Summary
Description
Peak Consulting Group is a woman-owned environmental and transportation planning firm based in Lakewood, Colorado, working on major infrastructure projects for clients including CDOT, RTD, FHWA, FTA, and Denver International Airport. We're a small, senior team, which means the people who work here operate with real independence, direct access to firm leadership, and genuine ownership over high-visibility work.
This role is anchored on a large, fast-moving transportation project requiring active, multi-stakeholder public engagement across federal agencies, a major infrastructure client, and diverse community constituencies. You'll be Peak's day-to-day coordination point for that project's engagement program: running team meetings, directing a multi-firm communications effort, and preparing senior staff to walk into client and community meetings fully ready. The remaining time supports engagement work on other active planning projects and Peak's business development efforts.
Success in this role looks like a public engagement program that runs on schedule without close oversight, deliverables that are client-ready the first time, and a growing reputation, both internally and with Peak's partners, as the person who makes complex, multi-firm engagement work look organized. This is not a support role. You will own your work from brief to delivery and report directly to Peak's Principal.
At Peak, we are looking for candidates with varied backgrounds and worldviews. Diverse ideas come from diverse people, and we are committed to offering an inclusive work environment where everyone feels valued and respected. Statistics show that women and underrepresented groups are less likely to apply for a position if they don't meet 100% of the qualifications. If this statement resonates with you, don't be so hard on yourself. Apply for the job!
Responsibilities
- Run the weekly engagement team coordination meeting: own the agenda, facilitate, track action items, and follow up with subconsultant team members to keep deliverables on track.
- Serve as Peak's day-to-day contact with the subconsultant communications team, directing their work, reviewing deliverables before they go to the client, and holding the team accountable to scope and schedule.
- Develop content for public-facing materials, including boards, fact sheets, briefing books, and outreach collateral, and direct in-house and subconsultant design resources on layout and production.
- Build briefing packages and prepare senior staff for client meetings, agency coordination sessions, and community meetings, anticipating questions rather than simply assembling slides.
- Maintain a clear deliverable tracker across the full subconsultant and production team.
- Produce Peak's direct deliverables, including monthly newsletters and progress summaries, open house materials and post-event reporting, agency coordination records, targeted engagement plans, and updates to the Key Messaging Manual, Multicultural Outreach Plan, and Public Involvement Plan.
- Lead public involvement and stakeholder coordination on additional CDOT, RTD, and DEN on-call projects as they arise, independently on smaller efforts and in support of the Peak principal on more complex programs.
- Develop credible, specific public engagement approaches for competitive proposals and serve as Peak's subject matter expert when prime contractors bring the firm in for its engagement capability.
- Help build Peak's relationships with primes and subconsultants across the regional transportation and planning industry.
Qualifications
Required:
- 6+ years leading public engagement, public involvement, or community outreach on complex planning projects; transportation, infrastructure, environmental review, or community planning backgrounds are all relevant.
- Demonstrated experience coordinating a multi-firm or multi-partner project team, including directing others' work and holding a team accountable to quality and schedule in a fast-paced environment.
- Strong, independent writing skills across public-facing communications, engagement documentation, and technical planning content.
- Demonstrated ability to run recurring coordination meetings end-to-end, from agenda through facilitation, action tracking, and follow-up.
- A visual communication sensibility: you know what a clean, public-friendly document looks like and can give graphics staff specific, actionable direction. Working professional-level familiarity with InDesign, Canva, or equivalent.
Strongly preferred:
- Experience on federally funded transportation or infrastructure projects with NEPA public involvement requirements (FHWA, FTA, FAA, or similar).
- Colorado DOT, RTD, or Denver-region project experience.
- Experience developing public engagement approaches for competitive proposals, particularly as a specialty subconsultant.
- Multicultural outreach experience, including materials and events for communities where English is not the primary language.
- Familiarity with airport access, corridor planning, or multi-modal infrastructure contexts.
Nice to have:
- AICP certification or active pursuit.
- Environmental justice analysis and engagement experience.
- Bilingual (English/Spanish).
Peak Consulting Group is an equal opportunity employer. We are a woman-owned, DBE/WBE/ESB/EBE/SBE-certified firm and strongly encourage applications from candidates of all backgrounds.
To apply, send a resume, a brief cover letter describing your public engagement experience, and one writing sample to josh.sidon@peakconsultingco.com with the subject line "Engagement Specialist – [Your Name]."
