Director of Wastewater Policy

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. New hires are typically brought into the organization between $157,385.00 - $208,000.00.

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 job site several days a week and off-site in the field, as needed. Employees must work within the state of Colorado on their remote days.

In this position you can expect to work on site at least 3 days per week at the Denver Wastewater Building (2000 W. 3rd Ave., Denver, CO 80223).  

Who We Are & What You’ll Do

The Department of Transportation and Infrastructure (DOTI), through its employees, enhances the quality of life in Denver by efficiently delivering effective, high quality, safe and equitable public infrastructure, and services. For more information, please visit the DOTI website. 

DOTI’s Commitment to Equity: 

• DOTI is committed to providing attention and resources to the areas, assets and people of the city with the greatest need.  Through equitable contracting, equitable investments, and equitable workforce development. 
• DOTI’s culture revolves around four key principles: (1) Invest in Our People, (2) Operate with Discipline, (3) Use Data to Drive Decisions, and (4) Deliver Results. 

DOTI is seeking an experienced and collaborative leader to serve as the Director of Wastewater Policy.

This position will provide strategic direction and leadership for the Policy Division within Denver's Wastewater Enterprise Fund and will be responsible for establishing and coordinating enterprise-wide policy, planning, asset management, financial programming, regulatory alignment, stakeholder engagement, and long-range investment strategies.

The Policy Division provides overall wastewater program direction and operates at a functional and authoritative level similar to the Wastewater Implementation and Wastewater Operations divisions. The Director will lead a team of approximately 20 employees, including managers, supervisors, professional staff, and consultants, and will provide leadership for Asset Management, One Water, Water Quality, MS4, and Master Planning.

The Director will work closely with the Wastewater Enterprise Executive, City Engineer, Core Infrastructure leadership, Wastewater Operations and Implementation Directors, senior DOTI leadership, Department of Finance, regulatory agencies, elected officials, and other internal and external partners and stakeholders to establish a coordinated, sustainable, and forward-looking approach to management of Denver's wastewater enterprise fund and associated infrastructure.

Specifically, as the Engineer Director of Wastewater Policy, you will:

Strategic Leadership & Policy

• Establishes and advances a long-term vision and multi-year strategy for the Wastewater Enterprise Fund and associated Policy Division, aligning people, resources, programs, and investments with Wastewater Enterprise, DOTI, and citywide priorities.
• Develops and directs implementation of goals, objectives, policies, procedures, work standards, and annual and multi-year work plans.
• Provides overall policy direction and strategic coordination across the Wastewater Enterprise in collaboration with Operations and Implementation leadership.
• Advises senior leadership on complex wastewater infrastructure, organizational, financial, regulatory, and policy matters.
• Resolves complex and sensitive issues by bringing together technical, financial, regulatory, operational, and stakeholder perspectives.

Asset Management & Long-Range Planning

• Provides strategic leadership for the Wastewater Enterprise's asset management program covering wastewater assets including storm drainage, sanitary sewer, waterways, lift stations, buildings, property, bridges, green and related infrastructure.
• Establishes asset-management policies, strategies, and investment frameworks that support long-term reliability, resiliency, regulatory compliance, and financial sustainability.
• Leads long-range infrastructure and master planning and ensures that planning efforts are integrated with asset condition, risk, growth, regulatory requirements, and service objectives.
• Uses data, asset information, performance trends, and emerging practices to inform infrastructure investment and policy decisions.

One Water, Water Quality & Regulatory Alignment

• Provides leadership for Denver's One Water policy and high-level strategy, promoting integrated and sustainable approaches to water-resource planning and infrastructure.
•  Directs Water Quality and regulatory policy and coordinates enterprise strategies associated with applicable environmental and regulatory requirements.
• Provides strategic oversight and alignment for MS4 management and compliance and other applicable water-quality requirements.
• Coordinates policy and regulatory matters across Wastewater divisions and with local, regional, state, and federal partners.

