Head of Product - Colorado Benefits Eligibility and Enrollment Systems (CoBEES)

Salary : $157,000.00 - $185,000.00 Annually
Location : Denver Metro, CO
Job Type: Full Time
Job Number: IHA 70035 10/9/2026
Department: Colorado Department of Human Services
Division: Community Partnerships
Opening Date: 10/09/2026
FLSA: Determined by Position
Primary Physical Work Address: Department of Human Services 1575 Sherman St.Denver, CO 80203
FLSA Status: Exempt; position is not eligible for overtime compensation.
Department Contact Information:
Type of Announcement: This announcement is not governed by the selection processes of the classified personnel system. Applications will be considered from residents and non-residents of Colorado.
How To Apply: Please submit an online application for this position at https://www.governmentjobs.com/careers/colorado. Reach out to the Department Contact to apply using a paper application, including any supplemental questions. Failure to submit a complete and timely application may result in the rejection of your application. Applicants are responsible for ensuring that application materials are received by the appropriate Human Resources office before the closing date and time listed.

Department Information
This position is open to residents and non-residents of Colorado. If appointed to a position,

applicants from outside of Colorado will be required to relocate to Colorado before their start date.

Please Note: This posting will be open until filled!!!

Weekly Hybrid Working Arrangements

Minimum 2 days In Office and Maximum 3 days Remote Work

Please note: These working arrangements are subject to change.
Description of Job
CoBEES what is it?

The Colorado Benefits Eligibility and Enrollment Systems (CoBEES) is a cross-agency portfolio of information technology systems, subsystems, applications, interfaces, training, and communications managed and maintained by the State of Colorado to deliver access to public assistance and medical coverage programs for Coloradans. The CoBEES portfolio includes the Colorado Benefits Management System (CBMS), Program Eligibility and Application Kit (PEAK), PEAK Pro, Electronic Document Management System (EDMS), MyColorado Benefits, and the Joint Agency Interoperability (JAI) program. CoBEES supports multiple state departments-operating through a collaborative governance and product operating model between the Colorado Department of Human Services (CDHS) and the Colorado Department of Health Care Policy and Financing (HCPF)-to administer critical state benefits such as Medicaid, Child Health Plan Plus (CHP+), SNAP, WIC, and TANF. The principal users of these systems include county benefit eligibility technicians, state program administrators, and program participants across Colorado.
What will you be doing?

The Head of Product (HOP) serves as the executive product and portfolio leader for the CoBEES portfolio, establishing and executing the technology and product vision for the systems that enable county workers to administer public benefits to Coloradans. Leading a joint CDHS-HCPF-CDEC-OIT product management organization, the HOP oversees day-to-day product ownership of systems including CBMS, PEAK, and Joint Agency Interoperability (JAI). This position works in close partnership with CDHS's Business, Innovation, Technology, Security Division (BITS), HCPF's Health Information Office (HIO), the Governor's Office of Information Technology (OIT), and contracted vendor partners to ensure CoBEES technologies support end users while advancing product management maturity and best practices across the portfolio. This position provides direct supervisory oversight of the CBMS, PEAK, and JAI product teams and serves as a collaborative executive partner with senior leaders across both departments, including HCPF's Medicaid Chief Operations Officer and Deputy Director of the Health Information Office, as well as CDHS's Office Director for Economic Security and Office Director of Infrastructure, to ensure coordinated governance and strategic direction of CoBEES. The HOP serves as the day-to-day executive accountable for the CoBEES portfolio. Housed within CDHS, the position reports directly to the CDHS Deputy Executive Director of Community Partnerships (who serves as the appointing authority) and a dotted line reporting relationship with the Health Information Office (HIO) Deputy Director at HCPF. The HOP maintains joint accountability to the Executive Directors of both CDHS and HCPF. Strategic governance for the portfolio is provided in collaboration with executive leadership and cross-departmental governance bodies, including the Executive Steering Committee (ESC).
Job duties include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Leads the development, implementation, and ongoing management of the CoBEES vision, product strategy, technology roadmap, and investment priorities across near-, mid-, and long-term initiatives.
• Provides executive leadership, direction, and direct supervisory oversight to the CoBEES product management organization, including the CBMS, PEAK, and JAI product teams.
• Partners directly with CDHS BITS and HCPF HIO to align CoBEES product strategies and roadmaps with department technology strategies, enterprise architecture, and IT governance.
• Oversees vendor partners, contracts, and service delivery alongside CDHS BITS and HCPF Medicaid Operations, evaluating vendor capability assessments, tracking performance, and ensuring investments align with strategic portfolio goals.
• Facilitates cross-agency governance among CDHS, HCPF, Colorado Department of Early Childhood (CDEC), OIT, county partners, and external stakeholders to align priorities and resolve competing operational demands.
• Directs concurrent modernization and optimization workstreams across CoBEES, identifying dependencies, managing technical debt, and pursuing shared services and common platforms.
• Defines enterprise performance metrics, key performance indicators (KPIs), and user experience analytics to monitor system performance, inform investment decisions, and fulfill state and federal requirements.
• Oversees CoBEES resource allocation, budget planning, procurement activities, and financial accountability across partner agencies.
  Serves as the primary executive bridge to OIT through BITS and HIO, holding OIT accountable for service levels, disaster recovery, incident response, and infrastructure resiliency.
• Standardizes product management operating models, user research, stakeholder engagement, change management, and adoption planning to ensure smooth operational transitions for county workers and benefit recipients.
• Serves as the executive point of contact for legislative, media, and public inquiries related to the CoBEES portfolio.

