Manager of Zero Waste and Circular Economy – Climate Action, Sustainability and Resiliency

The City and County of Denver seeks a Manager of Zero Waste and Circular Economy to lead efforts in advancing Denver's sustainability goals. This role involves developing programs, managing budgets, and fostering collaboration to create a Zero Waste community. The position offers a competitive salary, benefits, and requires in-office work at least two days per week in Colorado, supporting a hybrid workplace model.
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 a competitive salary commensurate with education and experience. The salary range for this position is $110,000.00 - $132,000.00 per year. 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 + 11 paid holidays, 1 personal holiday and 1 volunteer day per year
• Location

The City and County of Denver supports a hybrid workplace model. CASR employees work in the office at least two days per week. Employees must work within the state of Colorado on their out-of-office days. The office location is the Wellington Webb Municipal Building at 201 W Colfax Ave, Denver, CO 80202.

What You’ll Do

The Office of Climate Action, Sustainability and Resiliency’s (CASR) mission is to accelerate Denver’s transition to a carbon pollution-free, sustainable, and climate-resilient community through people-centered policies and programs, and in collaboration with the community.

The City and County of Denver is committed to cultivating a culture of equity, diversity, and inclusion. CASR fosters this culture among staff through a variety of actions, including team equity conversations, professional development, and training, embedding equity into all aspects of its workplans, and building a collaborative team environment. Our goal is to build a team that is as diverse as our community, with different perspectives and unique ways of thinking. If you share these values and our enthusiasm for equity, we encourage you to apply to join our team.

CASR is seeking a Manager of Zero Waste and Circular Economy to advance Denver’s vision to become a Zero Waste community and build a circular economy that maximizes the useful life of materials, minimizes waste generation, and reduces the amount of waste sent to landfills. The Manager of Zero Waste and Circular Economy will lead this work by developing and articulating a compelling vision and prioritizing strategic collaboration, stakeholder engagement, and interagency collaboration.

As the leader of CASR’s Zero Waste & Circular Economy team, the Manager will oversee the development of new programs and policies while ensuring ongoing successful implementation of existing programs and policies including Denver’s Waste No More and Disposable Bag Fee ordinances. The scope of work for this position includes managing project budgets, formulating work plans, professional development and supervision of staff, and monitoring and reporting on program impacts and progress towards achieving community goals.

Achieving zero waste and creating a circular economy will require a strategic approach that considers both local and regional systems and infrastructure. To enhance coordination and to integrate initiatives throughout City operations, the Manager will convene and facilitate multi-departmental leadership teams focused on actionable steps toward Denver’s zero waste and circularity vision. The Manager will also need to forge new relationships and build on existing relationships throughout the metro area, and at the state level, to ensure that the region’s network of haulers, facilities, reuse service providers, and end markets can support our policy imperatives.

Please note, this is a policy-making role with a heavy emphasis on interagency and regional collaboration that address consumption and waste diversion in the residential, municipal and commercial sectors. This is not a waste collections operations position. Waste collection services and operations are provided by a different department.

Job duties and responsibilities of this position include, but are not limited to, the following:
• Create strategic plans and implement zero waste and circular economy strategies.
• Collaborate with regional partners to identify barriers to Denver’s zero waste vision and formulate solutions.
• Establish team goals, oversee key data collection and reporting, and provide management oversight for implementing projects and programs.
• Lead the development of a financial plan and budget projections, manage project expenditures within the allocated budget, and ensure required resources are allocated for project delivery and implementation.
• Develop and manage staff work plans to execute the programs, policies, and strategies.
• Coach, mentor, and support staff.
• Coordinate efforts across government and multi-sector stakeholders
• Track federal and state policy and advise on policy priorities.
• Represent CASR at public meetings, conferences, and other events as needed.
• 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.

The City and County of Denver is committed to cultivating a culture of equity, diversity, and inclusion. CASR fosters this culture among staff through a variety of actions, including team equity conversations, professional development, and training, embedding equity into all aspects of its workplans, and building a collaborative team environment. Our goal is to build a team that is as diverse as our community, with different perspectives and unique ways of thinking. If you share these values and our enthusiasm for equity, we encourage you to apply to join our team.

Research shows people from underrepresented and historically marginalized groups tend to apply only when they check every box in the posting. If you are reading this and hesitating to click “apply” for that reason, we encourage you to apply.

Our ideal candidate has some or all the following experience, skills, and characteristics:
• 5 or more years of demonstrated leadership in building and developing functional teams, managing productivity, strategic prioritization of projects, and supporting employee development and performance.
• 2 or more years of experience implementing policies and/or programs to reduce the generation of new waste, divert generated waste from landfill to recycling and composting, and support reuse/reclaim/circular economy systems for the residential, commercial, and/or construction sectors.
• Knowledge of waste-related regulation and legislation at the local, state, and federal levels; knowledge of waste issues in the Denver metro area is a plus.
• Experience in and knowledge of the intersections between climate change, racial justice, health inequity, environmental hazards and social vulnerability
• Required Minimum Qualifications

Education requirement: Bachelor's Degree in a related field based on a specific position(s).

Experience Requirement: Three (3) years of experience at the type and level of functional or operational management, which must have included management of professional individual contributors.

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.

License/Certifications: None.

Note: While a driver’s license is not required, these positions may need to attend in-person events around Denver. The individuals must arrange for transportation to attend such events should they arise.

Application Deadline

This position is expected to stay open until Sunday, December 22, 2024. Please submit your application as soon as possible and no later than 11:59 p.m. on this date to ensure consideration.

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
• About Everything Else

Job Profile

CA2750 Manager

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

Position Type

Unlimited

Position Salary Range

$96,275.00 - $158,854.00

Starting Pay

$110,000.00 - $132,000.00

Agency

Climate Action, Sustainability & Resiliency

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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