Cpw Program Management I /Firearms Safety Program Manager (Denver, Co)

OPEN TO STATE OF COLORADO RESIDENTS ONLY

Consider joining the dedicated people of the Colorado Department of Natural Resources. It’s our mission to manage and conserve Colorado’s natural resources for the benefit of people today – and tomorrow. That means we have to balance development with conservation so the state we all love provides similar opportunities for our children and their children.

• Medical and Dental plans
• Strong, flexible retirement plans including PERA Defined Benefit Plan or PERA Defined Contribution Plan, plus pre-tax and Roth 401K and 457 plans
• Paid life insurance
• Short- and long-term disability coverage
• Employee Wellness programs
• Flexible Spending Accounts
• Health Savings Accounts
• 11 paid holidays per year plus generous vacation and sick leave
• Flexible work schedule options and remote-work options
• Career advancement opportunities throughout the State system
• Some positions may qualify for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program.

COLORADO PARKS AND WILDLIFE
Our Mission is to perpetuate the wildlife resources of the state, to provide a quality state parks system, and to provide enjoyable and sustainable outdoor recreation opportunities that educate and inspire current and future generations to serve as active stewards of Colorado's natural resources.

The Field Services Branch of the Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) is responsible for providing and/or overseeing the delivery of law enforcement programs, services, and trained staff necessary to enforce laws, rules, and regulations required to protect and preserve the state’s wildlife and parks resources. The branch includes multiple units, including Investigations (LEU), the CPW K9 Program, Emergency Management/Backcountry Search and Rescue (EM/BSAR), Training, Law Enforcement Records, Boating Safety, Registrations.

Specifically, the Firearms Safety Program is a newly created work unit within Field Services with the passage of SB25-003. The administration of the Firearms Safety Program was legislatively designated as a CPW function, in cooperation with local county Sheriff’s offices and The Colorado Bureau of Investigation, that must be in place and available for public use on August 1, 2026 Additionally, CPW created a new FTE (proposed here) to act as an Firearms Safety Program Coordinator, overseeing CPW’s role in the larger scope of SB25-003 requirements.

The Firearm Safety Program will manage the following functions, as required by legislation: 1) Build and maintain a central database housing firearms eligibility information required by the bill that is accessible to county sheriffs, private firearms instructors, Federal Firearms Licensees (FFLs) and the Colorado Bureau of Investigation in a secure manner, 2) Design and write firearms training curriculum as required by SB25-003, 3) Design and write an eligibility assessment questionnaire to be administered by Sheriff’s offices for all applicants, 4) Liaison with sheriffs offices, CBI, firearms instructors and FFLs to complete the requirements set forth by SB25-003, and 5) work in conjunction with the Parks and Wildlife Commission to establish a firearms safety program records fee to provide on-going funding for the program.

The Firearms Safety Program Coordinator will serve as the agency liaison and representative for Colorado Parks and Wildlife to fulfill the requirements set forth by SB25-003. The position will be the point of contact for County Sheriffs and the Colorado Bureau of Investigation to administer the program, and supervise any subordinate positions deemed necessary to maintain and administer the program. This position will need to closely coordinate with the CPW Hunter Education program and routinely exchange information related to verified hunter education records and training requirements for the Firearms Safety Program.

This position will be tasked with ensuring that contractual needs with vendors are met, that state procurement rules are followed to develop and build a firearms safety database, and oversee any Parks and Wildlife Commission rules and regulations that are developed and implemented by the commission that are necessary to manage the program. The position will be responsible for the hiring and assessment of all employees under the program, day to day management of personnel, building relationships between affected state and county agencies, and other affected parties, and for ensuring excellent internal and external customer service related to the management of this program.

Upon implementation of this program, this position will be tasked with hiring any appropriate contractors or vendors to complete stakeholding processes and operational processes across multi-jurisdictional boundaries. This position will be responsible for the successful completion of the ramp up process for the program to go live to the public on August 1, 2026, and maintain the program thereafter.

Specific job duties include but are not limited to:

Strategic Planning

The Firearms Safety Program Coordinator will need to develop relationships within both the public and private sectors to facilitate a successful Firearms Safety Program for the state. This will require strategic planning between the County Sheriffs, the Colorado Bureau of Investigation, private firearms instructors and FFLs to identify efficiencies and shortcomings in coordinating the program between these diverse entities. The Coordinator will need to work within the limits and resources of all county sheriff’s offices in the state to support their role in the program. The Coordinator will need to work closely with CBI to ensure security measures are met and data portals are available and functioning. The program will need to liaison with the private firearms training and sales industry to ensure that data can be efficiently submitted and retrieved from the database. Finally, the Coordinator must work to ensure the public has the ability to participate in the program, answer questions and provide excellent customer service to Colorado’s citizens.

Administration
Will oversee all contracts, budgeting, vendor relationships and other agreements required to run and maintain the Firearms Safety Program for CPW. It will need to coordinate with FBI and CBI contacts to ensure any administrative requirements and protocol are met

The program will likely be required to provide annual legislative reports, reports for the Parks and Wildlife Commission, and maintain accurate records that will be available for sheriffs offices, the Colorado Bureau of Investigation and coordinate with CPW’s Hunter Education Program. Under the direction of this position, the program will need to develop appropriate rules and regulations for the Parks and Wildlife Commission to administer firearms safety training within the standards set out by SB25-003.