Minimum Qualifications, Substitutions, Conditions of Employment & Appeal Rights

Important Note: Please review your application to ensure completion. For the most equitable applicant experience, HR considers only the contents of your application to determine meeting minimum qualifications and for the comparative analysis process. Experience is calculated on a full-time equivalency basis, therefore, it is important to accurately notate the hours you averaged per experience section entry. Volunteer work or related type of experience may be used to meet the qualifications but must be clearly documented. It is paramount that in the experience portion of the application, the applicant describes the extent to which they possess the education, experience, competencies and background as they relate to the duties outlined in the job announcement.
Minimum qualifications:

• At least ten years of professional and leadership experience in a technology-related role, ideally product management, software engineering, user research, or other technical roles. Alternatively, candidates with extensive executive-level operational and leadership experience directing large-scale, complex enterprise or public-sector systems will also be considered.

~OR~
Education and Experience:

• Bachelor's degree in a technology-related discipline; or related field;
• AND at least five years of professional and leadership experience in a technology-related role, ideally product management, software engineering, user research, or other technical roles.

Substitutions:

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

Preferred Qualifications:

• At least 10 years of experience as a Product Manager in complex environments; extensive experience with service delivery and customer satisfaction; relevant experience in an IT applications/solutions delivery role.
• At least 5 years of experience in a leadership role managing technology teams or multiple simultaneous projects.
• Experience in working in cross-functional teams and working with parallel product teams in developing and delivering software.
• Use of measurement tools or frameworks to track product performance.
• Experience in delivering iterative application improvements, prototypes, and pilots in an agile way.
• Experience working across in-house engineering, user research, and 3rd party platform and contractor teams to deliver a human services related product.

Conditions of Employment:
The successful candidate in this position must be willing and available to submit to the following conditions:

• Must be willing to submit to and able to successfully pass a criminal background check.
• This position will have to travel to conduct job duties.
• Out-of-State Driver's License holders must obtain a valid, non-restricted Colorado Driver's License within 30 days of employment start date.
• Former State employees who were disciplinarily terminated or resigned in lieu of termination must:
  • Disclose that information on the application.
  • Explain why the prior termination or resignation should not disqualify you from the current position.
  • Provide your employee number from your prior State employment. Absent extraordinary circumstances, prior disciplinary termination or resignation in lieu of termination and failure to provide this information will disqualify the applicant from future State employment with CDHS.

CDHS Selection Process Explanation:

• Employment history is calculated on a full-time basis (40/hrs per week). Part-time employment is calculated on a prorated basis to determine qualifications. Be sure your application specifically addresses your qualifications, experience, work products, and accomplishments as they relate to the position and minimum requirements.

Minimum Qualification Screening Process:

• A Human Resources Analyst will review the work experience/job duties sections of the online job application to determine whether your experience meets the minimum qualifications for the position. You must complete the official State of Colorado online application. Cover letters and resumes WILL NOT be reviewed during the minimum qualifications screening process. You must specifically document your work experience and qualifications in the application form. Do not use "see resume" or "see attached."
• You must meet the minimum qualifications to continue in the selection process. Part-time work experience will be prorated.

Comparative Analysis Process - Structured Application Review:

• After minimum qualification screening, the comparative analysis process will involve reviewing and rating of all the information you submit. The comparative analysis step may also include your results from standardized testing.

Your Work Experience/Job Duties:

• Document your work experience/job duties to the extent to which you possess the skills, education, experience, minimum qualifications, and preferred qualifications.
• If listed, answer all supplemental questions as your answers to these questions will be evaluated during this phase. Provide at least 4-8 sentences for each supplemental question.

Supplemental Questions :

• Answer the supplemental questions completely and thoughtfully. We will rate your answers based on the content of your response and your writing skills (spelling, grammar, and clarity of your writing).

Supplemental Information
How to Apply

The Assessment Process

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