legislative bodies preferred.

• Knowledge of state laws (or ability to quickly get up to speed with them) related to climate practices, state procurement and vendor management) preferred.

Supplemental Information

To Apply:

A cover letter and resume must be submitted with the application for consideration. Your cover letter and 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.

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 $50,000

• 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.

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.

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) at gov_hr@state.co.us.

Conditions of Employment

Applicants must pass a thorough background check prior to employment.