Early Childhood Education Workforce Development Program Manager

About Our Job

NOTE: This is a limited position with an expected end date of June 30th, 2028.

What We Offer

The City and County of Denver offers competitive pay commensurate with education and experience. New hires are typically brought into the organization between $74,276 - $90,000/year. We also offer generous benefits for full-time employees which include but are not limited to:

• A guaranteed life-long monthly pension, once vested after 5 years of service
• 457B Retirement Plan
• 140 hours of PTO earned within first year + 12 paid holidays, 1 personal holiday, 1 Wellness Day and 1 volunteer day per year
• Competitive medical, dental and vision plans effective within 1 month of start date

Location & Schedule

The City and County of Denver supports a hybrid workplace model. Employees work where needed, at a job site several days a week and off-site as needed. In this position you can expect to work three (3) days in office. For your in-office days, you can expect to work on-site at the Webb Municipal Building (201 W. Colfax Ave., Denver, CO 80202). Employees must work within the state of Colorado on their off-site days.

Please note: Downtown parking expenses are the responsibility of the employee. We offer a flexible spending account option specifically for parking; if you elect this option, you can use pre-tax dollars for parking. We also offer a City-sponsored RTD EcoPass to all City employees- allowing the use of public transportation for free as a City Employee.

What You'll Do

Denver Economic Development and Opportunity (DEDO) serves to support Denver's businesses, employers, and workforce, creating shared prosperity and sustained economic growth. DEDO has sharpened its focus and enhanced alignment across divisions, ensuring its work is centered on the premise that quality jobs are the most powerful tool to create better outcomes for Denverites. DEDO accomplishes this by making Denver a place that is easy to do business with, fostering job creation, and building an economy that works for everyone. DEDO helps residents gain the skills, training, and credentials needed to secure quality jobs while also supporting, growing, and recruiting local employers.

DEDO's work aligns with city priorities including the Vibrant Denver and Family-Friendly initiatives:

• Growing, strengthening, and supporting Denver's small businesses
• Revitalizing and investing in Denver's downtown economy
• Ensuring Denver residents have access to high-quality jobs as well as training and development opportunities
• Making it easier to do business with and in the City and County of Denver
• Supporting economic growth while implementing anti-displacement strategies
• Fostering and supporting a dynamic innovation and entrepreneurial sector
• Recruiting employers from outside markets

Denver Workforce Development (DWD) provides full-service employment and training that meets the workforce and employment needs of businesses, job seekers and youth throughout the metro area. DWD staff connect employers with a trained and ready workforce, while assisting job seekers with gaining needed skills and securing sustainable employment.

DWD is hiring for a full-time limited Early Childhood Education Workforce Development Program Manager. This is a new grant-funded position. The long-term vision for Denver Workforce Development is to transition from a reactive service model to a proactive, integrated talent ecosystem where the early childhood education (ECE) sector is recognized as a cornerstone of regional economic infrastructure.

As the Early Childhood Education Workforce Development Program Manager, you will expect to be responsible for:

• Strategic Program Design: Lead the design and implementation of regional ECE workforce programs that focus specifically on recruitment, credentialing, and long-term career advancement
• Systems Alignment: Actively align local workforce initiatives with established state and federal priorities, such as Colorado's Early Childhood Workforce Plan and WIOA strategies
• Budget and Contract Oversight: Manage program budgets and oversee external contracts to ensure fiscal compliance and that all funds are driving the intended impact
• Performance Data Management: Establish and monitor performance metrics, utilizing data-driven methods to evaluate program outcomes and recommend continuous improvements
• Regional Partnership Cultivation: Build and sustain high-level partnerships with school districts, early learning centers, and higher education institutions to create a cohesive workforce network
• Collaborative Stakeholder Convening: Regularly convene community stakeholders to identify regional workforce gaps, facilitate best practice sharing, and co-design tactical solutions
• Talent Pipeline Coordination: Manage the day-to-day coordination of recruitment and career navigation for individuals looking to enter or advance within the ECE field
• Pathway Resource Expansion: Facilitate and promote access to scholarships, apprenticeships, and "stackable" credentials to lower barriers for educators
• Advocacy and Representation: Serve as a representative for the program in local and statewide forums, conferences, and coalitions to advocate for ECE workforce investments
• Equitable Program Delivery: Proactively promote equity and inclusion by ensuring that all workforce programs are accessible to diverse and underserved populations

What You'll Bring

We value diversity of ethnicity, race, socioeconomic status, sexual identity, gender, religion, language, ability, and experience and exemplify this through the makeup of our team at all levels. You'll be right at home here if you cultivate strong relationships and push yourself, your work, the people around you and Denver to the next level.

Our ideal candidate has some or all the following experience, skills, and characteristics:

• Systems Alignment & Strategic Orchestration: The ability to link local ECE strategies with state and federal priorities while navigating the differing organizational cultures of school districts and higher education
• Stakeholder Engagement & Facilitation: Expertise in convening and leading diverse partnerships to co-design workforce solutions and identify regional service gaps
• Fiscal & Grant Management: Proven experience overseeing complex budgets, managing external contracts, and ensuring compliance with varied funding streams
• Data-Driven Evaluation: The technical skill to establish performance metrics and use data-driven methods to measure program outcomes and communicate regional impact
• Workforce Development Expertise: A deep understanding of career pathways, including stackable credentials, apprenticeships, and the specific regulatory landscape of the ECE sector. Workforce database (Connecting Colorado) experience
• Culture alignment: Communicate with diverse populations - internal and external stakeholders, written and verbal. Be adaptable to changing priorities and projects
• Bilingual language skills, proficiency with MS Office Suite. Ability to work on multiple deadlines and meet deliverables

Required Minimum Qualifications

• Education: Bachelor's Degree in Public Administration, Management, Sociology, Psychology, Political Science, or a related field
• Experience: Three (3) years of full performance professional level experience developing, implementing, and administering programs
• Education & Experience Equivalency: One (1) year of the appropriate type and level of experience may be substituted for each required year of post high school education for all classifications. Additional appropriate education may be substituted for the minimum experience requirements

To be considered for this position, you must include the following on your job application (upload the attachment(s) to the Resume/CV section on the My Experience tab):

• Resume
• Cover letter - telling us about your experience with youth engagement and leading programs

Application Deadline

This position is expected to stay open until May 25th, 2026. Please submit your application as soon as possible and no later than May 25th, 2026, at 11:59 PM.

About Everything Else

Job Profile

CA1714 Program Manager

To view the full job profile including position specifications, physical demands, and probationary period, click here.

Position Type

Limited (Fixed Term)

Position Salary Range

$74,276.00 - $122,555.00

Target Pay

$74,276 - $90,00/annually, based on experience and education.

Agency

Denver Economic Development & Opportunity

Redeployment during Citywide Emergencies

City and County of Denver employees may be re-deployed to work in other capacities in their own agencies or in other city agencies to support core functions of the city during a citywide emergency declared by the Mayor.

The City and County of Denver provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, genetic information, age, or any other status protected under federal, state, and/or local law.

It is your right to access oral or written language assistance, sign language interpretation, real-time captioning via CART, or disability-related accommodations. To request any of these services at no cost to you, please contact Jobs@Denvergov.org with three business days' notice.

Applicants for employment with the City and County of Denver must have valid work authorization that does not require sponsorship of a visa for employment authorization in the U.S.

For information about right to work, click here for English or here for Spanish.