BHA - Legislative Affairs Officer- SES - Senior Executive Services

This position is open to residents and non-residents of Colorado If appointed to a position, applicants from outside of Colorado will be required to relocate to Colorado before their start date.

Weekly Hybrid Working Arrangements Minimum 2 days in office and maximum of 3 days of remote work Mon-Fri 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM

Please note:

Working arrangements are subject to change at anytime

Please note:

This recruitment is not governed by the selection process of the classified personnel system.

This position is currently hybrid with some remote work flexibility, however, the position does require travel on a regular basis, including in-person at the Capitol during the legislative session and interim.

Located within the Behavioral Health Administration work unit, pursuant to House Bill (HB) 21-1097. HB21-1097 provides that a Behavioral Health Administration (BHA) was created to be a single state entity. It was initially established under CDHS as of July 1, 2022, and will provide administrative and “back-of-the-house” support as long as the BHA remains under CDHS’ purview. It was initially established under CDHS as of July 1, 2022, and will provide administrative and “back-of-the-house” support as long as the BHA remains under CDHS’ purview.

The BHA is a permanent entity that will be responsible for leading and promoting the state’s behavioral health priorities and efforts across agencies, creating shared goals, improving collaboration, and driving accountability and transparency. The BHA will provide oversight and coordinate service standards across the hundreds of behavioral health programs that currently exist under multiple state agencies and the Judicial Branch.

The BHA will also work to ensure the recommendations that resulted from the work of the Behavioral Health Task Force (BHTF) and multiple ancillary projects evolving out of the work of the BHTF are honored and implemented, to ensure and meet our vision of having a comprehensive, equitable, effective continuum of behavioral health services that meets the needs of all Coloradans.

The Behavioral Health Administration (BHA) is responsible for policy development, service provision and coordination, program monitoring and evaluation, and administrative oversight for the public behavioral health system. BHA funds, supports and monitors numerous mental health and substance abuse community programs and providers, and reviews and designates the State’s 27-65 providers and licenses substance use disorder service providers. BHA executes the State’s federal responsibilities as the State Mental Health Authority and the State Substance Abuse Authority for the purposes of administering federal mental health and substance abuse block grant funds.

This position, under the purview of CDHS’ Director of Policy and Legislative Affairs, assists with the development of the Behavioral Health Administration's legislative agenda. This position assists with ensuring the Administration’s legislative initiatives align with the initiatives of the Governor’s Office mission and goals. Position analyzes proposed legislation by other state departments, agencies, and stakeholder groups, and identifies impact to the Administration’s programs, and when necessary, determines approach to, and scripting for, testimony.

This position also seeks and secures legislative sponsors for proposals; negotiates with constituents, stakeholder groups, agencies, state departments and legislators to ensure that statutory changes accurately reflect efficient administrative capability. Prepares materials and provides testimony at hearing as required, which also includes representing the Administration’s budget with the Joint Budget Committee (JBC), and…