Special Projects Manager - City Manager's Office

JOB LOCATION

15151 E Alameda Pkwy Aurora, Colorado 80012-1555

City of Aurora, Colorado

It is an exciting time to work for the City of Aurora, we're growing and looking for dedicated and collaborative individuals to join our team of talented and valued employees. Excellent organizations have a set of principles, or core values, that are used to implement their mission and vision. Those values represent the touchstone for the organization, guiding the decisions of the individuals and the organization. At the City of Aurora, we demonstrate our excellence by modeling the CORE 4 Values of: Integrity, Respect, Professionalism, and Customer Service, and we welcome all who share these values to apply.

Why Work for Aurora?

• Make a difference in the lives of real people every day
• Diverse community
• Competitive total compensation package
• Well-Funded General Employees Retirement Plan
• Light rail station minutes away
• On-site fitness center and overall employee well-being programs Internal educational programs to assist with career advancement
• Access to innovation workspaces

PRIMARY DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES

Salary commensurate with experience

The hiring range for this position is $121,500 - $151,875/annually

The deadline to submit applications is November 2, 2026. Please note, The City of Aurora will conduct ongoing screenings of applications on a first come, first-serve basis; as soon as we determine to have a qualified pool of applicants, this position may close quickly and without notice.

OVERVIEW OF POSITION / DEPARTMENT

Reporting to the City Manager’s Office, the Special Projects Manager will oversee designated projects and initiatives having significant city and community impact. The position will be responsible for planning, administering and completing assigned projects, which may cross several functional areas and departments. Assignments may vary in length and complexity but are generally not permanent. This role will not supervise staff but will delegate to, and collaborate with, individuals supporting a project.

PRIMARY DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES

• Perform a wide range of duties to assist executive management in managing and coordinating city initiatives, policies, and projects.
• Lead special projects which may include identifying, verifying, analyzing, and implementing process improvement opportunities to eliminate unnecessary complexity.
• Support projects and strategic planning from inception to delivery, working cross-departmentally providing technical and analytical support.
• Establishes and guides short, mid, and long-range financial plans and strategies including preparation and effective management of project budgets.
• Partner with executive management to identify strategic opportunities and translate them into actionable project plans.
• Conduct research, data analysis, and feasibility assessments to support project decisions.
• Coordinate with internal and external stakeholders to align on objectives, deliverables, and timelines.
• Participates in the city’s development and strategic planning initiatives.
• Serve as a catalyst for a culture of continuous improvement and innovation.
• Identify market trends, emerging technology, and process variations as part of establishing continuous improvement in collaboration with departments.

This job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee. Duties, responsibilities and activities may change, or new ones may be assigned at any time with or without notice.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS & WORKING CONDITIONS

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

An equivalent combination of education, training, and experience that demonstrates required knowledge, skills, and abilities may be considered.

Education:

• Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration, Public Administration, Political Science or directly related field

Experience:

• 7 years progressively responsible experience in project management

Licenses and Certifications:

• Colorado Driver's License with a good driving record.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Master’s degree in public administration, political science, business administration or related field preferred
• Professional experience in local government, public administration, urban planning, or within a preferred public sector environment

Knowledge:

• Understanding of public sector budgeting, financial management, regulatory requirements, and strategic planning principles including capital plans and operational plans.

• Applicable Federal, State, and local laws and regulations affecting the work of the municipal government

Abilities:

• Ability to set-up, facilitate and lead service improvement sessions with a range of business stakeholders
• Strong interpersonal skills for establishing and maintaining effective working relationships with employees, department leadership, elected officials, other governmental agencies, and the public
• Proficient in the use of Microsoft Office, including Project, Visio, Word, Excel, Outlook, and PowerPoint
• Leads teams with empathy, ensuring a positive, inclusive, and collaborative work environment
• Ability to design and implement framework of continuous improvement
• Identifies and facilities team-based solutions
• Communicate effectively both orally and in writing including synthesizing complex information into useful format for decision-makers and tailoring messages to various audiences.
• Gather, correlate and analyze facts and devise solutions to administrative and technical problems
• Ability to work various shifts, nights, holidays, and weekends
• Adapts quickly to a changing environment, demands, business needs, and shifting priorities
• High level of integrity and ability to handle sensitive and confidential information

Skills:

• Strong analytical, project and people management skills, including a thorough understanding of the City of Aurora policies, procedures, and processes to interpret business needs and translate them into operational requirements.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills and the ability to interact professionally with a diverse group of Consultants, Executives, City leaders, Directors, Managers, staff, and subject matter experts.
• Strong emotional intelligence and active listening skills with proven ability to collaborate in cross-functional teams.

WORKING CONDITIONS

Essential Personnel:

• When a local announcement of emergency or disaster is declared by the city, all City of Aurora employees may be required to work as essential personnel.

Physical Demands:

• Sedentary physical work requiring ability to lift a maximum of 10 pounds.

• Occasional walking and standing.

• Vision to read and interpret reports and other written documents.

• Speech communication and hearing to maintain communication with employees and citizens.

Work Environment:

• Works primarily in a clean, comfortable environment.

Equipment Used:

• This position may require the incumbent to use personal equipment (e.g. vehicle, cell phone, tools, etc.) in the course of their employment.

The city of Aurora will implement furlough days (unpaid days off) for most employees in 2026. The scheduled furlough dates are January 16, April 10, July 2, and December 24.

For Veterans preference: Please show all of your employment history, including military service and related documentation (DD214) on the application.

The City of Aurora is an equal opportunity employer. We are required by state and federal agencies to keep certain statistical records on applicants. It will not be used in any way to discriminate against you because of your sex, race, age, sexual orientation, creed, national origin, disability or military status, gender identity, unless related to a bona fide occupational qualification as defined by the Colorado Civil Rights Commission and the Equal Opportunity Commission.

Despite the changes in Colorado law, the City of Aurora maintains a drug-free workplace. A positive test of marijuana is grounds for disqualification and ineligibility for employment with the city for one year or termination once hired.

Drug Testing, Thorough Criminal Background Check, and Employment References:
As a condition of employment, all applicants selected for employment with the City of Aurora must undergo a thorough criminal background check.

Applicants selected for safety-sensitive positions are required to complete and pass a drug screening as a condition of employment. Safety sensitive positions include Civil Service positions within Police and Fire Departments and positions where their job responsibilities have direct and substantial responsibility that would impact the health and safety of others.

Employment references will be conducted on finalists for City of Aurora vacancies.