External Affairs Program Manager

Connect for Health Colorado • Denver, CO

8h • Hybrid

About The Position

Connect for Health has a great opportunity for an External Affairs Program Manager.

Connect for Health Colorado is a public, non-profit entity established by the Colorado General Assembly in 2011 to create a health insurance Marketplace. Since 2013, we’ve been helping individuals, families and small employers compare plans, apply for financial help and buy health insurance. As Colorado’s official health insurance marketplace, we are the only place to apply for financial help to lower the monthly cost of premiums. Customers can shop online; get help by phone or online chat from Customer Service Center representatives; and access expert help from a statewide network of certified Brokers and community-based Assisters. Our mission is to increase access, affordability, and choice for individuals and small employers purchasing health insurance in Colorado. For more information: ConnectforHealthCO.com

Position Summary:

The External Affairs Program Manager supports Connect for Health Colorado by coordinating cross-department policy initiatives and ensuring the organization stays aligned and responsive to legislative and regulatory developments.

Serving as a strategic program manager rather than a technical policy expert, this role tracks state and federal policy activity, synthesizes complex information into clear briefings, and helps translate policy changes into actionable guidance for internal teams and external stakeholders.

The position plays a key role in coordinating policy-related initiatives across departments, including outreach, marketing, product, operations, and leadership, ensuring Connect for Health Colorado remains informed, aligned, and responsive to policy and regulatory changes that affect the marketplace and the customers we serve.

This role also leads planning and coordination for major external convenings, including the annual CoverCO conference, and supports engagement with state agencies, issuers, brokers, community partners, and other stakeholders.

Requirements

• Colorado resident.
• Bachelor’s degree in public policy, public administration, political science, communications, or a related field.
• 3–5 years of experience in public affairs, policy coordination, government relations, program management, or stakeholder engagement.
• Familiarity with legislative and regulatory processes at the state or federal level.
• Experience and comfort coordinating projects across multiple teams, departments, and stakeholders.
• Clear and concise written and verbal communication skills with the ability to quickly synthesize and translate complex information into clear summaries.
• Strong organizational and time management skills and the ability to manage multiple priorities and deadlines in a fast-paced environment.
• Ability to operate in a dynamic policy environment.
• Collaborative and solutions-oriented approach to problem solving.

Nice To Haves

• Experience working in healthcare policy, health insurance, or public health.
• Experience supporting legislative engagement or government relations efforts.
• Experience coordinating conferences, convenings, or stakeholder events.
• Experience preparing briefing materials for executive leadership or policymakers.

Responsibilities

• Legislative and Regulatory Monitoring
• Track state and federal legislative and regulatory developments impacting marketplace operations.
• Prepare concise summaries and briefings for internal teams and leadership.
• Translate complex policy changes into clear, actionable insights and messaging.
• Develop talking points, one-pagers, and presentations for internal and external audiences.
• Cross-Department Policy Coordination
• Coordinate cross-department discussions related to policy and regulatory developments affecting Connect for Health Colorado.
• Facilitate planning and alignment across teams, including operations, product, legal, marketing, outreach, and communications, to understand policy implications.
• Track timelines, deliverables, and action items associated with policy-related initiatives.
• Manage multiple work streams and ensure follow-through on key priorities.
• Stakeholder Engagement and External Affairs Support
• Prepare briefing materials and support leadership engagement with stakeholders such as policymakers, issuers, brokers, and community partners.
• Participate in stakeholder meetings and external policy discussions.
• Support coordination of advisory groups and external stakeholder forums.
• CoverCO Conference and External Event Leadership
• Lead program management for the annual CoverCO conference, the organization’s primary stakeholder convening.
• Coordinate conference planning across internal and external teams on agenda development, speakers, logistics, and communications.
• Manage conference planning timelines, meeting schedules, satellite events, and deliverables.
• Track participation and evaluate outcomes to inform future events.
• Support additional stakeholder events, convenings, and town halls as needed.
• Meeting Facilitation and Program Management
• Prepare agendas and supporting materials for internal policy and cross-team meetings.
• Facilitate discussions to support coordination across departments.
• Share timely policy updates through clear and accessible communication.
• Synthesize information from multiple sources to support organizational awareness and decision-making.

Benefits

• Connect for Health Colorado offers a competitive benefits package.
• Employees are offered a robust benefits package and may elect from various offerings to tailor a package best suited to their individual needs.
• Connect for Health Colorado employees are eligible to participate in the organization’s 403(b) plan and are additionally provided with paid time off, short-term and long-term disability, and life insurance.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Manager
• Number of Employees: 101-250 employees