Airport Environmental Director

City and County of Denver • Denver, CO

4d • Hybrid

About The Position

With competitive pay, great benefits, and endless opportunities, working for the City and County of Denver (CCD) 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. Click here to find out about all the amazing benefits and reasons to work for CCD! What We Offer The City and County of Denver offers a competitive salary commensurate with education and experience. The salary range for this position is $122,009-207,415. New hires are typically brought into the organization with a starting pay between $160,000-180,000/year. Relocation benefits may be considered in accordance with organizational policy and candidate qualifications. We also offer generous benefits for full-time employees which include but are not limited to: Competitive Medical, Dental, Vision Insurance (effective within 1 month of start date) Pension Plan for Life (Employee contributes 8.45%, Employer matches at 17.95%) 457 (b) Retirement Plan (no early withdrawal fee!) PTO (over 3 weeks in your first year) and 14 paid holidays Merit Increases STD, LTD, HSA, FSA, Life Insurance CARE Bank, Family Leave Benefits Employee Assistance Program, Employee Volunteer Program Tuition Reimbursement (up to $2000/year), We Qualify for Student Loan Forgiveness Program Learning and Development Opportunities; Courses and Career Development Resources EcoPass (unlimited free RTD bus/train rides); Free Airport Parking 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 as needed. In this position you can expect to work 3 days per week on site at Denver International Airport, 8500 Pena Blvd. Denver, CO 80249. Business needs and initial onboarding may require additional days in the office. Employees must work within the state of Colorado on their off-site days. Who We Are & What You’ll Do Reporting to the Senior Vice President of Sustainability, the Airport Environmental Director leads an internationally recognized aviation environmental program that boasts an ISO 14001-certified Environmental Management System (EMS) and is committed to strengthening its proactive management of all environmental issues. “Sustainability and Resiliency” are listed as guiding principles within our Vision 100 strategic plan, as we work to remain one of the most sustainable airports in the world on our path to 100 million annual passengers. In this position, you will lead a team of 16 highly effective environmental professionals focused on maintaining compliance with environmental regulations and accomplishing ambitious sustainability goals across programs such as air quality, climate, waste management, water quality, and environmental planning. You will have the ability and authority to develop and implement innovative programs in a fast-paced, complex, and expanding organization with significant support from the executive leadership team and city administration.

Requirements

• Bachelor's Degree in Environmental Science, Engineering, Law, Biology, Chemistry, Public Administration, Sustainability Management, or a related field.
• Five (5) years of experience developing and managing environmental programs, which must have included management of subordinate supervisors.
• Environmental regulatory experience that spans multiple levels of government (Federal, State, Local) and agencies (FAA, EPA, Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, etc.)
• Environmental Management System experience
• Sustainability program implementation experience within a large and complex organization
• Compliance-assistance mindset: partners with internal/external stakeholders and project teams to build a culture of compliance through coaching; ability to drive compliance through partnership
• Relationship Building: Proven ability to build partnerships with internal stakeholders and external regulators/agencies; skilled at navigating complex, matrixed environments
• Calm, sound judgement under pressure; handles incidents with composure, learning orientation, and continuous improvement.
• Strategic problem-solving; finds creative paths forward, removes barriers, and keeps projects moving
• Clear, transparent communication; sets expectations, listens well, and escalates appropriately
• Strong people management capability: Supervises managers and guides multiple functional teams with empathy and respect; sets priorities, removes roadblocks, and develops talent

Nice To Haves

• Collaborative, approachable leader who is skilled at bringing teams together and strengthening team culture

Responsibilities

• Strategic management of the three units that make up the Environmental Services team (Air, Climate, and Waste; Water Quality; and Environmental Planning)
• Engagement and leadership across DEN’s full span of regulatory partners, including the Federal Aviation Administration, Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, Metro Water Recovery, and Denver Department of Public Health and Environment, among others; including participating in regulatory processes and representing DEN in reviewing and responding to permit changes.
• Lead implementation of DEN’s ISO 14001-certified Environmental Management System and promote continuous improvement across DEN’s environmental activities
• Prepare, present, and manage a $6 million budget and advocate for needed capital infrastructure projects to ensure cost-effectiveness of operations and achievement of environmental outcomes
• Support project and contract management to influence and resolve complex problems, identify and eliminate barriers, contribute creative solutions, and leverage support when needed to deliver on-time results
• Function as an Environmental Subject Matter Expert (SME) to help DEN effectively manage spills, releases, and other unexpected environmental issues
• Collaborate across all levels of DEN staff, senior leadership, and business partners to advance environmental work
• Present DEN’s environmental accomplishments to internal and external audiences and professionally represent DEN on high-value boards, committees, and at relevant events
• Track critical organizational and aviation industry environmental issues, determine applicability to DEN, and prepare airport response plans

Benefits

• Competitive Medical, Dental, Vision Insurance (effective within 1 month of start date)
• Pension Plan for Life (Employee contributes 8.45%, Employer matches at 17.95%)
• 457 (b) Retirement Plan (no early withdrawal fee!)
• PTO (over 3 weeks in your first year) and 14 paid holidays
• Merit Increases
• STD, LTD, HSA, FSA, Life Insurance
• CARE Bank, Family Leave Benefits
• Employee Assistance Program, Employee Volunteer Program
• Tuition Reimbursement (up to $2000/year), We Qualify for Student Loan Forgiveness Program
• Learning and Development Opportunities; Courses and Career Development Resources
• EcoPass (unlimited free RTD bus/train rides); Free Airport Parking

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Director