Program Director of Strategic Initiatives

University of Colorado•Aurora, CO

9h•Hybrid

About The Position

Join the Colorado School of Public Health as the Program Director of Strategic Initiatives. This position is a critical part of the Centers for Health, Work & Environment (CHWE) that will focus on scaling existing initiatives, developing new opportunities, cultivating partnerships, identifying and pursuing funding opportunities, and overseeing the strategic implementation of projects and contracted work across the Centers including key public health practice programs Health Links®, Colorado Recovery Friendly Workplace Initative®, and Total Worker Health consulting and contracted projects. The Program Director of Strategic Initiatives will serve as a highly collaborative, externally facing leader who helps translate CHWE’s mission and expertise into sustainable programs, partnerships, and funded initiatives. This role will work closely with Center leadership, implementation and evaluation staff, operations coordination, and outreach functions to advance initiatives from concept development through implementation and growth. This is a role for someone who enjoys building partnerships, identifying opportunities, developing strategic initiatives, connecting ideas across sectors, and helping complex programs grow in meaningful and sustainable ways. This role will be responsible for providing key programmatic and operational support to accelerate and ensure the sustainability of CHWE programs.

Requirements

A bachelor’s degree in business, business administration, finance, accounting, education, social sciences, healthcare administration, public administration, communications, information systems, or a directly related field from an accredited institution
6-8 years of relevant program management experience, specifically in academic settings
Applicants must be legally authorized to work in the United States without requiring sponsorship.
Must be able to travel within the state and to several out-of-state events annually.
Must be able to work flexible work schedules to complete event timelines.
Must possess and maintain current valid driver’s license, reliable transportation, satisfactory driving record, and personal automobile liability insurance.
Must be willing and able to drive own vehicle for work events as needed (state mileage reimbursement available.)
Must be able to comfortably lift 25 pounds and perform minimal physical demands.
Outstanding organization skills, program activities, deliverables and timelines
Self-starter, with examples of successful and failed projects that make you proud
Strong executive partnership skills, including the ability to proactively manage priorities, surface risks, and advance strategic initiatives
Exceptional organizational awareness and ability to align leadership priorities with operational execution
Ability to independently drive projects forward while keeping leadership informed of risks, dependencies, and strategic considerations
Highly skilled in coordinating across team members and stakeholders, managing competing priorities, and supporting executive-level initiatives

Nice To Haves

Experience working in public health, academic, government, industry partnerships
Experience managing projects and programs
Experience in public health and/or graduate level education in public health
Demonstrated knowledge of the organizational structure, processes, and culture of a large, public academic medical campus and/or school of public health (similar to CU Anschutz and/or the Colorado School of Public Health)

Responsibilities

Oversee scaling and growth of existing programs and partnerships, ensuring alignment across stakeholders. Responsibilities include expansion strategy, program coordination, resource management, team facilitation, and status reporting.
Manage day‑to‑day execution of partnerships, ensuring program milestones, timelines, and deliverables are met.
Participate in strategic planning for CHWE programs, specifically Health Links and TWH Implementation, including long‑term visioning, infrastructure development, and operations plan; lead the subsequent execution of strategic plans related partnership and project management.
Responsible for the day‑to‑day operation of Health Links and Colorado Recovery Friendly Workplace Initiative.
Oversee program outreach including setting program goals for recruitment, partnerships, and deliverables.
Cultivate employer relationships to leverage growth opportunities and ensure program quality.
Identify new opportunities for growth including funding announcements, special initiatives, development opportunities.
Develop and write new proposals including contracts and grant submissions.
Responsible for program and project budgets including expense tracking and reconciliation reports.
Oversee business analytics and performance metrics to track and report on growth and program goals.