About the Department

Serves as the County’s Chief Administrative Officer (CAO), strategic partner, and advisor to the Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) by providing independent, source-attributed analysis and recommendations within the incumbent’s functional domain, elevating enterprise risks and tradeoffs, and supporting timely, transparent Board decision-making and implementation consistent with adopted policy and delegated authority. The CAO is the enterprise integrator responsible for day-to-day cross-department execution and ensuring BOCC direction is implemented through coordinated action, removal of operational blockers, and transparent reporting. Operates within a C-suite peer model in which the Chief Financial Officer (CFO), Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO), Chief Technology Officer (CTO), and Chief Legal Officer (CLO) maintain independent authority over standards, risk, and enterprise platforms in their domains; the CAO drives implementation by coordinating accountable owners and timelines while respecting those independent controls.

*** Although the full pay range of the position is provided, the anticipated starting range is projected to be $160,000 - $165,000 annually***

Position Duties

• Exercises direct, first-level supervision of positions, employees, operations, and activities. Includes coordinating staff training, assigning and reviewing work, participating in the interview and selection process, making recommendations impacting pay, status, and disciplinary action, evaluating performance independently or in conjunction with a higher-level supervisor/manager, and approving time off and approving staff timesheets.
• Translates BOCC direction into executable implementation plans that identify accountable owners (typically the relevant Department Director or EO), milestones, decision points, dependencies, and measurable outcomes; monitors progress and elevates exceptions. Establishes and runs an enterprise execution cadence (cross-department coordination meetings, issue-resolution sessions, milestone reviews) to ensure BOCC priorities advance on schedule and within constraints. Identifies cross-department constraints and risks (resource conflicts, sequencing issues, procurement timing, technology dependencies, workforce impacts, legal risk) and convenes the right parties to develop options; escalates unresolved matters to the BOCC with documented alternatives and impacts. Maintains an enterprise implementation tracker for BOCC-directed initiatives and projects, providing routine status updates and flagging items that require BOCC action or C-suite control/enablement decisions.
• Partners with the CFO to align implementation plans with budget constraints and to ensure financial impacts/assumptions are reviewed by Budget & Finance; the CAO does not replace the CFO’s technical finance responsibilities.
• Partners with the CHRO on workforce planning, classification, labor relations considerations, and personnel policy impacts necessary to execute BOCC direction, consistent with BOCC policy and law.
• Partners with the CTO to ensure technology enablement and cybersecurity requirements are integrated into execution plans and that dependencies are surfaced early.
• Partners with the Chief Legal Officer/County Attorney to ensure legal review, risk assessment, and statutory compliance needs are identified early and addressed through proper legal channels.
• Provides the BOCC routine implementation reporting, including milestone status, risks, resource constraints, and decisions needed to unblock progress. Coordinates preparation of decision-ready materials when BOCC action is required, ensuring source attribution and that accountable departments/EOs present their operational recommendations directly to the BOCC. Does not serve as the exclusive channel for directors or elected officials to communicate with the BOCC.
• Coordinates contracting/procurement for CAO-supervised functions in compliance with BOCC procurement policies and signing authority limits; exercises any signing authority only to the extent delegated by BOCC policy/resolution and provides required reporting.
• Represent the County at meetings as directed by the BOCC.
• Perform other duties as appropriate or necessary for the performance of the job.

Minimum Qualifications

EDUCATION: 

• Bachelor's Degree from an accredited four-year college or university in Business Administration, Public Administration, Management, Political Science, or related field. Required

EXPERIENCE: 

• Minimum of Ten (10) years or more progressively responsible leadership and operations management experience and/or state/local board or commission experience that includes high-level problem solving, regular contact with elected officials, and oversight of complex initiatives. Required
• Minimum Three (3) years or more experience in a supervisory capacity, supervising manager-level employees or higher. Required

SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS:

• Senior Certification in ONE of the following from an accredited program or course:  Public Management, Process Improvement, People Strategy, Project Management, or Change Management (e.g., International City/County Management Association - Credentialed Manager (ICMA-CM), Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR)/SHRM Senior Certified Professional (SHRM-SCP), Project Management Professional (PMP), Lean/Six Sigma, Certified Change Management Professional (CCMP)) upon hire. Required upon hire

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:

• Master’s Degree from an accredited four-year college or university in Business Administration, Public Administration, Management, Political Science, or related field. Highly Preferred
• Minimum of Two (2) years or more Public Sector non-profit leadership experience. Preferred
• Senior Certification in TWO of the following from an accredited program or course: Public Management, Process Improvement, People Strategy, Project Management, or Change Management (e.g., ICMA-CM, SPHR/SHRM-SCP, PMP, Lean/Six Sigma, CCMP).  Preferred upon hire

NOTE: For preferred qualifications, the substitution of any combination of relevant and related education, training, and/or experience that provides the required knowledge, skills, and ability may be considered, including by way of example, specific experience or skill-based qualifications that may substitute for certain educational requirements, or a combination of relevant education and experience including supervisory experience.

*** Must successfully pass background check.

Other Qualifications

• Comprehensive Benefits package (medical, dental, vision, etc.) for full-time employees
• Generous Vacation and Sick Leave Accrual
• Remote & Hybrid working opportunities
• County Retirement Program
• Autonomy to grow and find your career path with supportive leadership
• Truly inclusive and diverse environment
• Fitness Center (Historic Pueblo Courthouse Building)
• May be eligible for up to 12-week Paid Parental Leave Benefits (full-time employees)