Special Projects Manager - City Manager's Office

JOB LOCATION

15151 E Alameda Pkwy Aurora, Colorado 80012-1555

City of Aurora, Colorado

It is an exciting time to work for the City of Aurora, we're growing and looking for dedicated and collaborative individuals to join our team of talented and valued employees. Excellent organizations have a set of principles, or core values, that are used to implement their mission and vision. Those values represent the touchstone for the organization, guiding the decisions of the individuals and the organization. At the City of Aurora, we demonstrate our excellence by modeling the CORE 4 Values of:Integrity,Respect, Professionalism, andCustomer Service, and we welcome all who share these values to apply.

Why Work for Aurora?

• Make a difference in the lives of real people every day
• Diverse community
• Competitive total compensation package
• Well-Funded General Employees Retirement Plan
• Light rail station minutes away
• On-site fitness center and overall employee well-being programs Internal educational programs to assist with career advancement
• Access to innovation workspaces

PRIMARY DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES

Salary to be commensurate with experience

The hiring range for this position is: $121,500 - $151,875/annually

The deadline to submit applications is November 20, 2026. Please note, The City of Aurora will conduct ongoing screenings of applications on a first come, first-serve basis; as soon as we determine to have a qualified pool of applicants, this position may close quickly and without notice.

OVERVIEW OF POSITION / DEPARTMENT

The Special Projects Manager is one of two positions in the City Manager’s Office dedicated to advancing the City's strategic priorities through the coordination and management of complex, multi-departmental initiatives. This specific position will lead and support high-profile projects having significant city and community impact. Specifically, this position will focus work on initiatives related to capital planning and programming, development, external service delivery, and other strategic planning initiatives, working collaboratively across departments to ensure alignment, efficiency, and successful implementation of City objectives.

 The Special Projects Manager will perform highly professional duties and is responsible for complex administrative and analytical work to support city operations. Specifically, the position will be responsible for planning, administering and completing assigned projects and initiatives, which may cross several functional areas and departments. Assignments may vary in length and complexity but are generally not permanent. This role will not supervise staff but will delegate to, and collaborate with, individuals supporting a project.

PRIMARY DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES

• Perform a wide range of duties to assist executive management in managing and coordinating city initiatives, policies, and projects.
• Lead special projects which may include identifying, verifying, analyzing, and implementing process improvement opportunities to eliminate unnecessary complexity. 
• Support projects and strategic planning from inception to delivery, working cross-departmentally providing technical and analytical support.
• Establishes and guides short, mid, and long-range financial plans and strategies including preparation and effective management of project budgets. 
• Partner with executive management to identify strategic opportunities and translate them into actionable project plans.
• Coordinate cross-departmental projects and initiatives involving internal and external stakeholders to align on objectives, deliverables, and timelines.
• Serve as a liaison between Executive Management and city departments, staff, public, and council by facilitating effective communication and ensuring timely follow-up on requests and inquiries.
• Conduct research, data analysis, and feasibility assessments to support project decisions.
• Participates in the city’s development and strategic planning initiatives.
• Lead/support citywide multi-departmental capital planning and programming processes in collaboration with city departments.
• Serve as a liaison between the City Manager's Office and departments to track progress on citywide strategic initiatives and capital programs/projects.
• Serve as a catalyst for a culture of continuous improvement and innovation.
• Identify market trends, emerging technology, and process variations as part of establishing continuous improvement in collaboration with departments.
• Help prepare presentations, council reports, white papers, and issue summaries

This job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee. Duties, responsibilities and activities may change, or new ones may be assigned at any time with or without notice.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS & WORKING CONDITIONS

An equivalent combination of education, training, and experience that demonstrates required knowledge, skills, and abilities may be considered.

Education: 

• Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration, Public Administration, Political Science, or directly related field.

Experience: 

• 5 years of progressively responsible professional experience in local government, public administration, urban planning, or within a preferred public sector environment.
• 7 years experience managing complex, cross-functional projects from initiation through completion

Licenses and Certifications:

• Colorado Driver's License with a good driving record. 

Preferred Qualifications:

• Master’s Degree in Public Administration, Political Science, Business Administration or related field preferred.
• Project Management Professional (PMP) certification preferred. 

Knowledge:

• Understanding of public sector budgeting, financial management, regulatory requirements, and strategic planning principles including capital plans and operational plans. 
• Strong working knowledge in managing budgets, projects, and change management.
• Principles and practices of public capital budgeting and multi-year capital improvement planning.
• Applicable Federal, State, and local laws and regulations affecting the work of the municipal government 

Abilities: 

• Strong working knowledge in managing budgets, projects, and change management.
• Ability to set-up, facilitate and lead service improvement sessions with a range of business stakeholders
• Strong interpersonal skills for establishing and maintaining effective working relationships with employees, department leadership, elected officials, other governmental agencies, and the public
• Proficient in the use of Microsoft Office, including Project, Visio, Word, Excel, Outlook, and PowerPoint
• Effective public presentation and technical writing skills for Council, board, and community audiences
• Leads teams with empathy, ensuring a positive, inclusive, and collaborative work environment
• Ability to design and implement framework of continuous improvement Identifies and facilitates team-based solutions
• Communicate effectively both orally and in writing including synthesizing complex information into useful format for decision-makers and tailoring messages to various audiences.
• Gather, correlate and analyze facts and devise solutions to administrative and technical problems
• Ability to work various shifts, nights, holidays, and weekends
• Adapts quickly to a changing environment, demands, business needs, and shifting priorities
• High level of integrity and ability to handle sensitive and confidential information.  

Skills:

• Strong analytical, project and people management skills, including a thorough understanding of the City of Aurora policies, procedures, and processes to interpret business needs and translate them into operational requirements.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills and the ability to interact professionally with a diverse group of Consultants, Executives, City leaders, Directors, Managers, staff, and subject matter experts.
• Strong emotional intelligence and active listening skills with proven ability to collaborate in cross-functional teams.

WORKING CONDITIONS

Essential Personnel:  

• When a local announcement of emergency or disaster is declared by the city, all City of Aurora employees may be required to work as essential personnel. 

Physical Demands: 

• Sedentary physical work requiring ability to lift a maximum of 10 pounds. 
• Occasional walking and standing. 
• Vision to read and interpret reports and other written documents. 
• Speech communication and hearing to maintain communication with employees and citizens. 

Work Environment: 

• Works primarily in a clean, comfortable environment. 

Equipment Used: 

• This position may require the incumbent to use personal equipment (e.g. vehicle, cell phone, tools, etc.) in the course of their employment. 

The city of Aurora will implement furlough days (unpaid days off) for most employees in 2026. The scheduled furlough dates are January 16, April 10, July 2, and December 24.

For Veterans preference:  Please show all of your employment history, including military service and related documentation (DD214) on the application.
           
The City of Aurora is an equal opportunity employer.  We are required by state and federal agencies to keep certain statistical records on applicants.  It will not be used in any way to discriminate against you because of your sex, race, age, sexual orientation, creed, national origin, disability or military status, gender identity, unless related to a bona fide occupational qualification as defined by the Colorado Civil Rights Commission and the Equal Opportunity Commission.
                                         
Despite the changes in Colorado law, the City of Aurora maintains a drug-free workplace.  A positive test of marijuana is grounds for disqualification and ineligibility for employment with the city for one year or termination once hired.
 

Drug Testing, Thorough Criminal Background Check, and Employment References:
As a condition of employment, all applicants selected for employment with the City of Aurora must undergo a thorough criminal background check. 

Applicants selected for safety-sensitive positions are required to complete and pass a drug screening as a condition of employment. Safety sensitive positions include Civil Service positions within Police and Fire Departments and positions where their job responsibilities have direct and substantial responsibility that would impact the health and safety of others.  

Employment references will be conducted on finalists for City of Aurora vacancies.

Notice Regarding Colorado Identification Document Protections (HB26‑1283)
As part of the employment eligibility verification process, the city of Aurora may request government-issued identification documents as permitted by law. Original identification documents will be reviewed only as necessary for employment eligibility verification and will not be retained longer than permitted by law. Applicants will retain possession and control of their original identification documents except for any temporary retention permitted or required by law.