Director of External Affairs
Metro Water Recovery in Denver, CO - a nationally recognized leader among clean water utilities, provides wastewater conveyance and treatment services for 2.2 million people in the Denver Metro area.
At Metro, we help you be your best so we can do our best. You will join a team that offers stability, flexibility, and the opportunity to make a difference. We take pride in being part of an industry-leading team who serves the community by protecting the region’s health and environment.
Why It's a Great Opportunity:
As the Director of External Affairs at Metro Water Recovery (Metro), you will have an opportunity to lead and strategize the growing efforts of Metro’s Community Engagement, Connector Relations, Education, Governmental Affairs and Public Information work. As the first person in this role, you will shape and define how this position can positively impact Metro and its 817-square-mile service area. Metro offers a range of employee benefits, including a flexible work schedule, a competitive salary, and an incentive training program to help you grow and develop your skills.
Why It's a Great Department:
The External Affairs Department is new to the Chief Strategy Officer’s organization, which also includes Continuous Improvement and Organizational Communications. The teams in which this position will lead have been very engaged in growing their programs for many years and are looking forward to working more closely together following a unified strategy. We encourage collaboration, problem solving, and personal growth. Metro values excellence, integrity, inclusion, and collaboration.
How to Be Successful in the Role:
The Director of External Affairs will be a member of the Senior Management Team, working side by side with other directors across the organization to achieve Metro’s strategic goals. This position will be flexing between strategic work and managing day today activities of five programs which are fast paced, internally and externally focused and support various stakeholders. Although the programs have been in place for a while they are still maturing and have many opportunities for improvement and growth. The Director of External Affairs will support employee development, encourage and support process improvements and be willing to try new things while also recognizing efforts that may not be as effective as planned. This position will need to jump into supporting events and tours, which may require working evenings, weekends and being able to drive a fifteen-passenger van. No two days will be alike!
Your Future in this Role:
We're looking for a passionate and experienced individual who is eager to learn about Metro’s role within the resource recovery industry. You will build strong relationships with the large community Metro serves, which is diverse and complex. You will develop partnerships and support projects, both internal and external. You will collaborate with subject-matter experts at Metro to achieve organizational goals.
Don’t miss out on an opportunity to use your leadership skills to make a difference! Apply now and become part of the Metro Water Recovery team!
Overview:
Leads the day-to-day operation of the External Affairs Department, including supervision and management of managers and staff, resource management, guidance of external affair projects and Metro’s education, outreach, advocacy and community engagement strategies. Responsible for representing Metro Water Recovery (Metro) in establishing and maintaining positive relationships with external stakeholders. The Director of External Affairs, reporting to the Chief Strategy Officer (CSO), collaborates with senior leadership to support the CSO in achieving Metro’s external engagement goals.Examples of Duties
Leadership and Strategy:
- Responsible for developing and managing the customer relationship of Metro’s 65 connectors. Including supporting connectors in their understanding of Metro’s Rules and Regulations Governing the Operation, Use, and Services of the System, supporting the organization with education communications with connectors, guiding the editorial calendar of the connector newsletter, connecting connector staff with appropriate Metro staff, and managing the Board of Directors reapportionment process.
- Responsible for understanding and developing the priorities for fostering external partnerships necessary to achieve Metro’s organizational and Policy goals.
- Responsible for community engagement strategy development and implementation for Metro’s integrated planning, working closely with Comprehensive Planning, the Executive Leadership Team and external partners.
- Lead the development of the strategy for Metro’s External Engagement Framework in alignment with Metro’s strategic plan.
- Collaborate with the Senior Management Team to align external affairs strategies with Metro's organizational and Policy goals.
- Communicates long-term strategic directions that contribute to industry-leading outcomes benefiting communities and the region.