Additionally, the program will need to liaise with private firearms instructors and will have some level of involvement in delivering curriculum to certified instructors, accepting rosters and class information from instructors, and ensuring the all applicable materials and course requirements are up to date and available.

Fiscal Planning/Budgeting and Evaluation
Under the provisions of SB25-003, CPW will have the authority to set program fees to cover the expenses generated by the agency to run and maintain the program. A careful analysis will need to be made on an annual basis to determine the appropriate fee level, including any adjustments made through the Parks and Wildlife rules making process.

Other duties as assigned

Minimum Qualifications
Eight (8) years of relevant experience in Firearms safety, firearms training, program development, government operations, law enforcement, rules and regulations development or occupation related to the work assigned to this position
OR
A combination of related education in Program Management, Policy and planning, Criminal Justice, Business Operations and/or relevant experience in an occupation related to the work assigned equal to Eight (8) years

Substitutions

• Additional appropriate education will substitute for the required experience on a year-for-year basis.
  
  

• Current or former State experience relevant to this position
• Current or former Colorado Parks and Wildlife experience
• Current or retired POST certified law enforcement officer
• Conflict Resolver
• Effective escalator
• Empathetic
• Creative
• Positivity
• Flexibility
  
  

Required Competencies

• Organizational and time management skills
• Strong level of written and oral communication skills
• Strong multi tasking skills

Conditions of Employment

• State of Colorado residency is required at the time of application.
• Must possess and maintain a valid state of Colorado driver's license if operating a State vehicle.
• Pre-employment background check, secret or higher level federal clearances may be necessary
• Pre-employment Drug Testing
• Required to work variable hours and work/respond based on need, not schedule.
• Hybrid work schedule available but the position will be offices at 6060 Broadway in Denver, CO (CPW Headquarters)
• Former State employees who were disciplinarily terminated or resigned in lieu of termination must disclose the information on the application and provide an explanation why the prior termination or resignation should not disqualify their application from the current position. (Please Note: Absent extraordinary circumstances, prior disciplinary termination or resignation in lieu of termination will
  disqualify the applicant from future State employment with DNR).

APPEAL RIGHTS:

It is recommended that you contact the Human Resources Specialist listed below to resolve issues related to your possession of minimum qualifications. However, if you receive notice that you have been eliminated from consideration for this position, you may file an appeal with the State Personnel Board or request a review by the State Personnel Director.

An appeal or review must be submitted on the official appeal form, signed by you or your representative. This form must be delivered to the State Personnel Board by email (dpa_state.personnelboard@state.co.us), postmarked in US Mail or hand delivered (1525 Sherman Street, 4th Floor, Denver CO 80203), or faxed (303.866.5038) within ten (10) calendar days from your receipt of notice or acknowledgement of the department’s action.

For more information about the appeals process, the official appeal form, and how to deliver it to the State Personnel Board; go to spb.colorado.gov; contact the State Personnel Board for assistance at (303) 866-3300; or refer to 4 Colorado Code of Regulations (CCR) 801-1, State Personnel Board Rules and Personnel Director's Administrative Procedures, Chapter 8, Resolution of Appeals and Disputes, at spb.colorado.gov under Rules.

The Assessment Process

• All applications received by the closing of this announcement will be reviewed by an HR Specialist against the Minimum Qualifications in this announcement.
• Colorado Revised Statutes require that state employees are hired and promoted based on merit and fitness through a comparative analysis process. Part of, or all of, the comparative analysis for this position will be a structured application review by Subject Matter Experts.
• Resumes, cover letters and other attachments are not considered as part of initial reviews, therefore, it is important to document in your application your education, experience, minimum qualifications, and preferred qualifications as outlined in the job announcement.
• Please thoroughly answer all supplemental questions (if listed) since question responses may be evaluated for content, writing ability, spelling, grammar, and effective communication.
• This recruitment may involve additional testing and/or exams to arrive at the top group for interviews.

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.

The Department of Natural Resources 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 Coordinator, at dnr_hr_employeebenefits@state.co.us

ADAAA Accommodations
Any person with a disability as defined by the ADA Amendments Act of 2008 (ADAAA) may be provided a reasonable accommodation upon request to enable the person to complete an employment assessment. To request accommodation, please contact our Benefits Specialist at dnr_hr_employeebenefits@state.co.us at least five business days before the date that any accommodation will be required to allow us to evaluate your request and prepare for the accommodation. You may be asked to provide additional information, including medical documentation, regarding functional limitations and type of accommodation needed. Please ensure that you have this information available well in advance of the assessment date.

E-Verify

DNR uses e-Verify, an Internet-based system, to confirm the eligibility of all newly hired employees to work in the United States. Learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities.

Toll–Free Applicant Support - Technical Help

If you experience technical difficulty with the NEOGOV system (e.g. uploading or attaching documents to your online application) call NEOGOV at 855-524-5627, Mon-Fri between 6 am and 6 pm (Pacific Time). The Human Resources Office will be unable to assist with technical issues.