Job Title: Executive Director

Salary Range: $150,000-$190,000

Location: Fort Collins, Colorado

Opening Date: May 15, 2025

Closing Date: June 30, 2025

Position Start Date: Negotiable

The North Front Range Metropolitan Planning Organization (NFRMPO), located in beautiful Fort Collins, Colorado, is recruiting its next Executive Director to lead a team of 11 professionals in a fast-growing region. The NFRMPO is a federally designated transportation planning organization and a state-designated air quality planning agency.

About the North Front Range Region: Since 1988, the NFRMPO has worked to promote a regional perspective on some of the most pressing issues facing the North Front Range, specifically transportation and air quality. The NFRMPO covers approximately 675 square miles in Larimer and Weld counties, including the cities of Fort Collins, Greeley, and Loveland, 10 additional municipalities, and unincorporated portions of both counties serving a population of approximately 550,000.

The North Front Range is a diverse region, located halfway between Denver and Cheyenne, Wyoming, The NFRMPO administers federally mandated, and state required transportation planning processes, air quality planning as it relates to transportation, mobility with a newer Transportation Demand Management emphasis, Human Services planning, call center operations and VanGoTM vanpooling services.

About the Role of the Executive Director: The Executive Director is responsible for the oversight and operations of the organization, which includes federal, and state required transportation planning and NFRMPO Council directed tasks and programs. The Executive Director works closely with the NFRMPO Council and building a strong rapport of trust is essential. This is a contract position, which requires high level strategic leadership and management and reports directly to the 17-member NFRMPO Planning Council comprised of elected officials from each supported community.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities: The following duties and responsibilities are illustrative of this position and are not intended to be all inclusive.

• Providing management and direction to the NFRMPO Planning Council in the development and implementation of long-range planning and programming tasks and goals in collaboration with the Planning Council including the:
  • Unified Planning Work Program (UPWP),
  • Transportation Improvement Program (TIP),
  • Regional Transportation Plan (RTP),
  • Nonattainment Area's State Implementation Plan (SIP).

• Provides management and direction for the VanGoTM vanpool program.
• Establishing and maintaining operational and financial policies that align with the Planning Council's expectations and meets state and federal requirements and ensures fiscal integrity.
• Overseeing the overall budget and fiscal management of NFRMPO funds.
• Representing the NFRMPO with local, regional, state, and federal officials and agencies.
• Leadership and management of the NFRMPO staff; providing oversight and support, holding each individual accountable for their contribution to the team goals and vision.
• Fosters collaboration amongst the representatives of the NFRMPO that have differing views and opinions.
• Enables and advances strategic regional transportation and planning priorities with a clear vision.
• Demonstrates exceptional communication skills, both verbal and written, and the confidence to convene and facilitate critical conversations.
• Makes decisions that are well informed, decisive, and in the best interests of the NFRMPO region.
• Balances time and attention needed for management of internal operations with external responsibilities to represent the NFRMPO at high-level meetings and discussions.
• Operates as a leader and partner who not only directs the work but is also able and willing to participate alongside team members.
• Maintains and nurtures the culture of mutual respect and teamwork between staff, committees, and the Planning Council.

Supervisory Responsibilities: This position directly supervises five employees, two of which are Directors over other NFRMPO staff. This position also reviews and benchmarks positions, sets budgets for staff performance evaluations, and approves all staff reviews.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• Demonstrated ability and willingness to interact effectively with elected officials and top-level staff of state and local governments, and federal agencies.
• Excellent leadership, management, and communication skills.
• Current and working knowledge of federal, state, and regional transportation laws, rules, and guidelines, and of state and federal rules, regulations and laws governing the administration and operation of the MPO transportation and air quality programs.
• Experience in Metropolitan and statewide transportation planning process, grant application and management, and government operations.
• Proven ability to lead, support and develop team members within their areas of focus and expertise.

Essential Qualifications:

• Education: Bachelor's degree required (master's degree preferred) in Urban or Transportation Planning, Engineering, Political Science, Public or Business Administration or closely related field from an accredited university and a minimum of 8 years of directly related management-level experience, preferably with an MPO or similar organization.
• Reasoning Ability: Ability to solve practical problems and deal with a variety of concrete variables in situations where only limited standardization exists. Ability to interpret a variety of instructions furnished in written, oral, diagram, or schedule form.
• Certificates, Licenses, Registrations: Current driver's license with acceptable motor vehicle record, per NFRMPO policies.

Physical Demands: The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. This is a typical office setting with the need to attend outside meetings and night meetings as requested.

Work assignments include the operation of a motor vehicle.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is occasionally exposed to outside weather conditions, fumes or airborne particles, and vibrations. The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate.

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Language Skills

Effectively communicates by actively listening and sharing relevant information with staff, co-workers, supervisor(s) and customers/clients.

Ability to read, analyze, and interpret generally accepted accounting principles, governmental accounting as applied to Federal, State and Local policies and procedures, and governmental regulations. Ability to effectively present information and respond to questions from management, customers, and the general public.