Manager of Policy and External Relations

Job Summary

The Office of Government and Community Engagement (OCGE) at the University of Colorado Boulder encourages applications for a Policy and External Relations Manager! This position plays a key role in OGCE by supporting both the Assistant Vice Chancellor for Public Policy and Advocacy and the Assistant Vice Chancellor of Local Government and Community Engagement, as well as the rest of CU campus leadership, with CU Boulder’s policy work at the state, federal and local levels of government. The Manager will be a key player in the small but collaborative OGCE that provides a bridge between campus collaborators and external partners in support of the university’s mission. The position reports to the Assistant Vice Chancellor for Public Policy and Advocacy (AVC).

This person will support the office with a wide range of work, spanning local, state and federal policy and community engagement. We are looking for someone who is eager, hardworking, and enthusiastic about opportunities to interact with others to make a difference!
The University of Colorado Boulder is committed to building a culturally diverse community of faculty, staff, and students dedicated to contributing to an inclusive campus environment. We are an Equal Opportunity employer, including veterans and individuals with disabilities.

Who We Are

OGCE supports CU Boulder's work to build and maintain relationships and partnerships with local, state and federal entities and public policy outcomes that align with the campus's strategic imperatives of crafting tomorrow’s leaders, being the top university for innovation, and impacting humanity positively.

What Your Key Responsibilities Will Be

Management of state and federal policy analysis, feedback and reporting:

• Support the AVC in a coordinated and focused approach for development of campus legislative priorities;
• Be responsible for timely responses to and from the campus regarding legislative proposals/changes;
• Coordinate timely flow of legislative updates to campus constituents; develop and coordinate management of distribution lists for legislative and policy issues; work with the system OGR to maintain these lists as appropriate;
• Develop a broad understanding of campus units’ work, with the ability to apply that knowledge to legislative policy analysis and development of campus priorities under the direction of the AVC;
• Provide input to AVC and campus leadership to assist in development of communications and advocacy plans related to legislative and budget priorities of the campus;
• Develop and maintain/organize CU Boulder legislative, policy, regulatory and related “position” documents;
• Assist AVC in management of campus policy working groups.

Support of local government and community engagement:

• Under the direction of the AVC for Local Government and Community Engagement, create and foster relationships with campus departments, research facilities and faculty and researchers on campus, and members of the community to support local government interaction and community engagement. This includes identifying University experts and/or leaders for various opportunities to engage with the community;
• Understand and monitor City Council and County Commissioner discussions and meetings, taking notes to be shared with University partners. Track changes in local policy, regulatory, ordinance, and land use rules that might affect campus to advise AVC and campus leadership on how to handle such issues;
• Develop briefing memos, action plans, and supporting materials for AVC for Local Government and Community Engagement and campus leadership in preparation for community discussions and to track key action items and results for strategic projects;
• With the assistance of the Executive Assistant (EA), set up, brief and prep for regular City-CU leadership meetings and county commissioner meetings; identify appropriate content for CU leadership to share with policymakers and provide briefing documents to leadership for meetings;
• Under the direction of the AVC, assist in management and coordination of community engagement working groups, councils, or other meetings, and represent OGCE and/or CU at events and other community discussions;
• Draft policy and advocacy letters, presentations, and other communication.

Management of requests for information and campus support by government officials, and legislative and congressional engagement or testimony by members of campus community, and constituent request responses:

• At the direction of the appropriate AVC, support events and meetings on campus with elected officials by providing briefing documents, issue analysis and/or talking points to assist campus leadership;
• Respond to information requests from OGR, and other external constituencies, at the direction of the appropriate AVC and in a timely manner;
• Assist campus constituents with engagement and testimony at any level of government.

Perform other duties as assigned by the AVCs or campus leadership, such as:

• Manage process with campus units, system office of government relations, and appropriate external and governmental entities to provide student internship opportunities at all levels of government;
• Assist AVCs and campus units in navigating complex local and state government interfaces;
• Assist AVCs in supporting the community engagement mission of the campus with statewide outreach and engagement strategy, events, communications, relationship development and management, including representing the office and campus at events or meetings;
• Identify and promote speakers for external audiences at the local and state levels;
• Identify, gather, and organize information to be shared with external constituencies in coordination with campus units; develop a reliable process to provide this information promoting CU’s interests.

What You Should Know

• All University of Colorado Boulder employees are required to comply with the campus COVID-19 vaccine requirement. New employees must provide proof of vaccination or receive a medical or religious exemption within 30 days of employment.
• This person will be expected to work some after-hours activities, e.g., city council meetings on Tuesday evenings.
• This position will work a hybrid schedule, with some in-person and some remote work.

What We Can Offer

The salary range for this position is $61,000 - $75,000 annually.

Benefits
The University of Colorado offers excellent benefits , including medical, dental, retirement, paid time off, tuition benefit and ECO Pass. The University of Colorado Boulder is one of the largest employers in Boulder County and offers an inspiring higher education environment. Learn more about the University of Colorado Boulder .

Be Statements
Be ambitious. Be inspired. Be Boulder.

What We Require

• Bachelor's degree and at least 3 years of experience working in area related to advocacy and/or policy analysis at the local, federal or state levels (Equivalent combination of education and experience may substitute).

What You Will Need

• Proven ability to analyze complex policy issues and synthesize into external facing communications;
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills;
• Ability to be a self-starter and a great teammate;
• Demonstrated strong organization skills and attention to detail;
• Ability to represent the office and university in a professional manner with tact and diplomacy.

What We Would Like You To Have

• Understanding of and interest in higher education issues;
• Interest in advancing the University of Colorado and Colorado higher education and academic research.

Special Instructions

To apply, please submit the following materials:

1. A current resume.
2. A cover letter that specifically tells us how your background and experience align with the requirements, qualifications, and responsibilities of the position.

We may request references at a later time.

Please apply by June 7, 2022, for consideration.

Note: Application materials will not be accepted via email. For consideration, please apply through CU Boulder Jobs .

Posting Contact Information

Posting Contact Name: Boulder Campus Human Resources

Posting Contact Email: Recruiting@Colorado.Edu