Environmental Sustainability Director | Raftelis | City of Fort Collins, CO
The Environmental Sustainability Director is uniquely positioned to shape the future of Fort Collins’ healthy and sustainable environment. The Director provides leadership to the development and implementation of the policies, programs, and services that equitably advance the Council’s and the community’s priorities on sustainability, air quality, climate, waste reduction, community engagement, meaningful performance measurement, and supporting the organization in leading by example to achieve its own sustainability goals. The Director is responsible for environmental sustainability strategic planning and reporting and effectively leads the preparation of short-term and long-term plans. The Environmental Sustainability Director leads the department-wide view of workload management to ensure team members can successfully provide services to the community and organization. The Director develops and manages the department’s biennial budget and coordinates the development and implementation of specific, measurable outcomes associated with the City’s Budgeting for Outcomes process and City Council Work Plan.
With a demonstrated commitment to employee well-being and thoughtful financial and environmental stewardship, the Environmental Sustainability Director leads and supports a diverse staff of passionate and talented employees. This position directly manages the leadership team in Environmental Services, which includes three managers and one administrative support staff member. Given the transition underway in the Department, the new Director will have the opportunity to hire several of its leadership positions in early 2024.
The Environmental Sustainability Director reports to and supports the Chief Sustainability Officer and actively collaborates with the Social Sustainability and Economic Health Department Directors and their staff on the establishment, oversight, and implementation of interdepartmental projects and the integration of triple-bottom-line sustainability. In addition, the Environmental Sustainability Director partners with the Deputy Director of Sustainability Services who provides direct support on strategic planning, personnel management, and other operational support as needed. The Director represents the Environmental Services Department and City to community groups, public forums, City Council, and other boards or commissions. The Director also coordinates all public communication relating to environmental sustainability. Finally, the Director leads the Department’s efforts to provide leadership at all levels to advance Fort Collins’ goals, including serving as the Core Member in the Urban Sustainability Directors Network, supporting Fort Collins’ membership in Colorado Communities for Climate Action, and supporting regional collaborations, e.g., Larimer County’s Climate Smart and Future Ready efforts.
The Successful Candidate
The Environmental Sustainability Director is deeply committed to environmental stewardship, sustainability, and resilience. The successful candidate exemplifies servant leadership, embraces our commitment to equity and inclusion, and supports our triple-bottom-line approach by assessing economic, environmental, and social impacts to drive decisions. The Environmental Sustainability Director brings their own set of diverse experiences that add value and perspective while promoting equitable solutions that address our ambitious community goals.
Through a balanced approach, the Environmental Sustainability Director supports innovation while creating a safe, healthy, and supportive culture. The ideal candidate is a highly effective leader known for quickly building trust and rapport while empowering employees. A natural convener, facilitator, and collaborator, the successful candidate recognizes the importance of relationships and partnerships at all levels and navigates political, hierarchical, and multi-sector relationships with ease. The Environmental Sustainability Director is an effective communicator and active listener who integrates the diversity of thoughts and experiences of others to deliver solutions that achieve desired results. Hearing, balancing, and respecting various views, as well as navigating power dynamics, during the transition and decision-making process will be key while moving forward.
The Environmental Sustainability Director embodies our core values and adapts with the dynamic evolution of our community. The successful candidate brings energy, passion, and experience in change management, creating and evolving new processes and systems for ensuring effective service delivery, and embracing change and transformation in order to lead the Department through a time of significant transition. The successful candidate is a strategic, systems thinker who easily sees the big picture and long-term vision for the City and uses information to anticipate internal and external needs. In addition, the Director naturally sees the interdependencies between Environmental Services, Social Sustainability, and Economic Health and proactively supports a people-centered, integrated approach to problem-solving. Remaining grounded in equity, the successful candidate proactively collaborates to put people, their communities, and community priorities at the center of our work.
