Speechwriter

Department Information

Colorado Governor Jared Polis is committed to building a Colorado For All, a place where everyone has an opportunity to succeed and live the Colorado way of life. Governor Polis is focused on lowering health care costs for hardworking Coloradans, transitioning the state to renewable energy sources, ensuring every Colorado child gets a quality education, and building an economy that works for everyone, as well as empower state agencies to build a culture of operational excellence and bold innovation driven by continuous performance improvement. The Governor's staff includes offices for budgeting, communications and outreach, legal counsel, legislative liaison, operations, policy and research, and scheduling.

Description of Job

Hiring Salary Range: $80,000 - $95,000
FLSA Classification: Exempt (not over time eligible)

• Responsible for drafting all speeches and talking points for the Governor, Lt. Governor, and First Gentleman, including writing, research, story gathering and editorial support for over 600 speeches a year and the annual State of the State address—a months-long process.
• Responding to the Governor’s evolving communications needs, collaborating closely with the Governor, policy, legislative and communications teams, as well as cabinet executive directors and state agency public information officers
• Strong project management skills, balancing numerous tasks and deadlines.
• Overseeing the speechwriting process for other contributors
• Working collaboratively with content partners.
• Developing fresh thinking and creative ideas for speeches and other content.
• Strong storytelling skills that can make policy relatable to constituents.
• Working under high pressure and tight deadlines and executing complicated project timelines to meet the Governor’s needs.
• Working with a broad range of stakeholders on high priority projects, especially the annual State of the State.
• Working with the communications team to translate speeches into a multi-platform communications plan.
• Ability to transform complex material into digestible, conversational language.
• Strong research and fact-checking abilities.

Minimum Qualifications, Substitutions, Conditions of Employment & Appeal Rights

• College degree or work experience equivalent
• 2-4 years experience in communications/project management
• Government experience
• Excellent communication and writing skills
• Ability to work independently and in a team environment
• Attention to detail and organization skills

• College degree or work experience equivalent
• 2-4 years experience in communications/project management

Conditions of Employment

Applicants must pass a thorough background check prior to employment.

Effective September 20, 2021, employees will be required to attest to and verify that they are fully vaccinated for COVID-19 and may be required to submit to regular serial testing. Upon hire, new employees will have three (3) business days to provide attestation to their COVID-19 vaccination status with proof of vaccination. Testing, if required, will take place in-person and will be considered paid work time. Note: Currently, “Fully vaccinated” means two (2) weeks after a second dose in a two-dose series of the COVID-19 vaccine, such as the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine, or two (2) weeks after the single-dose vaccine, such as Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen vaccine, all as defined by the State of Colorado’s Public Health Order and guidance issued by the Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment. The definition of “fully vaccinated” may be changed and updated to include additional doses and/or manufacturer types of vaccination.

Supplemental Information

To Apply:

A cover letter and resume must be submitted with the application for consideration. Your cover letter and resume must provide sufficient detail about your background and experience to allow the screening panel to properly assess your experience in the required elements, including your experience and achievements.

The State of Colorado/Office of the Governor offers a generous benefits package including:

• Medical, dental and vision plan coverage - including extensive prescription drug coverage (many preventive medications covered at no cost)*.
• Health Savings Account (with state contribution) when electing HDHP medical coverage*.
• Wellness programs - participation can reduce employee premiums*.
• Short-term and optional long-term disability coverage*.
• Life and Accidental Death/Dismemberment Insurance*.
• Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs)*.
• Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) job protection and State of Colorado Paid Family Medical Leave (PFML).
• 11 Paid Holidays Annually and Accrued Annual and Sick Leave
• Welcome Aboard Program - July 1, 2023.pdf
• Retirement benefits** - including PERA Defined Benefit Plan or PERA Defined Contribution Plan, plus optional 401(k) and 457 plans - https://www.copera.org/
• Hybrid work arrangements.
• Variety of discounts on services and products available through the State of Colorado's Work-Life Discount Program.
• Training and professional development opportunities, including reduced college tuition through CSU Global ( contact CSU Global for latest offerings).
• Access to the Colorado State Employee Assistance Program (CSEAP): offers confidential mental health counseling, professional coaching, employee mediation, 24/7 crisis support.
• Free RTD EcoPass to all eligible State Employees.
• Credit Union of Colorado Membership Eligibility.

• To learn more about State of Colorado benefits, please visit the state’s benefits portal: https://www.colorado.gov/dhr/benefits.

**For information on mandatory employee salary deferral (in lieu of contribution to Social Security), see COPERA for details: https://www.copera.org/member-contribution-rates

Equity, Diversity and Inclusion

The State of Colorado believes that equity, diversity, and inclusion drive our success, and we encourage candidates from all identities, backgrounds, and abilities to apply. The State of Colorado is an equal opportunity employer committed to building inclusive, innovative work environments with employees who reflect our communities and enthusiastically serve them. Therefore, in all aspects of the employment process, we provide employment opportunities to all qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, disability, age, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, pregnancy, medical condition related to pregnancy, creed, ancestry, national origin, marital status, genetic information, or military status (with preference given to military veterans), or any other protected status in accordance with applicable law.

ADAAA Accommodations

The Office of the Governor is committed to the full inclusion of all qualified individuals. As part of this commitment, our agency will assist individuals who have a disability with any reasonable accommodation requests related to employment, including completing the application process, interviewing, completing any pre-employment testing, participating in the employee selection process, and/or to perform essential job functions where the requested accommodation does not impose an undue hardship. If you have a disability and require reasonable accommodation to ensure you have a positive experience applying or interviewing for this position, please direct your inquiries to our ADAAA Staffing Coordinator (the Director of Human Resources) at gov_hr@state.co.us