Reports to: Healthier Colorado CEO

Healthier Colorado is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to raising the voices of Coloradans in the public policy process to improve the health of our state’s residents. We believe that every Coloradan should have an equal opportunity of living a healthy life. Healthier Colorado aims to make meaningful change to improve people’s health throughout our state’s diverse communities.

We are the only health advocacy organization in the country that deploys the full range of political activity—from political giving, to grassroots organizing, to lobbying, to running an in-house canvass to further our mission. We believe in the power of public policy and in the power of voters being informed participants in our democracy. Mixing politics and health is uncommon work, but we’re comfortable being a bit of a unicorn.

Healthier Colorado is the flagship, 501(c)(4) nonprofit entity in a family of separately branded organizations. The family includes The Fund for a Healthier Colorado, our 501(c)(3) sister organization; Healthy Air and Water Colorado, dedicated to addressing climate change for the sake of public health; Colorado’s Health Capitol, a collaborative workspace that is home to dozens of mission-aligned organizations; and Open Answer, a non-profit that provides field services and strategy to provide communities with the power to make change.

Position Overview

The Chief Strategy Officer (CSO) manages the entire politics and policy portfolio of Healthier Colorado. As Healthier Colorado is organized into separate departments within this portfolio with capable leaders directing those departments, the CSO is tasked with leading these leaders and coordinating activity to achieve optimal effectiveness. Healthier Colorado’s campaigns include legislative and regulatory ones at the local, state and federal levels of government, and engagement in political candidate races at the local and state levels. The CSO will also collaborate with the CEO and other staff to ensure that the political and policy program of Healthier Colorado and Healthy Air and Water Colorado harmonizes with our other pursuits, including development and the interests of our sister organizations, Colorado’s Health Capitol and Open Answer.

Job Duties

• Supervises the VP of Public Affairs (state legislative engagement), VP of Communications, Senior Policy Director (state and local policy) and Director of Healthy Air and Water Colorado.
• Actively ensures that the various political and policy efforts of Healthier Colorado and Healthy Air and Water Colorado are coordinated and reinforcing in a manner that promotes staff happiness and organizational success.
• Seeks to win every “Tier 1” (our highest priority) campaign pursued by Healthier Colorado and Healthy Air and Water Colorado.
• Seeks to utilize our available financial resources to influence the political candidate process at the local and state levels in a manner that supports our mission and strategic interest.
• Leads the development of political and policy goals for the organization on an annual basis, as well as the development of such goals in other planning efforts, such as our strategic plan.
• Serves as a spokesperson for the organization when necessary. This may include media interviews, testimony at the State Capitol and other legislative venues, speaking at events, and participation in the production of media for dissemination online.
• Collaborates with the CEO and other staff on the development of an annual budget.
• Collaborates with the CEO, VP of Culture and Enterprise and other staff to recruit and retain a diverse, inclusive, talented staff who operate in a supportive environment that aligns with our values.
• Collaborates with the CEO, Development Director and other staff as necessary to advance the organization’s financial development efforts and meet fundraising goals for the entire family of Healthier Colorado organizations.
• Collaborates with the CEO, VP of Culture and Enterprise and other staff to coordinate the organization’s political and policy portfolio with other organizational interests, including but not limited to those of our sister organizations, Colorado’s Health Capitol and Open Answer.

Preferred qualifications:

• At least 12 years of experience in politics and/or public policy, which must include campaign experience in elections and/or legislative campaigns. Political and/or public policy experience in Colorado is also required.
• At least 5 years of experience in managing a team.
• Health policy expertise is a plus, but not a requirement.
• Can operate and lead effectively and smoothly in fast-changing campaign environments.
• Can function well in a culture of servant leadership, in which a leader’s goal is to set up teammates for success.
• Can facilitate effective communication between internal stakeholders, such as departments, to identify and solve problems in service of a common goal.
• Can identify political risks and opportunities on the horizon and strategize to put the organization in the best possible position to succeed in the anticipated environment.
• Can embrace a “no permanent friends, no permanent enemies, only permanent interests” approach in which we are willing to ally with stakeholders on one issue even if we may disagree with them on another issue (and vice versa), and are willing to initiate accountability, register disagreement, issue praise and extend financial support or opposition for elected officials regardless of political party when it is in the strategic interest of our organization.

Compensation and Benefits

Compensation

Salary is commensurate with qualifications and experience. Salary range is $115,000 to $140,000 annually.

Benefits

Healthier Colorado offers a very generous benefits package. We value the opportunity for our employees to support their physical, mental, and social health as well as practice a work and life balance. Our benefits package includes:

• Health, vision, and dental insurance;
• Retirement plan;
• Generous PTO and paid holidays;
• Professional development stipends;
• Wellness reimbursement; and
• Paid sabbatical after five years of employment

Healthier Colorado Non-Discrimination Policy

Healthier Colorado is dedicated to the principles of equal employment opportunity in any term, condition or privilege of employment. Healthier Colorado does not discriminate in employment or advancement opportunities on the basis of race, sex, color, creed, national origin, ancestry, age, sexual orientation (including gender identity and gender expression), disability or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local law.

We believe that traditional hiring practices have historically and systemically marginalized entire groups of people — including people of color, people from different socioeconomic backgrounds, women, and people in the LGBTQIA+ community, to name a few. We believe that we are better as an organization when we work to deconstruct barriers and build a team that has authentic representation from diverse communities, backgrounds and beliefs. Hence, we strongly encourage qualified candidates from those mentioned, as well as other marginalized communities, to apply for roles within our team.