ARIZONA OFFICE OF ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY

1400 West Washington Street

Phoenix, AZ 85007

Salary: $75,000 - $85,000 

Grade: 22

This position will remain open until business needs are met

The Policy, Planning, and Project Manager serves as a key strategic link between executive leadership, financial operations, and program execution. Reporting to the Agency Deputy Director, the role translates the agency’s mission into clear, measurable actions.

Working closely with budget and financial teams, the position ensures policy initiatives are fiscally sustainable and aligned with the agency’s 5-year strategic plan.

During the legislative session, the role partners with the legislative liaison to analyze proposed laws for operational impact and strategic alignment.

This position may be available for remote work within Arizona (2 days per week in the office/hoteling).

• Assist Agency Leadership with managing all aspects of the agency's 5-Year Strategic Plan by coordinating the development, implementation, and annual refresh of the agency’s long-term strategic goals. Manage the agency's Strategic Plan Scorecard by maintaining the agency’s performance metrics with the dashboard to track progress toward 5-year outcomes and annual objectives, ensuring transparency in meeting stated goals and other assigned metric tracking as assigned. Utilize scorecard data to identify underperforming areas/objectives and lead process-improvement projects to drive operational efficiency.

• Assist with managing cross-agency continuous improvement efforts in alignment with the Arizona Management System (AMS) and lead initiatives to enhance agency efficiency with AMS, including AMS agency and team assessments.

• Act as a central hub for policy development and analysis, ensuring all agency divisions are aligned. Lead the project management effort to integrate new programs/mandates into the agency's existing policy framework and assist with implementation. Synthesize and translate complex agency data, technical reports, and statutory requirements into accessible Agency Fact Sheets and develop and maintain a standardized suite of informational materials that define the agency’s mission, core services, and 5-year strategic goals to ensure consistent messaging across all divisions.

• Lead the development of white papers & briefing books with research and other high-level briefing materials for Agency Leadership to support executive decision-making and public testimony. Create tailored informational packages or “stakeholder toolkits” for local government partners, advocacy groups, and the public to explain the impact of agency policy changes or state programs.

• Partner with the Financial Operations team to ensure budget requests are directly tied to strategic plan priorities. Analyze the cost-effectiveness of new policy proposals and major agency projects. Develop systems to monitor adherence to state/federal regulations, audit findings, and executive orders. Serve as a central hub for Agency compliance and reporting life cycle. Manage a Master Compliance Calendar, which involves developing and maintaining a centralized dashboard of all federal, state, and internal reporting deadlines.

• The role will work collaboratively with respective agency managers to ensure that all reports are completed and submitted in a timely manner. Furthermore, the role is responsible for strict document control, ensuring that all final reports submitted to external agencies are archived and easily accessible for future reference or comparative analysis.

• Assist with organization and response management for audits and requests. The position coordinates with programmatic staff, ensuring they provide the necessary files within the required timeframes. To facilitate this, the incumbent proactively maintains and organizes evidence throughout the year, compiling files such as meeting minutes, policy memos, and signed agreements, so that documentation is readily available when an audit or request commences.

• Assist with establishing the fundamental framework of the organization by developing, refining, and maintaining comprehensive policies and procedures. Rather than simply documenting tasks, this role ensures that organizational workflows are standardized, transparent, and aligned with strategic goals by translating complex operational requirements into clear, actionable guidance. Through a continuous cycle of cross-functional collaboration and periodic reviews, the position identifies procedural gaps, mitigates operational risk, and integrates modern efficiencies to ensure that internal protocols remain current. By creating a reliable roadmap for consistent execution, this role provides the structure necessary to maintain organizational integrity and foster long-term operational excellence.

Knowledge:

• Full range of complex management functions of a responsible and confidential nature

• Comprehensive knowledge of agency rules, regulations, policies, and procedures

• Comprehensive knowledge of programs administered by the agency

• Federal and state laws governing agency programs

• Principles and practices of public administration

Skills:

• Managing and balancing various management and administrative functions and presenting information on complex issues and ideas clearly and effectively, both orally and in writing

• Gathering, organizing, and summarizing information and data from varied sources, creating and maintaining comprehensive reports

• Reading, understanding, and interpreting complex federal, state, agency, and legislative rules, laws, policies, and procedures

• Initiating and maintaining complex and difficult working relationships with a diverse group of staff

• Composition of policy, procedures, correspondence, issues, and position papers

• Planning, analyzing, and coordinating activities

• Establishing priorities

Abilities:

• Respond to internal and external customers with tact, diplomacy, accuracy, and appropriate and timely information

• Identify and analyze organizational and/or procedural problems and determine effective solutions

• Create, maintain, and complete special projects and reports with accuracy and timeliness

• Interact with other agencies, outside representatives, and community groups/leaders

• Review state regulations and interpret the intent for application purposes

• Analyze state regulations for the development of policy and procedures

• Coach, counsel, mentor, listen, and lead in a fast-paced environment

• Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university with major coursework in Public Administration, Public Policy, Business Administration, or a related field

• Four (4) years of increasingly responsible professional experience in the areas of government, public policy, or public administration

• Experience working in a public agency is preferred

The State of Arizona offers a comprehensive benefits package, including:

• Sick leave

• Retirement plan

• Health and dental insurance

• Vacation with 10 paid holidays per year

• Life insurance and long-term disability insurance

• Optional employee benefits include short-term disability insurance, deferred compensation plans, and supplemental life insurance

• Learn more about the Paid Parental Leave pilot program here. For a complete list of benefits provided by The State of Arizona, please visit our benefits page

• Positions in this classification participate in the Arizona State Retirement System (ASRS)

• Please note, enrollment eligibility will become effective after 27 weeks of employment

• If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Mariem Ly at mariem.ly@oeo.az.gov