About Our Job

With competitive pay, great benefits, and endless opportunities, working for the City and County of Denver means seeing yourself working with purpose — for you, and those who benefit from your passion, skills and expertise. Join our diverse, inclusive and talented workforce of more than 11,000 team members who are at the heart of what makes Denver, Denver.

What We Offer

The City and County of Denver offers a competitive salary commensurate with education and experience. New hires are typically brought into the organization between $157,385-$212,000. 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

In this position you can expect to work on site Monday- Friday, standard business hours, at Denver International Airport.

Who We Are & What You’ll Do

About DEN 

Since opening on Feb. 28, 1995, Denver International Airport (DEN) has become one of the world’s busiest airports. In 2025, 82,427,962 passengers passed through DEN, making DEN 4th busiest airport in the U.S. and the world’s 10th busiest airport. DEN is Colorado’s primary economic engine, generating $47.2 billion in annual economic impact for the state. At DEN, we are committed to fostering a diverse, inclusive, and equitable workplace. We celebrate individuality and strive to keep Equity, Diversity, Inclusion & Accessibility (EDIA) at the center of all that we do.

Denver International Airport (DEN) is one of the most significant aviation hubs in the United States and globally, consistently ranking among the top four busiest airports in the country and within the top ten worldwide, with more than 82 million passengers annually and continued record-setting growth.  Its scale, connectivity, and central geographic location position DEN as a critical hub for domestic and international travel, supporting both passenger movement and airline network expansion. Beyond aviation, DEN plays an outsized role in the regional economy, serving as Colorado’s largest economic engine, generating approximately $47.2 billion in annual economic impact, supporting over 240,000 jobs, and driving tourism, business development, and global connectivity across the Rocky Mountain region.  Together, its national ranking and economic influence underscore DEN’s role as both a premier transportation gateway and a foundational pillar of regional growth and prosperity.

We are currently seeking a Senior Vice President (SVP), Center of Equity and Excellence in Aviation (CEEA) to join our team!

The Senior Vice President (SVP), Center of Equity and Excellence in Aviation (CEEA), serves as the senior leader responsible for advancing DEN’s workforce development, innovation, and next generation initiatives. This role provides strategic direction, operational oversight, and external leadership for a rapidly expanding division central to DEN’s long-term success and Vision 100 strategy.

CEEA leads DEN’s end-to-end career pathways ecosystem, including youth engagement, workforce pipeline development, employee learning, leadership development, and executive growth. The SVP ensures the integration and execution of these programs while positioning DEN as a global thought leader in aviation workforce development, innovation, and inclusive economic growth.

Key Responsibilities will include:

1. Strategic Leadership & Vision Execution

• Lead the strategic direction and growth of CEEA, aligning initiatives with DEN’s Vision 100, particularly the “Empowering Our People” pillar.
• Translate enterprise priorities into scalable programs that strengthen the aviation talent pipeline and leadership capabilities.
• Serve as a key advisor within the Chief of Staff portfolio on workforce, innovation, and integration strategy.

2. Workforce & Career Pathways Ecosystem

• Oversee DEN’s comprehensive career pathways portfolio, spanning youth programs, employee development, executive leadership initiatives and research and innovation.
• Ensure program scalability, measurable outcomes, and alignment across internal stakeholders and external partners.
• Drive strategies that build a diverse, future-ready aviation workforce reflective of the communities DEN serves.

3. Research, Innovation & Thought Leadership

• Lead CEEA’s Research & Innovation Lab, advancing solutions that address complex aviation challenges and enhance operational performance.
• Establish DEN as a national and global hub for aviation innovation through partnerships with academia, industry, and community organizations.
• Champion an innovation ecosystem that integrates employees, partners, and emerging technologies.

4. Operational & Program Oversight

• Oversee a diverse portfolio including:
• Career Pathways (23+ active programs facilitated throughout the year)
• Research & Innovation programming
• Airport-wide childcare initiative
• CEEA facility operations and activation
• ORAT (Operational Readiness and Airport Transfer) responsibilities tied to future growth
• Ensure operational excellence, fiscal accountability, and program integration across all functions.

