Director, Denver Programs

ROCKY MOUNTAIN HUMAN SERVICES•Denver, CO

3d•$89,000 - $110,000•Hybrid

About The Position

The Director, Denver Programs provides strategic, operational, financial, and people leadership across a diverse portfolio that includes the Denver Mill Levy Program, Denver START, Mission Supports, INCLUDE, Denver Early Steps, and future initiatives supported through Denver's mill levy-funded IDDEAS (Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Equitable Access to Services) Program. This Director is accountable for aligning program performance, service quality, compliance, financial stewardship, and community impact with organizational strategy and funder expectations through appropriate executive approval processes. This Director leads through Associate Directors and Senior Program Managers, serves as RMHS's primary senior liaison to Denver Human Services (DHS) for the portfolio, and ensures effective coordination across programs, internal departments, funders, and community partners.

Requirements

Strong knowledge of human services systems, particularly programs serving individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
Demonstrated experience leading multiple human services programs, service lines, or contracts with differing operational, funding, compliance, and stakeholder requirements.
Experience leading complex, publicly funded programs and working with government contracts, audits, compliance requirements, formal findings, and corrective-action processes.
Demonstrated experience supervising and developing managers, establishing accountability, and leading effectively through other leaders.
Strong financial management experience, including budgeting, forecasting, utilization planning, and resource stewardship.
Strategic and systems thinking, with the ability to integrate multiple programs, resolve competing priorities, and translate organizational direction into clear expectations and measurable results.
Sound organizational judgment and risk awareness, including the ability to distinguish routine operational matters from issues requiring executive or cross-functional involvement.
Strong analytical and decision-making skills, including the ability to use data, stakeholder feedback, and performance information to identify trends and drive improvement.
Excellent leadership, communication, negotiation, and relationship-management skills, including effectiveness in high-stakes, politically sensitive, or community-facing settings.
Demonstrated ability to lead change, balance competing priorities, maintain confidentiality, exercise discretion, and implement organizational decisions constructively.
Commitment to person-centered, equitable, respectful, and responsive services and to RMHS Code of Values: We Are Curious – Encourage learning, reflection, and inquiry to strengthen culture. We Are Persistent Allies – Support employees through consistent check-ins, guidance, and advocacy. We Are Respectful – Foster a culture where every person is heard, valued, and treated with dignity. We Are Intentional – Design and deliver purposeful engagement strategies with measurable goals. We Are Capable – Provide leaders and staff with tools and resources to maintain a healthy, values-driven culture.
Bachelor's degree in human services, public administration, business administration, social work, or a related field required
Minimum of seven years progressive leadership experience in human services, including responsibility for managers or multiple programs.
Experience managing government-funded programs required.
Valid driver’s license and proof of insurance.

Nice To Haves

master's degree in a related field preferred.
Experience leading new program implementation, organizational change, and significant program expansion preferred.

Responsibilities

Establish portfolio priorities, performance expectations, and operating standards across IDDEAS Programs, and ensure consistent execution through Associate Directors and Program Managers.
Monitor portfolio performance, resolve cross-program barriers, align resources, and direct corrective action and improvement efforts while ensuring programs remain person-centered, equitable, and responsive.
Establish expectations for service quality, access, utilization, outcomes, documentation, billing, model fidelity, professional standards, and required response capacity across the portfolio.
Hold program leaders accountable for timely, responsive, high-quality service delivery and use performance data, stakeholder feedback, and outcomes to strengthen programs and improve the experience of people supported.
Provide strategic guidance for the development, implementation, stabilization, evaluation, and sustainability of new and existing IDDEAS programs and significant operational changes.
Ensure proposals and program changes align with community needs, funding and contractual requirements, organizational capacity, and RMHS priorities, and advance significant recommendations through appropriate approval processes.
Provide direct supervision, coaching, performance management, and leadership development to Associate Directors and assigned Senior Program Managers.
Clarify decision rights, strengthen leadership capacity, resolve escalated issues, and lead hiring, succession, workforce-planning, and performance-management processes in partnership with Human Resources.
Serve as RMHS's primary relationship owner and senior liaison to DHS for IDDEAS-funded programs, leading strategic, contractual, audit, financial, politically sensitive, and high-risk communications.
Represent RMHS and maintain effective relationships with government agencies, funders, community partners, providers, advocates, advisory bodies, individuals, families, and regional or national program networks.
Lead RMHS's relationship with and support of the Denver Mill Levy Community Advisory Council, ensuring effective engagement, transparent information-sharing, and appropriate governance support.
Coordinate preparation of information, recommendations, meeting materials, and implementation plans, and ensure timely follow-through on Council recommendations and decisions.
Lead development and management of portfolio budgets, forecasts, utilization plans, financial recommendations, and long-term stewardship strategies in partnership with Finance.
Lead program-level contract strategy and implementation with internal partners, monitor financial performance and controls, and advance material funding, contractual, expenditure, or authorization matters through appropriate executive approval processes.
Lead program-level strategy and responses for audits, findings, corrective actions, compliance concerns, and material financial, contractual, clinical, service-delivery, personnel, political, or reputational risks through appropriate executive approval processes.
Establish expectations for accurate, timely, and complete data, documentation, billing, controls, records, and reporting, and use portfolio information to assess performance, allocate resources, and guide decisions.
Contribute to organizational strategy, planning, risk management, change initiatives, leadership forums, and cross-functional priorities while balancing program advocacy with organization-wide accountability.
Exercise discretion with sensitive information, raise concerns through appropriate channels, reinforce final organizational decisions, and support responsible growth aligned with community needs, organizational capacity, and sustainable funding.
Performs other duties, as assigned.