Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy

$96,000 - $96,000/Yr

Colorado House Democrats - Denver, CO

Full-time - Manager

Denver, CO

11-50 employees

About the position

The Deputy Chief of Staff (DCOS) for Policy at the Colorado House Majority plays a crucial role in assisting the Chief of Staff and caucus leadership in managing the strategic objectives, operations, and legislative agenda of the House Democrats. This dynamic position requires a versatile individual who can effectively tackle a wide range of legislative responsibilities while demonstrating strong organizational skills and political acumen. The DCOS will lead a team of policy analysts, ensuring that diversity, equity, and inclusion are central to all staff outcomes and operations, while also managing significant legislative projects and fostering a collaborative work environment.

Responsibilities

• Guide the policy team members by overseeing policy development and committee work.
• Develop and track internal systems and structures to manage staff workflow, communication, and collaboration.
• Design and lead thoughtful, inclusive staff hiring processes.
• Support the professional development goals of staff, provide feedback on performance, and enhance staff culture to foster an inclusive atmosphere.
• Identify and help quickly resolve policy and political issues as they arise.
• Provide strategic guidance and center equity when troubleshooting issues with House leadership and caucus members.
• Staff the Speaker and members of House leadership in meetings on a regular basis.
• Support crisis response efforts by acting quickly, providing guidance to leadership, deploying staff, and being responsive to caucus members.
• Take point on big, consequential bills and support the sponsor(s) in all stages of the bill's development and process.
• Manage large-scale projects with regular communication about updates and decision points, including management of an appropriations process and key budget decisions.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with stakeholders; interface with lobbyists and stakeholders regularly on a wide variety of bills.

Requirements

• At least two years of experience managing multiple full-time staff.
• Prior experience in a political role in a state legislature, Congress, or electoral campaign.
• Prior experience working in Colorado politics.
• Prior policy experience and/or a graduate degree.
• Strong manager with a demonstrated ability to build, manage, and develop a diverse and high-performing team.
• Top-notch political sense, solid judgment, and discretion to make quick judgments and calculated maneuvers.
• Excellent relationship-builder who can work with people from all backgrounds and sides of the political spectrum.
• Excellent communicator with exceptional writing and verbal communication abilities.
• Solid policy analysis ability and a demonstrated capacity for understanding and managing a wide variety of policies.
• Solid understanding of Colorado's unique fiscal structures and challenges.

Nice-to-haves

• Comfort working with Google suite (docs, sheets, slides, forms) and Slack.

Benefits

• Health and dental insurance covered mostly by the employer.
• Two choices of Public Employee Retirement Association (PERA) retirement plans.
• 10 paid sick days and 12 paid vacation days per year (not including state and federal holidays).
• 8 weeks of paid family medical leave for qualifying reasons after a year of employment.
• Generous flex schedule during the legislative interim.
• Free parking space.