5. External Engagement & Industry Leadership

• Represent DEN and CEEA at the executive level with airlines, industry partners, government entities, and global stakeholders.
• Build strategic partnerships that expand access, innovation, and economic opportunity across the aviation ecosystem.
• Elevate DEN’s national profile as a preeminent aviation thought leader.

6. Organizational Leadership

• Lead, develop, and scale a high-performing team (including directors, managers, and program staff).
• Foster a culture of accountability, collaboration, and continuous improvement that aligns with DEN’s vision and mission.
• Strengthen cross-functional alignment across DEN divisions and partner organizations.

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.

The ideal candidate is a transformational senior leader who operates at the intersection of strategy, systems integration, and people-centered innovation. They bring the vision and discipline to scale a complex, high-impact division while positioning DEN as a global leader in aviation workforce development, innovation, and inclusive economic growth.

This leader is equally comfortable setting enterprise strategy, building external partnerships, and driving operational execution across a dynamic and rapidly expanding portfolio.

Leadership Archetype

• Enterprise Integrator: Connects strategy, programs, stakeholders, and outcomes into a cohesive, high-performing system
• Builder & Scaler: Proven ability to take initiatives from early-stage growth to mature, sustainable operations
• External Ambassador: Serves as a credible, influential voice with industry leaders, government partners, and global stakeholders
• People Champion: Deep commitment to developing talent pipelines, leadership capacity, and equitable access to opportunity

Core Competencies

• Strategic Leadership: Ability to translate vision into enterprise execution
• Systems Integration: Connecting programs, stakeholders, and outcomes at scale
• Equity & Inclusion: Advancing access and opportunity through intentional design
• Partnership Development: Building coalitions across public, private, and community sectors
• Operational Excellence: Managing complexity with discipline and accountability
• Thought Leadership: Positioning the organization as a national model

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in aviation, transportation, infrastructure, or public sector environments
• Experience managing programs with significant growth trajectories and cross-functional coordination
• Oversight of multiple initiatives, teams, and stakeholder groups simultaneously
• Track record of delivering measurable impact in high-visibility, high-accountability environments
• Background in workforce development, talent pipeline strategy, or education partnerships
• Experience leading multi-functional portfolios (e.g., workforce, innovation, education, or economic development)
• Proven ability to manage cross-functional teams and enterprise-wide programs

Required Minimum Qualifications

• Education requirement: Bachelor’s Degree in a field related to the specific functional or operational area.
  Experience Requirement: Five (5) years of leadership experience, which must have included director-level management responsibilities.
• One (1) year of management experience must include budget and fiscal oversight responsibility, evaluation of business processes, and policy and decision making experience with planning and organizing multiple programs, projects, operations or functions.
• Education/Experience Equivalency: Two (2) years of the appropriate type and level of experience may be substituted for each required year of post-high school education.
• Additional appropriate education may be substituted for the minimum experience requirements.
  License/Certifications: This job requires driving. Requires a valid Driver’s License at the time of application.
• Licenses and certifications must be kept current as a condition of employment.

Internal Candidates Only: Please note that probationary employees are not eligible to apply to open positions until they’ve successfully passed probation. Please only apply if you have already passed probation. 

Application Deadline

This position is expected to stay open until 7/2/2026. Please submit your application as soon as possible and no later than 7/1/2026 at 11:59 PM.

FBI Background Check: FBI criminal background check is required for all positions at Denver International Airport (DEN). Employees are also required to report any felony convictions and/or moving violations to maintain this clearance and be eligible for continued employment. By position, a pre-employment physical/drug test may be required.

Snow / Emergency Duties: Denver International Airport is a 24/7/365 team operation. If weather conditions warrant or an emergency crisis occurs, all DEN employees can be required to work extended hours and/or shifts

About Everything Else

Job Profile

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

Position Type

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Agency

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 [email protected] 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.