Youth Development and Engagement Administrator

About Our Job

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. 

What We Offer 

The City and County of Denver offers competitive pay commensurate with education and experience.  Our targeted starting hiring range for this administrator position is between $86,634.00.00 - $110,000.00/annually, based on experience and education. 

We also offer generous benefits for full-time employees which include but are 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 + 12 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 & Schedule 

The City and County of Denver supports a hybrid workplace model. Employees work where needed, at a city site and/or community several days a week. In this position, you can expect to work on-site and other locations at least three days per week at the Wellington E. Webb Municipal Building, 201 W. Colfax Ave., Denver, CO 80202. 

Employees must work within the state of Colorado on their off-site days.

Please note: Downtown parking expenses are the responsibility of the employee. We offer a flexible spending account option specifically for parking; if you elect this option, you can use pre-tax dollars for parking. We also offer a City-sponsored RTD EcoPass to all City employees– allowing the use of public transportation for free as a City Employee. 

Who We Are & What You’ll Do 

The Office of Children’s Affairs (OCA) is seeking a highly skilled and collaborative leader to drive the City and County of Denver’s efforts to strengthen youth development, expand equitable access to out-of-school time opportunities, and elevate youth voice in civic decision-making. The Youth Development & Engagement Administrator will oversee a broad portfolio including programs; like the Denver Afterschool Alliance, the Mayor’s Youth Commission, and My Denver Card expansion, and initiatives like managing citywide strategies, convening partners, cultivating cross-agency collaboration, supervising staff, and stewarding investments in high-quality youth-serving programs. The Administrator works closely with city departments, Denver Public Schools, nonprofit partners, community-based youth organizations, philanthropic partners, and families to implement strategic, equity-centered youth development efforts. 

Representative program and initiative types overseen by this position include: 

• Out-of-school time (OST) strategy and citywide coordination 

• Community partnership development and capacity-building 

• Youth leadership and youth voice initiatives 

• Mayor’s Youth Commission oversight  
• Denver Afterschool Alliance (DAA)

• Cross-agency youth engagement strategy and systems-building 

• Early childhood-to-young-adult programming alignment 
   

Specifically, as the Youth Development & Engagement Administrator you will: 

• Lead the strategy, implementation, and continuous improvement of Denver’s out-of-school time (OST), youth leadership, and youth engagement initiatives. Provide portfolio leadership, cross-organizational coordination, and responsible stewardship of program budgets. 

• Work collaboratively with staff across the Office of Children’s Affairs, city agencies, Denver Public Schools, and community partners to advance equitable access to high-quality youth opportunities.  

• Build and maintain strong working relationships with schools, nonprofits, youth-led organizations, philanthropic partners, and public agencies. Serve as a connector within the youth serving ecosystem through effective communication, collaborative leadership, and community partnership development. 

• Develop, monitor, and manage program workplans, schedules, and budgets aligned with defined scopes of work. Use data to inform decision-making, identify service gaps, and implement innovations that improve program impact and team efficiency. 

• Co-lead the procurement, contracting, performance management and program compliance of youth-serving providers, consultants, and partner organizations. Oversee competitive funding processes, contract compliance, and outcomes reporting. 

• Provide leadership and guidance to staff supporting youth development and engagement initiatives. Offer coaching, mentorship, and professional support to foster a high-performing, mission aligned team. 

To enhance impact and ensure equitable access to high-quality youth opportunities, the team is increasing its emphasis on coordinated program delivery and data-driven decision-making. The ideal candidate will bring experience in both program strategy and youth engagement, although experience spanning all areas is not required. 

What You’ll Bring 

We value diversity of ethnicity, race, socioeconomic status, sexual identity, gender, religion, language, ability, and experience and exemplify this through the makeup of our team at all levels. You'll be right at home here if you cultivate strong relationships and push yourself, your work, the people around you and Denver to the next level. 

Our ideal candidate has some or all the following experience, skills, and characteristics: 

Preferred candidates will have demonstrated experience in: 

• Leading organizations or programs in the social sector, including youth development, education, public health, leadership training, etc. 

• Managing budgets and implementing systems-level strategy. 

• Leading teams and managing staff. Demonstrated leadership skills and thrives in a diverse work environment.

• Establishing and fostering strong relationships with community members and partners.  

• Creative problem-solving. Navigating issues and problem solving across a wide variety of stakeholders including elected officials.  

• Fostering youth voice and leadership. 

• Facilitating meaningful and impactful cross-agency/cross-sector coordination. 

• Equity-centered leadership and culturally responsive approaches. 

 Required Minimum Qualifications

• Education requirement: Bachelor's Degree in a related field based on a specific position(s).
• Experience Requirement: Five (5) years’ experience performing full performance professional level duties within a specialized, functional area. (This does not include clerical experience.)
• 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.

 To be considered for this position, you must include the following on your job application (upload the attachment(s) to the Resume/CV section on the My Experience tab):

• Resume
• Cover letter – telling us about your experience with youth engagement and leading programs

Application Deadline

This position is expected to stay open until May 3, 2026. Please submit your application as soon as possible and no later than May 3, 2026, at 11:59 PM.

About Everything Else

Job Profile

CA2308 Administrator II

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

Position Type

Unlimited

Position Salary Range

$86,634.00 - $142,947.00

Target Pay

$86,634.00.00 - $110,000.00/annually, based on experience and education

Agency

Office of Children's Affairs

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.

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