Parks and Recreation Special Projects Manager

About Our Job

Who We Are

With competitive pay, great benefits, and endless opportunities, working for the City and County of Denver means seeing yourself working with purpose — for you, and those who benefit from your passion, skills, and expertise. Join our diverse, inclusive, and talented workforce of more than 11,000 team members who are at the heart of what makes Denver, Denver.

Denver Parks and Recreation (DPR) provides a broad range of programs, services, facilities, and park amenities within the City and County of Denver. The City’s park system encompasses more than 290 urban parks, parkways, and natural areas, totaling over 7,000 acres. The Department boasts more than 14,000 acres of pristine mountain parks, eight golf courses, 24 lakes, more than 87,000 park trees, 187,000 right-of-way trees, over 90 miles of off-street trails, 14 off-leash dog parks, and over 300 athletic fields. The recreation system serves approximately 2.25 million visitors annually. It includes 30 active recreation centers, 16 outdoor pools, and 16 current indoor pools. Recreation activities include arts and cultural classes and events, aquatics, sports and fitness opportunities, and youth programming. In addition, the Department offers programs focused on outdoor education, youth and adult sports leagues, and out of school programs offered in conjunction with Denver Public Schools. DPR comprises four divisions: Administration, Recreation, Parks, and Planning, Design and Construction.

What We Offer

The City and County of Denver offers a competitive salary commensurate with education and experience. The salary range for this position is $98,682.00 - $113,484.00/year.

We also offer generous benefits for full-time employees which includes but is not limited to:

• A guaranteed life-long monthly pension, once vested after 5 years of service
• 457B Retirement Plan
• 140 hours of PTO earned within first year + 13 paid holidays, 1 personal holiday, 1 Wellness Day and 1 volunteer day per year
• Competitive medical, dental and vision plans effective within 1 month of start date

Location

The City and County of Denver supports a hybrid workplace model. Employees work where needed, at a job site several days a week and off-site as needed.  Employees must work within the state of Colorado on their off-site days.

What You’ll Do

The Department of Parks and Recreation has an opening for a Special Projects Manager to support our Parks and Recreation Administration. The Special Projects Manager is responsible for managing and developing strategic initiatives, special projects, partnerships and policy for DPR. 

Responsibilities

• Performs a variety of comprehensive and technical administrative activities for Denver Parks & Recreation Director of Policy & Strategic Initiatives, which includes providing leadership and technical expertise on departmental critical needs, initiatives, programs, policies and services
• Develops and recommends long range and short-term strategic planning and operational initiatives to align with departmental goals, objectives, and priorities
• Manages the development and implementation of performance criteria and metrics for Denver Parks & Recreation’s strategic plan (Game Plan for a Healthy City) and evaluates the department’s work plan performance in meeting the action plan goals and objectives 
• Represents Denver Parks & Recreation while performing all job functions and cultivates business relationships in the private and public sectors with organizations whose mission aligns with DPR’s goals, objectives and priorities.
• Acts as a technical expert and resource by performing legislative and/or policy analysis of issues, conducts research of best practices, market studies and analyzes data to formulate approaches and plans that address identified issues.  Briefs the Director of Policy & Strategic Initiatives and department leadership on concerns and issues by providing information and recommendations required for decision-making 
• Communicates effectively (written, verbal and visual) with Denver Parks & Recreation leadership and staff and representatives of Mayor’s Office, City Council, various city agencies, community/business groups, internal/external partners, the public and/or other stakeholders regarding issues/concerns of major significances in addition to departmental critical needs, initiatives, programs, policies and services
• Represents Denver Parks & Recreation at meetings and participates on committees and task forces in order to resolve complex technical issues
• Develops, negotiates and manages contracts, including partnership contracts, and other legal documents for Denver Parks & Recreation, including drafting RFP for professional/services contracts, evaluating proposals, selecting successful bidder, administering the contracts, and monitoring contracts for compliance and expenditures 
• Prepares comprehensive annual reports and presentations describing the progress towards Denver Parks & Recreation’s goals and objectives and overall accomplishments related to strategic initiatives, strategic partnerships, policies and legislation.
• Collaborates with DPR's partners, including internal/external organizations, and manages, coordinates, facilitates the development and implementation of projects, programs and services that fulfill DPR's mission and goals.
• Performs other duties as assigned

What You’ll Bring

• Extensive Project Management, Planning or Public Administration experience
• Proven experience in strategic leadership and strong political acumen
• Experience managing complex projects with multiple stakeholders and funding sources
• Experience cultivating, fostering and managing a diverse portfolio of partner organizations
• Experience managing, developing and negotiating contracts and policies
• Strong communication skills (written, verbal and visual) and public speaking experience
• Critical thinking skills with ability to pivot strategically and tactically

Minimum Qualifications

• Education requirement: Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration, Public Administration, Management, or a related field.
• Experience Requirement: Three (3) years of professional experience at the type and level of Management Analyst Senior or planning and conducting operational and/or management studies including determining study methods and procedures, analyzing data, developing recommendations and implementation strategies, and preparing reports of findings and recommendations.
• Education/Experience Equivalency: One (1) year of the appropriate type and level of experience may be substituted for each required year of post-high school education.
• Additional appropriate education may be substituted for the minimum experience requirements.

Application Deadline

This position is expected to stay open until December 7th. Please submit your application as soon as possible and no later than December 7th at 11:59 p.m. MST.

About Everything Else

Job Profile

CA1609 Strategic Advisor

To view the full job profile including position specifications, physical demands, and probationary period, click here.

Position Type

Unlimited

Position Salary Range

$98,682.00 - $162,826.00

Target Pay

$98,682.00 - $113,484.00/year, based on experience and education

Agency

Parks and Recreation

The City and County of Denver provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, genetic information, age, or any other status protected under federal, state, and/or local law. 

It is your right to access oral or written language assistance, sign language interpretation, real-time captioning via CART, or disability-related accommodations. To request any of these services at no cost to you, please contact Jobs@Denvergov.org with three business days’ notice.

Applicants for employment with the City and County of Denver must have valid work authorization that does not require sponsorship of a visa for employment authorization in the U.S.

For information about right to work, click here for English or here for Spanish.