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Program Manager, External Strategies (hybrid)

AZ Blue Phoenix, AZ 85021, United States of America

Awarded a Healthiest Employer, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona aims to fulfill its mission to inspire health and make it easy. AZ Blue offers a variety of health insurance products and services to meet the diverse needs of individuals, families, and small and large businesses as well as providing information and tools to help individuals make better health decisions.

At AZ Blue, we have a hybrid workforce strategy, called Workability, that offers flexibility with how and where employees work. Our positions are classified as hybrid, onsite or remote. While the majority of our employees are hybrid, the following classifications drive our current minimum onsite requirements:

  • Hybrid People Leaders: must reside in AZ, required to be onsite at least twice per week

  • Hybrid Individual Contributors: must reside in AZ, unless otherwise cited within this posting, required to be onsite at least once per week

  • Hybrid 2 (Operational Roles such as but not limited to: Customer Service, Claims Processors, and Correspondence positions): must reside in AZ, unless otherwise cited within this posting, required to be onsite at least once per month

  • Onsite: daily onsite requirement based on the essential functions of the job

  • Remote: not held to onsite requirements, however, leadership can request presence onsite for business reasons including but not limited to staff meetings, one-on-ones, training, and team building

Please note that onsite requirements may change in the future, based on business need, and job responsibilities. Most employees should expect onsite requirements and at a minimum of once per week.

This position is hybrid within the state of AZ only. This hybrid work opportunity requires residency, and work to be performed, within the State of Arizona.

PURPOSE OF THE JOB

Responsible for working closely with the GM and executive leaders to improve health outcomes for all members. This position will define and manage projects that focus on working and coordinating with external stakeholders to identify best practices and risks to achieve the segment’s objectives and business strategy. This role requires extensive program planning, management, and evaluation skills to ensure stakeholder initiatives are aligned with the business’s strategic goals. It also requires strong interpersonal and communication skills in order to manage and build strong partnerships in service of helping the organization achieve its strategic priorities.  This will require working with other project managers, product owners, and IT staff throughout the delivery life cycle from preplanning to program closure.  The programs are complex, require development across multiple systems and collaboration across multiple divisions within BCBSAZ.

QUALIFICATIONS

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

Required Work Experience

  • 5 years of experience managing large-scale, complex business projects
  • 3-5 years of program management experience
  • 3 years of experience working with Arizona’s state health care program, AHCCCS

Required Education

  • Bachelor’s  degree in Business, Heath Care, Public Administration or related field.

Required Licenses

  • Valid Arizona Drivers’ License and clean driving record

Required Certifications

  • N/A

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

Preferred Work Experience

  • 10 years of experience managing large-scale, complex business projects
  • 5 years of program management experience
  • 5 years of experience working with Arizona’s state health care program, AHCCCS

Preferred Education

  • Master’s degree in business, Heath Care, Public Administration or related field.

Preferred Licenses

  • N/A

Preferred Certifications

  • Project Management Professional

ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS AND RESPONSIBILITIES

PROGRAM MANAGEMENT

Planning and Execution

  • Take ownership of program development, planning and execution
  • Develop and control program budget
  • Identify funding opportunities and build relationships with executives
  • Manage timely completion of program deliverables
  • Ensure quality (fit for purpose) and accuracy of program work outcomes
  • Manage program risk
  • Drive quick resolution for problems and roadblocks
  • Develop and maintain a program schedule with milestones
  • Report program status including progress, productivity, issues, risks, success metrics and quality metrics
  • Identify and implement process improvements that reduce cycle times, hours of effort, improve speed to market delivery and reduce administrative cost

Communication & Relationship Management

  • Serve as a liaison between executives
  • Manage program communication
  • Coordinate and facilitate program meetings
  • Prepare and present overall Program Status in various meetings and where needed, adjust content as needed to support effective communication with executive leadership team
     

Project Oversight within the Program

  • Provide oversight for projects under the program umbrella
  • Ensure that projects are aligned with program goals and objectives
  • Lead project managers to achieve desired program outcomes
  • Mentor project managers
  • Monitor individual project’s health and step in when a project goes offtrack
  • Lead teams to achieve quick resolution for project issues
  • Provide transparency to project teams into the program and enterprise context of their respective projects

Governance

  • Manage governance at the program level
  • Ensure that projects are compliant with governance processes
  • Ensure the quick resolution of governance-related program and project issues
  • Maintain high visibility at governance meetings and represent the team well
  • Actively monitor governance processes and escalate appropriate issues important to the program
  • Review relevant production and operating policies to use the most efficient processes  and determine tactical plans for improving processes and services

Alignment

  • Identify opportunities for synergy with other programs and initiatives
  • Align program with organizational goals and objectives
  • Contribute to strategic planning activities
  • Maintain current knowledge of developments in healthcare related industries, new technology in systems design and software, and project management techniques, methodology and software
  • Maintain project management standards used by BCBSAZ. These standards should reflect the Project Management Institute base standards

Quality Assurance

  • Validate and verify that program deliverables are fit for purpose
  • Develop and communicate program level success criteria and quality metrics
  • Apply continuous improvement best practices to optimize performance across the program value chain

Integration

  • Manage integration ensuring that program components integrate as required
  • Ensure that the program integrates required processes organization-wide
  • Promote shared approaches where they make sense

OVERALL

  • Participate in Medicaid Segment external stakeholder programs

  • The position has an onsite expectation of 1 day per week and requires a full-time work schedule. Full-time is defined as working at least 40 hours per week, plus any additional hours as requested or as needed to meet business requirements.

  • Perform all other duties as assigned

COMPETENCIES

REQUIRED COMPETENCIES

Required Job Skills

  • Intermediate PC proficiency
  • Intermediate proficiency in spreadsheet, database, project management, and word processing software
  • Advanced knowledge of project management principles, methodoogies, and implementation

Required Professional Competencies

  • Strong analytical skills to support independent and effective decisions
  • Ability to prioritize tasks and work with multiple priorities, sometimes under limited time constraints.
  • Perserverance in the face of resistance or setbacks.
  • Creativity and innovative problem-solving abilities
  • Effective interpersonal skills and ability to maintain positive working relationship with others.            
  • Verbal and written communication skills and the ability to interact professionally with a diverse group, executives, managers, and subject matter experts.
  • Systems research and analysis. Ability to write and present business documentation
  • Extensive experience and judgment necessary to plan and accomplish goals.
  • Knowledge of business requirements development and user acceptance testing.
  • Ability to maintain confidentiality and privacy
  • Analytical knowledge to generate reports based on available data and make decisions based on reported data
  • Ability to travel as job responsibilities necessitate with the state of Arizona

Required Leadership Experience and Competencies

  • Build synergy with a diverse team in an ever changing environment.
  • High standard of performance while pursuing aggressive goals
  • Principled leadership and sound business ethics

PREFERRED COMPETENCIES

Preferred Job Skills

  • Advanced PC proficiency
  • Intermediate knowledge of BCBSAZ applications

Preferred Professional Competencies

  • Impeccable program and project management skills
  • Solid technical ability and problem solving skills
  • knowledge of internal departments and operations
  • Strong technical documentation skills and a strong ability to translate technical concepts so that they are easily understood by laymen. 

Preferred Leadership Experience and Competencies

  • N/A

Our Commitment

AZ Blue does not discriminate in hiring or employment on the basis of race, ethnicity, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, protected veteran status or any other protected group.

Thank you for your interest in Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona.  For more information on our company, see azblue.com.  If interested in this position, please apply.

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