Colorado State Patrol Emergency Dispatch Services Director.
About the Work Unit
The mission of the Colorado State Patrol is to ensure a safe and secure environment for all persons by utilizing the strengths of its members and providing professional law enforcement services that reflect honor, duty, and respect. Through high visibility, strict enforcement, maximum resource deployment, and community education, the CSP promotes safety, protects lives, and preserves state highways. The CSP Communications Branch provides 24/7/365 emergency public safety communications to designated federal, state, and local agencies within Colorado. The Branch provides and manages the resources to accomplish this task.
Work Environment
- 100% In-person position
- Primarily 8:00 am – 5:00 pm work hours, Monday-Friday
- On-call after hours during critical incidents, technology upgrades, etc.
- Approximately 75% spent in the office, 25% spent traveling in the field
- Occasional overnight travel throughout Colorado
- Required to operate CDPS vehicles at times
About the Role
The Emergency Dispatch Services Director will serve as a mission-driven leader for the Colorado State Patrol (CSP). This executive leadership position oversees statewide public safety communications center operations, drives strategic direction, and manages critical technology and financial resources. The ideal candidate will combine deep operational experience in Public Safety Answering Points (PSAPs) with proven executive leadership, high integrity, and a collaborative approach to serving internal personnel and statewide public safety partners.
Key Responsibilities
- Executive Leadership & Strategy: Establish organizational structure, set long- and short-term strategic work plans, and lead change management initiatives across state emergency communications operations.
- Operational Oversight: Direct public safety communication centers, ensuring compliance with state/federal laws, department policies, and Next Generation 911 (NG911) technical standards.
- Fiscal Administration: Oversee large, complex operating budgets, financial planning, contracting, procurement, and resource allocation.
- Stakeholder & Team Alignment: Build high-performance, transparent work cultures; foster collaborative relationships with other local PSAPs, statewide law enforcement, and emergency response partners; and navigate multi-agency consensus-building.
Minimum Qualifications
Proven Experience, Knowledge, Skills
Ten (10) years of progressively responsible leadership experience in the public safety and emergency communications field, which must include both of the following:
- Five (5) years of organizational leadership experience directly managing public safety communication center(s).
- Five (5) years of demonstrated professional experience in policy development, strategic planning, and budget management.
- At least two (2) years of experience with public or business administration, establishing goals and objectives, as well as developing and managing a budget to achieve program goals and objectives.
Note: This experience must be clearly documented on your application and the supplemental questions must be answered.
OR Education And Experience
A combination of related education and/or relevant experience in the public safety and emergency communications field equal to ten (10) years, two (2) of which must have included experience with public or business administration, establishing goals and objectives, as well as developing and managing a budget to achieve program goals and objectives.
Note: This experience must be clearly documented on your application and the supplemental questions must be answered.
Preferred Qualifications and Certifications
The ideal candidate will demonstrate an active commitment to standard-setting bodies in public safety communications—specifically the Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials (APCO) and the National Emergency Number Association (NENA). While holding all certifications is not required, active possession of, or demonstrated familiarity with, any of the following professional credentials is highly preferred:
- Emergency Number Professional (ENP) (NENA): Comprehensive knowledge across PSAP management, operational procedures, technical infrastructure, legal issues, and NG911 standards.
- Certified Public-Safety Executive (CPE) (APCO): Advanced expertise in executive leadership theories, organizational dynamics, change management, and strategic decision-making.
- Registered Public-Safety Leader (RPL) (APCO): Proven skill in leading teams, interpersonal negotiation, executing agency projects, and building high-performance cultures.
- Center Manager Certification Program (CMCP) (NENA): Focused mastery in center operations, human resources, budget oversight, quality assurance, and stress management in a PSAP environment.
Required Competencies
- Leadership & Integrity: Advanced leadership abilities with a mission-driven approach, high personal integrity, and a genuine concern for team well-being.
- Change Management & Problem Solving: Demonstrated capability to assess complex organizational needs, lead strategic change, navigate high-stakes decisions, and resolve challenges transparently.
- Collaboration & Stakeholder Engagement: Proven ability to build consensus, negotiate effectively, gather input from diverse stakeholders, and represent the agency publicly.
- Fiscal Management: Mastery of large-scale public safety budgeting, financial management, contracting, and procurement processes.
- Strategic Vision: Skill in interpreting and applying complex state/federal regulations, analyzing policy, and translating agency mission into actionable, measurable outcomes.
Conditions of Employment
- Must be a Colorado resident at the time of application
- Requires successful completion of a background investigation that includes a polygraph exam, a fingerprint based criminal history search, reference checking, driving history and drug test.
Pay
Anticipated Hiring Range: $11,000 - $12,500/month; $132,000 - $150,000/year
Full Salary Range: $8,898 - $14,238/month; $106,776 - $170,856/year
Benefits
- Medical and dental options available for permanent employees and their dependents
- Short and long-term disability coverage
- Life insurance that includes legal resources and discounts; Basic Life and AD&D insurance equal to annual earnings (min $50,000, max $250,000) provided at no cost to employees
- Wellness Program (State of Health) with personalized health coaching, skill groups, and $20/month health insurance premium discount
- Discounts through BenefitHub from retailers, restaurants, travel and entertainment venues
- State contribution into a Health Savings Account when enrolled in a High Deductible Health Plan
- Access to medical leave under FMLA and the State of Colorado FAMLI Program
- Eligibility for hybrid or other flexible work arrangements based on the nature of the role
- Retirement benefits including mandatory PERA Defined Benefit Plan or PERA Defined Contribution Plan, plus optional 401K and 457 plans
- 11 paid holidays annually, accrued annual and sick leave, and four annual wellness days
- Employee Assistance Program (C-SEAP) offering short-term counseling, referrals, resources, training, and organizational development services
- Tuition reimbursement and reduced college tuition at CSU Global and DeVry University
- Credit Union of Colorado membership eligibility