Strategic Lead – Commercial Buildings

State of Colorado Job Opportunities

  • Full time
  • 3 months ago
  • Denver,CO
  • OnSite

Job Description

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. We do this by developing and implementing highly impactful policies and programs, establishing Colorado as a leading state for climate action. The Colorado Energy Office is a great place to work, with collaborative and talented employees who are passionate about our mission and a hybrid (work from home/work from office) atmosphere. Employees report high satisfaction with their work, their colleagues and manager, and CEO leadership. Join us!

Description of Job

Colorado has established statewide emission targets to reduce GHG emissions based on the levels that existed in 2005, including a 26% reduction by 2025, a 50% reduction by 2030, and achieving net zero emissions by 2050. Building related energy use is a major source of greenhouse gas emissions, and while the CEO has worked on building energy efficiency for years we are significantly expanding our strategy and key initiatives for commercial buildings. This includes commercial building performance standards, developing stronger statewide minimum energy codes, designing and initiating a commercial buildings grant program and launching market transformation initiatives to showcase, stimulate and bring down the costs of building improvements to reduce emissions.

The Strategic Lead for Commercial Buildings will oversee strategic program design and continuous improvement resulting in a comprehensive sustainable approach to decarbonizing Colorados more than 200,000 commercial buildings.This role will work closely with the Technical Lead for Commercial Buildings and focus on two major CEO programs: 1) designing, launching, executing and improving a new $30M grant program for large commercial buildings, funded through Colorados Climate Pollution Reduction Grant; and 2) strategic program design, oversight and continuous improvement for Colorados Building Performance Program. CEO works closely with a variety of stakeholders to design and execute holistically and for the most impact for Colorado. This includes collaborative efforts with utilities, local governments, manufacturers, contractors, architects, engineers and construction companies, labor unions, industry, community colleges, technical programs and community-based organizations.

Candidates for this position should demonstrate the ability to work collaboratively on a team, perform with a high degree of autonomy, have demonstrated success in navigating complicated programs with competing interests and think creatively and thoughtfully to solve challenges with the larger programmatic strategy in mind. They should be able to oversee multiple complex program components from initial design through full implementation in coordination with the entire building decarbonization team, the strategic initiatives and finance team and other building industry partners.

CEO is seeking two qualified candidates: one with demonstrated organizational, leadership and administrative capabilities to fill this role and a second candidate with demonstrated technical capabilities to fill the Technical Lead – Commercial Buildings position (recruited separately).The Strategic Lead will play a key role at the helm of a substantial market transformation effort and will work across multiple program stakeholders to ensure continuous improvement in commercial building activities and the deployment of cost-effective emissions reduction strategies and solutions for commercial buildings.

CEO is 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.

Minimum Qualifications, Substitutions, Conditions of Employment & Appeal Rights

Starting Salary Range: $75,000.12 – $100,000.16 Annually
  • This position is eligible for a hybrid working arrangement, allowing flexibility to work from home in addition to the downtown Denver office location.

Duties and Responsibilities:


  • Demonstrate co-management success by coordinating and collaborating on programmatic delivery with the Strategic Lead – Commercial Buildings position.
  • Work with technical and operations partners to develop a new Large Commercial Building Showcase grant program including program ideation, creation and continuous improvement.
  • Create, plan and evaluate the strategic program deployment, including opportunities for improvement, of Colorados Building Performance Program.
  • Cultivate new and sustainable relationships with commercial building stakeholders including utilities, building owners and building associations, architects, engineers and construction companies, labor unions, workforce entities, community-based organizations, local governments, manufacturers and certification and training entities.
  • Serve as a point of contact for commercial building owners and operators.
  • Act as a spokesperson for the Building Decarbonization team, seeking stakeholder feedback and creating connections in disproportionately impacted communities.
  • Track and manage commercial building programs and projects and outcomes; identify and replicate best practices.
  • Work with technical and operations partners to manage vendor relationships for efficiency and outcomes.
  • Develop program work plans, negotiate contract scope and budget for outsourced scope of work with vendors.
  • Collaborate on the ideation, submission and management of applications for state and federal funding.
  • Help develop, monitor, and report on progress toward strategic performance measures and goals.
  • Participate in the evaluation of program outcomes and propose changes to the Director for program improvements and to support the annual strategic planning process.
  • Coordinate with the Director and the rest of the CEO team on strategic program outreach.

CEO is seeking two qualified candidates: one with demonstrated technical capabilities and one with demonstrated organizational, leadership and administrative capabilities. These positions will collaborate to manage programming. Applicants should prioritize your application based on how your skills match the duties and qualifications listed in this description.

Minimum Qualifications:
  • Minimum of 3 years of direct professional experience designing, managing and leading complex energy or market transformation programs.
  • Professional experience in managing and leading interdisciplinary teams.
  • Background in strategic planning and program design, execution and tracking
  • Demonstrated commitment to improving building efficiency, comfort, health and security.
  • Preference given to candidates with general understanding of building decarbonization challenges and/or field experience in building design, engineering, construction, implementation and/or operations.
  • Strong time management and organizational skills.
  • Strong written, oral, and presentation communication skills.
  • Demonstrates a high level of initiative as well as the ability to work both independently and in a team environment.
  • Excellent computer skills including the Microsoft Office suite.
  • Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
  • Organized, detail-oriented, and collaborative, yet self-directed.

Desired Experience:
  • Bachelor’s degree or other in sustainability, administration or business management.
  • Direct and demonstrated experience with energy, sustainability and/or environmental program design and deployment for commercial buildings and/or businesses.
  • Background with grant programs and/or regulatory programs for commercial buildings.
  • Knowledge of governmental processes and federal reporting requirements.

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 [email protected].


Conditions of Employment

Applicants must pass a thorough background check prior to employment.

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