PERFORMANCE IMPROVEMENT SPECIALIST

Ali Aydi; Phoenix (AZ); Remote; USD 70,000 - 95,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

ASRS retirement

Paid holidays

Parental leave

Wellness plans

Job summary

Arizona Department of Economic Security (DES), Division of Developmental Disabilities, seeks a Performance Improvement Specialist to support data-driven decision making. The role emphasizes dashboards, analytics, and lean improvement across healthcare datasets.

The position is remote within Arizona, with options for in-office collaboration as needed, and requires strong data visualization and reporting skills to drive program performance and outcomes.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree preferred; one year within the Division may substitute for a degree.
• Experience with healthcare data, extracting, transforming, and cleaning data.
• Experience with developing/managing Google Sheets as data sources for BI dashboards.

Responsibilities

• Gathers, organizes and verifies data from multiple sources for projects.
• Develops performance dashboards, reporting, and data visualization for healthcare data.
• Track performance measures over time and identify areas for improvement.
• Develop and maintain interactive dashboards using Tableau for informed decision‑making.

Skills

Data analysis

Tableau

Google Sheets

Communication skills

Education

Bachelor’s degree preferred

Tools

Tableau

Job description

DES works with families, community organizations, advocates and state and federal partners to realize our collective vision: A thriving Arizona.

DES serves more than 3 million Arizonans. Our Mission is to strengthen individuals, families, and communities for a better quality of life.

PERFORMANCE IMPROVEMENT SPECIALIST

Job Location:

Address: Division of Developmental Disabilities (DDD)

4000 N. CENTRAL AVENUE, 4th FLOOR PHOENIX, ARIZONA 85012

Grade: 21

Closing Date: 11/4/2026

Job Summary:

Would you like to be part of an amazing team that makes Arizonans thrive? At the Arizona Department of Economic Security (DES) we strengthen individuals, families, and communities for a better quality of life. DES is looking for individuals who are committed to service, community, and teamwork. To learn more about DES please visit on the link to view ‘Our DES’ video. Come Join the DES Team!

The Department of Economic Security, Division of Developmental Disabilities (DDD), is seeking an experienced and highly motivated individual to join our team as a Performance Improvement Specialist. DDD provides individuals with developmental disabilities, and their families, services and supports that are flexible, high quality, and member driven. These services provide individuals with opportunities to exercise their rights and responsibilities of independent decision‑making and engagement in the community.

Applicants for this position cannot be licensed or certified by the DDD Office of Licensing Certification and Regulation, cannot have a principal interest in or have a spouse or close family with principal interest in a DDD Qualified Vendor Agreement, and cannot be employed or subcontracted by a DDD Qualified Vendor.

This position is available for remote work on a full-time basis within Arizona (including virtual office arrangements).
OR
This position may be available for remote work within Arizona (# days per week in the office/hoteling).
OR
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.

Job Duties:

Essential Duties and Responsibilities include but are not limited to:

• Gathers, organizes and verifies various data from multiple sources for various projects including data entry and data verification from source documents.
• Analysis and verification of existing healthcare data sets. Experience in supporting and maintaining existing projects. Ability to develop guides and standard work instructions.
• Develops new data spreadsheets, databases, and/or data gathering processes based on project needs.
• Participates planning and analysis for future or anticipated data collection, analysis, and storage needs based on new requirements or new projects.
• Develops and administers performance dashboards, reporting, and data visualization for healthcare data; visual representation of tracking and trending for performance improvement.
• Track performance measures over time, identifying areas for improvement and assessing the effectiveness of interventions.
• Develop and maintain interactive dashboards using Tableau to visualize data and support informed decision‑making.

Knowledge in:

• DES Division of Developmental Disabilities functions, requirements and the needs of its members.
• Data gathering, storage, and analysis principles.
• Lean/continuous improvement principles.
• CMS/HEDIS measure performance.
• Basic understanding of ICD-10, CPT, HCPCS and NDC codes.
• Utilizing Google sheets and other computation and data storage programs.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills.
• Management of multiple projects/duties concurrently.
• Organizing the work of multiple projects.
• Experience with Data dashboard design (Tableau preferred).
• Proficiency in creating and designing presentations using Google Slides.
• Work with diverse internal/external customers.
• Self-determine priorities and complete projects.
• Maintain mental focus for extended periods of time.
• Maintain accuracy and efficiency while performing repetitive tasks (data entry) over long periods of time.
• Strong analytical and problem‑solving skills with a keen eye for detail.

Selective Preference(s):

The ideal candidate for this position will have:

• A Bachelor’s degree is preferred; work experience of one year within the Division may substitute for a degree. Experience with healthcare data, extracting, transforming, and cleaning data. Experience with developing/managing Google sheets tables as source data for BI dashboards. Experience with Microsoft Excel/Google Sheets formulas, pivot tables & charts, data analysis, and reporting.

Pre-Employment Requirements:

• All newly hired State employees are subject to and must successfully complete the Electronic Employment Eligibility Verification Program (E-Verify).
• Valid Arizona Driver’s License. Travel may be required for State business. Employees who drive on state business must complete any required driver training (see Arizona Administrative Code R2-10-207.12.) AND have an acceptable driving record in accordance with DES Fleet Management‑Safety Program policy and procedures (DES 1-07-26 & DES 1-07-26-01). Employees may be required to use their own transportation as well as maintaining valid motor vehicle insurance and current Arizona vehicle registration however, mileage will be reimbursed.
• 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 Arizona Department of Economic Security offers a comprehensive benefits package to include:

• Affordable medical, dental, life, and short-term disability insurance plans
• Participation in the Arizona State Retirement System (ASRS) and long-term disability plans

• 10 paid holidays per year
• Paid vacation and sick time

• Paid Parental Leave-Up to 12 weeks per year paid leave for newborn or newly-placed foster/adopted child.
• Deferred compensation plan
• Wellness plans
• Tuition Reimbursement
• Stipend Opportunities
• Infant at Work Program
• