Director, Denver, CO

In Careers, News

Permanent Full-Time Position based in Denver, Colorado

Hybrid: On-Location and Remote

Anticipated start: Spring 2024

Salary: $80,000-$125,000

**APPLY HERE: Please apply for the Director by applying and submitting your resume here: Apply Here

THE ORGANIZATION:

Kearns & West is a leader in the collaboration and communications field, providing services in strategic communications, public affairs, public involvement, facilitation, and community outreach and engagement for the public and private sectors. Founded in 1984, we have offices in Austin, TX; Denver, CO; Costa Mesa, Davis, Sacramento, San Francisco, Los Angeles, San Diego, Riverside, CA; Washington, D.C.; and Portland, OR.

The firm’s mission is to work together to make a positive impact on society in an environment of opportunity, diversity, and respect. Focusing on positive, mutually beneficial results has allowed Kearns & West to maintain long-term relationships with the people and organizations it assists. The firm’s high-stakes projects include work at local, state, and national levels and cover a variety of sectors including transportation, land use and community planning, major public facilities and infrastructure, natural resources, energy, water, and marine resources.

At the core of all our projects is finding joint solutions to advance essential policies and programs. Kearns & West is the ideal match for professionals seeking meaningful work, opportunities for growth, and colleagues who are smart, capable, and supportive. Once on board, we hope team members will stay for the long term. Our entrepreneurial culture at Kearns & West prioritizes team initiatives in practice innovation and business development. Additionally, the firm has a partnership track and a commitment to professional development. Compensation and benefits at Kearns & West are highly competitive with firms in our field.

For more information about Kearns & West, please visit www.kearnswest.com.

THE POSITION:

Based in Denver, the Director position involves a wide range of responsibilities and roles including facilitation; community engagement; project management; and translating for the public transportation, land use, natural resources, water, and energy issues in Colorado, the Rocky Mountain region, and nationally. We are looking for someone with experience and interest in public and private sector projects in Colorado and beyond. Interest in collaborative problem-solving and process design is essential. Candidates from a variety of backgrounds, including mediation, dispute resolution, public and/or environmental policy, and communications will be considered.

This position regularly requires:

  • Client-facing and project tasks.
  • Work planning and project management.
  • Problem solving.
  • Interfacing with clients across all project tasks.
  • Interacting with diverse individuals, communities, stakeholders, and Tribes.
  • Small and large group process design and facilitation.
  • Developing and implementing engagement strategies and plans, including stakeholder engagement and public outreach/involvement plans.
  • Planning and facilitating small discussions, both in-person and using virtual collaborative technologies.
  • Planning and executing public, community, and stakeholder and public meetings, workshops, and events.
  • Strategic and thought leadership in communications, engagement, and public involvement areas.  
  • Research and continuous learning.
  • Internal and business development tasks.
  • Developing project proposals including budgets.
  • Managing business development, contract administration, and invoice and expense report preparation.
  • Participating in internal team calls to coordinate roles and tasks, and collaborate on ideas. 
  • Supporting a regional team.
  • Planning and facilitating internal working groups and teams.
  • Leading Kearns & West’s growing practice areas and strategic planning.

THE IDEAL CANDIDATE:

The ideal candidate possesses the following skills and experience. These desired skills reflect the main duties of the Director position. Kearns & West encourages all applicants to apply, even if they do not meet all these preferred areas of skill and experience.

  • A minimum of seven years of work experience in relevant service areas, including public and multi-stakeholder engagement; multi-party negotiations; public policy mediation; facilitation; community outreach and engagement; conflict management and resolution; and strategic process planning.

Experience:

  • Facilitating processes involving complex policy and planning issues.
  • Building partnerships and relationships with, and listening to, clients and stakeholders.
  • Designing and facilitating collaboration among diverse people, organizations, and sectors.
  • Consulting experience in relevant sectors, including transportation, water, climate, equity, energy, and community and regional planning.
  • Commitment to helping people of diverse backgrounds, interests, and partisan views resolve conflict and strengthen collaboration.
  • A network of contacts, colleagues, and potential clients to develop business; and a proven record of entrepreneurship.
  • Strong writing skills with ability to write clearly and succinctly for different audiences.
  • Record of managing projects in collaboration with multiple team members, including project team members, consultants, clients, stakeholders, and communities and their representatives.
  • Comfort, ease, agility, and confidence speaking publicly and before groups of all sizes.
  • Ability to translate complex concepts into accessible, audience-specific materials.
  • Self-motivated and comfortable working independently, yet committed to our team.
  • Strong organizational skills, detail-oriented, flexible, and ability to manage multiple projects.
  • Ability to determine priorities and meet project deadlines on multiple projects for multiple clients in a fast-paced environment.
  • Ability to travel within Colorado, as needed.

EDUCATION, CERTIFICATIONS, AND EXPERIENCE:

MINIMUM EDUCATION:

  • Bachelor’s degree or equivalent. Master’s degree, other advanced degree or educational equivalent is preferred. Potential education fields could include environmental management and/or policy, natural resource management, environmental science, public policy, or conflict analysis and resolution.
  • Professional experience in a facilitator role or in a different topic area with significant facilitation, public process, or community engagement components may substitute for these requirements.

REQUIRED SKILLS:

  • Excellent facilitation, listening, organizational, project management, and collaboration solutions skills.
  • Excellent writing, presentation, public speaking, and teamwork skills.
  • Fluency in MS Office (Word, PowerPoint, and Excel).

DESIRED SKILLS:

  • Experience and proficiency with web-based and collaboration technologies, project management tools, project accounting tools, database management, Adobe Creative Suite software, and social media tools.
  • Fluency in a language other than English.

COMPENSATION:

  • Salary Range: $80,000-$125,000.
  • Kearns & West provides a competitive package of benefits.

COMMITMENT TO DIVERSITY, EQUITY, AND INCLUSION:

Kearns & West is committed to maintaining a diverse workplace and is an Equal Opportunity employer. We do not discriminate based upon race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, status as a protected veteran, status as an individual with a disability, or other applicable legally protected characteristics.