- Oversee, coordinate and measure the success of the work necessary for carrying out the strategies, programs, and activities for CE, GA and PI teams, ensuring consistent and coordinated messaging and content. Direct activities of these teams to coordinate resources necessary to execute projects and initiatives that generally focus on improving community education, gaining understanding of community values, and coordinating and/or sponsoring events that create value for Metro Water Recovery.
- Establishes and maintains standard messaging protocols for subject matter experts who manage public inquiries on a variety of topics.
- Collaborate with Metro's Senior Management Team to ensure external affairs priorities are taken into consideration in planning capital and business improvement projects.
- Leads the ongoing growth and development of systems and structures to organize and manage the day-to-day operations of the CE, GA, and PI teams with a focus on efficiency and effectiveness.
- Participates in the employee selection process and evaluates the performance and skill level of employees. Responsible for ensuring External Affairs is appropriately staffed and managed.
- Responsible for overseeing the growth, development, and engagement of employees. Facilitate technical expertise development for External Affairs staff and facilitate access to resources for staff mentoring and training.
- Explore new education, outreach, advocacy and engagement approaches to achieve Metro’s external engagement goals.
- Guide the CE, GA, and PI teams to align with Metro's strategic direction and goals, identifying resource requirements, priorities, engagement optimization and partnership opportunities.
- Ensure external communication messages are aligned with internal communication messages, working with Senior Communications Manager.
- Participates and represents Metro on boards, committees, and organizations as strategically identified.
- Maintain direct knowledge of current legislation to support Metro’s efforts in the wastewater industry, assisting the Government Affairs Liaison with the annual Colorado legislative process.
- Monitors the industry and supports the CSO in forecasting gaps in subject matter expertise, technology needs, and staffing needs necessary to ensure the department evolves with the industry and stays proactive on external affairs strategies.
- Prepares and manages the annual budget for the External Affairs Department. Works with division heads in ensuring that annual budgets are prepared in accordance with Metro guidelines and provides resources needed for departmental projects and initiatives.
- Support the department with external outreach, including attendance at community events and participating in onsite tours as needed. This position requires the ability to drive a 15-passengar van and work outside of standard business hours, including evenings and weekends.
- Collaborates with the Continuous Improvement Team to define and report success measures that show the progress of the Our Communities strategic outcomes.
- Prepares written correspondence and presentations to convey department efforts to a range of internal and external audiences.
- Collaborates with Metro’s Senior Management Team to implement and align the External Engagement Framework with Metro's organizational goals and drive cross-team collaboration.
Knowledge/Skills/Abilities
Knowledge of:
- General office processes and procedures
- MS Office and MS Teams
- Leadership principles and strategic management
- Colorado legislative processes
- Project management, change management, and Lean Six Sigma approaches
- Operating budget management
- Community engagement and education best practices
- Building, managing, and updating new and current programs
- Presenting to a diverse audience, including board members and external stakeholders
- Collaborating with senior leadership to develop strategic goals
- Leveraging diverse modes of communication to optimize the effective exchange of ideas and information
- Delivering clear and concise written and verbal communication, including public speaking
- Utilizing technology to seek and share resources and information
- Team building and team management
- Active and empathic listening skills
- Managing disagreements, de-escalating conflict, and negotiating win-win solutions
- Develop strategic engagement plans and articulate tactics and messages
- Understand how media processes work
- Listen, seek advice, and help create productive consensus among team members of varying perspectives
- Perform effectively in a collaborative team environment
- Think and act strategically in an organizational” big picture” context
- Identify problems, craft effective solutions, act decisively and demonstrate good judgement
- Maintain emotional control under ambiguous and stressful circumstances
- Produce high quality, accurate and prompt results in a fast-paced working environment
- Model a customer-centric work style through leadership and personal accountability toward inclusive practices
- Drive Metro vehicles, including a 15-passenger van
- Work varying hours based on engagement and outreach events
Master's degree or equivalent in business administration, communications, journalism, political science, public administration, public relations, social sciences or related field. Valid driver license.
A combination of education and relevant experience may be considered in lieu of a degree.