1400 West Washington Street

Phoenix, AZ 85007

Salary: $56,098 - $80,000 

Grade: 23

Closing Date: October 2, 2026 (first review of resumes September 24)

The Education & Healthcare Sector Program Specialist serves as a strategic operational lead and connector bridging rural healthcare employers, academic institutions, and community organizations. Operating with a heavy emphasis on program oversight, subaward compliance, and operational execution, this position manages grant requirements, drives the expansion of clinical placements, aligns educational curricula with healthcare industry standards, and ensures robust reporting across workforce initiatives.

*Disclaimer - Arizona’s Rural Health Transformation Program is supported by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as a part of a financial assistance award totaling $166,988,955.92 with 100 percent funded by CMS/HHS. The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor endorsement, by CMS/HHS, or the U.S. Government.

This position may offer the ability to work remotely, within Arizona, based upon the department's business needs and continual meeting of expected performance measures.

The State of Arizona strives for a work culture that affords employees flexibility, autonomy, and trust. Across our many agencies, boards, and commissions, many State employees participate in the State’s Remote Work Program and are able to work remotely in their homes, in offices, and in hoteling spaces. All work, including remote work, should be performed within Arizona unless an exception is properly authorized in advance.

• Program Oversight & Grant Compliance Management: Drive operational management and monitoring of provider-oriented subawards, grant requirements, and program protocols. Track grantee milestones, support subaward reporting deadlines, evaluate overall program effectiveness, and implement corrective workflows for non-compliance.
• Healthcare & Academic Partnership Development: Cultivate and maintain active partnerships across rural healthcare provider systems (hospitals, clinics, FQHCs, acute care facilities) and educational leadership (administrators, faculty) to continuously align academic offerings with real-time regional labor market demand.
• Work-Based Learning & Experiential Coordination: Catalog, expand, and manage internships, apprenticeships, clinical rotations, and GME opportunities. Facilitate effective coordination between clinical sites and education providers to maximize experiential learning placements based on licensure requirements.
• Data Analysis, Reporting & System Design: Collect, analyze, and report on labor market trends, provider staffing profiles, student placement outcomes, and program efficiency metrics. Collaborate with community partners to establish operational procedures to serve and report on grant-identified priority populations.
• Curriculum Alignment & Student Pathways: Partner with faculty to align CTE pathways and academic programs with industry certification standards and scope-of-practice guidelines. Support institutional efforts to streamline student transitions into healthcare careers and work-based learning opportunities.
• Outreach & Stakeholder Engagement: Represent the AZ RHT Workforce program at career fairs, industry panels, and advisory meetings, providing unified program representation from both employer and educational perspectives.
• Other duties as assigned as related to the position

Knowledge of:
• Program Management & Oversight: Demonstrated expertise in end-to-end program management, subaward compliance monitoring, stakeholder management, operational oversight, cross-functional project execution, and regulatory reporting procedures.
• Public Policy & Regulatory Frameworks: Strong knowledge of public policy, federal and state grant management frameworks, and healthcare workforce initiative guidelines.
• Workforce & Educational Systems: In-depth knowledge of regional labor market trends, stackable credential models, CTE pathways, and secondary/post-secondary educational systems.

Skill in:
• Systems Proficiency: Proficiency in CRM systems, database management tools, Google Apps, and Microsoft Office Suite.

Ability to:
• Leadership & Executive Engagement: Advanced project management, strategic planning, public speaking, and facilitation skills to effectively lead program initiatives and engage health system executives, grant partners, and academic leaders.

• Bachelor’s degree in Education, Human Resources, Business Administration or other relevant field of study

If this position requires driving or the use of a vehicle as an essential function of the job to conduct State business, then the following requirements apply: Driver’s License Requirements.

All newly hired State employees are subject to and must successfully complete the Electronic Employment Eligibility Verification Program (E-Verify).

The State of Arizona offers a comprehensive benefits package to include:
• 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
• For a complete list of benefits provided by The State of Arizona, please visit our benefits page

By providing the option of a full-time or part-time remote work schedule, employees enjoy improved work/life balance, report higher job satisfaction, and are more productive. Remote work is a management option and not an employee entitlement or right. An agency may terminate a remote work agreement at its discretion.

Learn more about the Paid Parental Leave 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).
*NOTE - Enrollment eligibility in ASRS 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