Financial Programming & Capital Prioritization

• Leads financial programming for the Wastewater Enterprise Fund in coordination with Wastewater leadership, DOTI Finance, and the Department of Finance.
• Directs development of project prioritization methodologies and the six-year capital improvement program, aligning investments with infrastructure needs, regulatory obligations, asset risk, financial capacity, and strategic priorities.
• Oversees program expenditure tracking and supports long- and short-range financial planning.
• Provides strategic leadership and coordination for grants, intergovernmental agreements (IGAs), and other funding opportunities.
•  Ensures resources are appropriately prioritized and allocated to advance Wastewater Enterprise strategies and work plans.

Stakeholder, Political & Interagency Engagement

• Serves as a key representative of the Wastewater Enterprise and DOTI with elected and appointed officials, regulatory agencies, partner agencies, community organizations, and other stakeholders.
• Leads stakeholder and political alignment, coordination, and communication on significant wastewater policy, planning, financial, and regulatory matters.
• Translates complex technical, financial, and regulatory information into clear and actionable information for decision-makers and stakeholders.
• Build collaborative, trust-based relationships that support coordinated decision-making and successful implementation of enterprise priorities.
• Navigates complex stakeholder and regulatory environments and works to resolve multi-party issues involving competing priorities.

People Leadership & Organizational Performance

• Leads and develops a high-performing organization of managers, supervisors, and professional staff through clear expectations, coaching, accountability, and professional development.
• Communicates business plans, organizational priorities, and performance expectations to managers and staff and creates alignment around enterprise objectives.
• Establishes and monitors performance measures and accountability structures to evaluate progress and organizational effectiveness.
• Identifies opportunities for process improvement, innovation, and modernization.
• Selects, develops, evaluates, and supports staff and builds leadership capacity and succession planning within the Policy Division.
• Fosters a culture of collaboration, inclusion, accountability, innovation, and continuous improvement.

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:

• Demonstrated strategic leadership with the ability to establish long-term vision, develop multi-year strategies, and translate complex infrastructure and organizational priorities into actionable programs.
• Significant experience with wastewater, water resources, public infrastructure, asset management, capital planning, engineering, environmental programs, or closely related fields.
• Experience developing or administering infrastructure policy, long-range planning, asset-management programs, capital-investment strategies, or regulatory programs.
• Strong financial and business acumen, including experience with capital programming, project prioritization, operating or capital budgets, expenditure management, and long-range financial planning.
• Experience navigating complex regulatory, political, interagency, and stakeholder environments.
•  Strong political and relational acumen with the ability to communicate complex technical and policy matters effectively with elected officials, executive leadership, regulatory agencies, community stakeholders, and technical professionals.
• Demonstrated ability to lead managers, supervisors, and multidisciplinary professional teams while establishing accountability and developing organizational talent.
• Ability to resolve complex and sensitive issues involving competing technical, operational, financial, regulatory, and stakeholder considerations.
• Demonstrated commitment to using data, performance measures, risk analysis, and best practices to inform decision-making and continuously improve programs and services.

Required Minimum Qualifications

• Education requirement: Bachelor's Degree in Engineering or Architecture.
• Experience Requirement: Five (5) years of experience at the type and level of functional or operational management, which must have included management of licensed engineer or architect supervisors.
• Education/Experience Equivalency: No substitution of experience for education is permitted. Additional appropriate education may be substituted for experience requirements.
• License/Certifications: Requires a valid Driver's License at the time of application. Requires registration as a Professional Engineer (PE) by the Colorado State Board of Registration for Professional Engineers at the time of application. Or requires registration as an Architect by the Colorado State Board of Registration at the time of application. Registration in another state will be accepted in lieu of this requirement, provided that the applicant has Colorado registration at completion of probation. Licenses and certifications must be kept current as a condition of employment.

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 with details about your public municipal leadership skills experience with Wastewater Policy, and your interest in the role.  

Application Deadline

This position is expected to stay open until November 15, 2026. Please submit your application as soon as possible and no later than November 15, 2026, at 11:59 PM. 

About Everything Else

Job Profile

CE2783 Engineer-Architect Director

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

Position Type

Unlimited

Position Salary Range

$157,385.00 - $267,554.00

Target Pay

$157,385.00 - $208,000.00/year, based on experience and education

Agency

Dept of Transportation & Infrastructure

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 [email protected] 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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