Associate Project Manager – Denver International Airport

City and County of Denver • Aurora, CO

22h • Hybrid

About The Position

With competitive pay, great benefits, and endless opportunities, working for the City and County of Denver 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. What We Offer The City and County of Denver offers competitive pay commensurate with education and experience. New hires are typically brought into the organization between $95,000 - $130,000/year. We also offer generous benefits for full-time employees which include but are not limited to: A guaranteed life-long monthly pension, once vested after 5 years of service 457B Retirement Plan 140 hours of PTO earned within first year + 12 paid holidays, 1 personal holiday, 1 wellness day, and 1 volunteer day per year Competitive medical, dental and vision plans effective within 1 month of start date 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. Employees must work within the state of Colorado on their off-site days. In this position you can expect to work on site at least 3 days per week at our DEN JAG Building (26100 E. 68th Ave. Suite 240, Aurora, CO 80019). Who We Are & What You’ll Do Since opening on Feb. 28, 1995, Denver International Airport (DEN) has become one of the world’s busiest airports. In 2025, 82,427,962 passengers passed through DEN, making DEN 4th busiest airport in the U.S. and the world’s 10th busiest airport. DEN is Colorado’s primary economic engine, generating $47.2 billion in annual economic impact for the state. At DEN, we are committed to fostering a diverse, inclusive, and equitable workplace. We celebrate individuality and strive to keep Equity, Diversity, Inclusion & Accessibility (EDIA) at the center of all that we do. The Associate Project Manager’s primary role is to serve as a DEC “Define Project Manager”, responsible for developing projects during the Define phase of the DEN Project Life Cycle to ensure they are technically, operationally, and financially feasible prior to delivery. This role establishes clear, well-defined project scope, objectives, constraints, cost and schedule assumptions, and delivery strategies aligned with DEN priorities and the airport’s rolling Capital Improvement Plan, while coordinating closely with sponsors, subject matter experts, and stakeholders to evaluate needs, identify risks, confirm readiness, and document requirements. Define Project Managers are not responsible for managing design or construction delivery teams, but instead provide the foundational definition, documentation, coordination, and updates (such as business case amendments or budget memos) needed to support informed decision making and effective downstream delivery. Primarily supporting project sponsors and DEN leadership—and secondarily Delivery Project Managers—this role produces clear, feasible, and well-vetted project definitions that position projects for successful transition into design and construction execution.

Requirements

• Education requirements: Bachelor's Degree in Business, Management, Public Administration, or a related field.
• Experience Requirement: Two (2) years of professional project management experience in the related occupational group including coordinating, administering, and monitoring projects.
• Education/Experience Equivalency: One (1) year of the appropriate type and level of experience may be substituted for each required year of post-high school education. Additional appropriate education may be substituted for the minimum experience requirements.
• License/Certifications: Requires a valid Driver's License at the time of application. Licenses and certifications must be kept current as a condition of employment.

Nice To Haves

• Three or more years of experience in civil infrastructure, transportation engineering, or construction management, with exposure to early-stage scoping or estimating.
• Ability to perform conceptual estimating and quantity takeoffs, interpret drawings or models, and translate technical information into clear, defensible scopes of work.
• Strong stakeholder engagement skills with experience gathering requirements, facilitating discussions, and converting input into structured project definitions.
• Understanding of design and construction delivery methods (such as design-bid-build, design-build, CMGC) and familiarity with construction procurement processes.
• Demonstrated ability to balance field knowledge with detailed document production, including strong skills in writing, analysis, and use of standard office tools.
• Proven capability to manage multiple assignments, maintain organized project documentation, and work effectively in a multidisciplinary team environment.

Responsibilities

• Lead early-stage project programming for vertical and horizontal design and construction projects, developing clear and definable scopes of work.
• Engage stakeholders and delivery partners to gather requirements, validate needs, and translate conversations into structured project definitions.
• Prepare preliminary estimates, schedules, budgets, and resource assumptions to support project prioritization and funding decisions.
• Conduct conceptual quantity takeoffs, review drawings or models, and verify technical inputs to inform accurate cost and scope development.
• Identify early project risks, constraints, and dependencies, and recommend mitigation strategies during the programming phase.
• Produce organized programming documentation, cost models, narratives, and supporting materials for project handoff to delivery teams.
• Create draft scopes of work and supporting materials for RFQs/RFPs during pre-solicitation planning.
• Maintain and communicate project programming status, assumptions, and changes to leadership and stakeholders.
• Support cross functional meetings and collaborate with project managers, engineers, and airport divisions to ensure alignment throughout planning.
• Contribute to process improvements, tools, and standards as the Programming team expands and matures.

Benefits

• A guaranteed life-long monthly pension, once vested after 5 years of service
• 457B Retirement Plan
• 140 hours of PTO earned within first year + 12 paid holidays, 1 personal holiday, 1 wellness day, and 1 volunteer day per year
• Competitive medical, dental and vision plans effective within 1 month of start date

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level
• Number of Employees: 1,001-5,000 employees