[Hiring] Program Manager of Digital Inclusion & Access @State of Colorado

Role Description

This position is term limited with an anticipated end date of approximately two years from the date of hire. This position is eligible for State employee benefits and may be extended as the situation warrants.

Do you believe that Coloradans should have equal access to affordable, fast, and reliable broadband service? If so, the Governor’s Office of Information Technology is looking for you to become our next Program Manager of Digital Inclusion & Access for the Colorado Broadband Office (CBO). The Colorado Broadband Office (CBO) leads the statewide effort to expand broadband coverage and quality for all Coloradans and coordinates all broadband efforts for Colorado.

As our new Program Manager of Digital Inclusion & Access, you will play a pivotal role in the State of Colorado's mission to provide this crucial service to our State's more rural and under-serviced communities. This role involves collaboration with various stakeholders to develop and implement programs that address digital inequities, support community engagement, and drive digital transformation.

Some of the day-to-day opportunities include:

• Building partnerships and coordinating activities related to broadband access and digital inclusion.
• Developing relationships with rural and underrepresented communities to advance digital inclusion and access goals.
• Designing and leading community engagement strategies promoting digital inclusion and literacy.
• Assisting stakeholders in efforts to identify and overcome barriers to broadband deployment and adoption.
• Planning and implementation of digital inclusion and access programs, including data, metrics, and budgets.
• Support the implementation of CBO’s Advance Colorado Grant program which includes federal, state, and local broadband adoption funding.
• Monitoring and measuring implementation of broadband and digital inclusion and access plans.
• Identifying funding opportunities to enhance digital inclusion and access initiatives.

Qualifications

• A minimum of seven (7) years of experience that includes effectively providing program management for one or more projects in the context of large, strategic, and complex initiatives.
• Experience in digital inclusion and access, including technology education and training, or community development.

Requirements

• Additional appropriate education will substitute for the required experience on a year-for-year basis, but cannot completely substitute for these qualifications.
• Training or Certification related to the work assigned to the position will be assigned credit towards substitution for experience and/or education, but cannot completely substitute for these qualifications.
• If the minimum qualifications include a degree requirement, additional appropriate paid or unpaid experience will substitute for the required education on a year-for-year basis.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience within the telecommunications or broadband industry, with an understanding of current trends.
• Proven experience in policy development and a working knowledge of the state legislative process.
• Working knowledge of federal broadband investment programs and ability to develop creative financing models.
• Experience managing or supporting large-scale federal and/or state funding streams.
• Proven success in communicating tactical and strategic issues and opportunities to a broad range of stakeholders.
• Strong public speaking and group facilitation skills, with the ability to present complex digital inclusion and access concepts to diverse stakeholder audiences.
• Experience translating statewide strategic plans into actionable community-led regional digital inclusion coalitions.
• Deep understanding of "Digital Navigator" models and structural barriers to access, including device affordability, reliability, and digital literacy training.
• Ability to build cross-sector partnerships between local governments, nonprofits, school districts, and private sector Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to foster digital inclusion and access.
• Demonstrated success working with or within rural, underrepresented, and tribal communities to identify and overcome specific barriers to broadband adoption.
• Experience addressing the digital needs of specific "covered populations," including seniors (50+), individuals with disabilities, low-income households, and diverse linguistic groups.
• In-depth understanding of the structural barriers to digital inclusion and access, including device affordability, internet reliability, and lack of technical support or digital literacy training.
• Experience utilizing data, such as the Colorado Health Access Survey or digital access dashboards, to inform program improvements and policy recommendations.
• Experience leveraging geospatial technology, mapping, and data dashboards to drive policy and track broadband deployment success.
• Experience working within or alongside state and local government entities, particularly in broadband, workforce development, or community service sectors.
• Demonstrated success in leading initiatives and managing multifaceted programs that address digital inequities on a statewide scale.

Conditions of Employment

• OIT candidates and employees must comply with any screening procedures in place at state entity locations where they might be required to perform work.
• A pre-employment background check will be conducted as part of the selection process.
• This position may require travel within the specified geographic area, and to locations across the state as needed.
• This position may require on-call duties as needed by the position.

Supplemental Information

If this posting indicates “remote from anywhere in CO” in the title, periodic reporting to the primary state work location designated for the position is required. All remote work must be performed in Colorado.

While candidates from out of state will be considered for this role, the candidate selected for the position must relocate and reside in Colorado on the first day of their new position. A reasonable timeframe for relocation will be established on an individual basis, while considering business needs, and determining a start date.

The Governor's Office of Information Technology is committed to the full inclusion of all qualified individuals. As part of this commitment, our agency will assist individuals who have a disability with any reasonable accommodation requests related to employment.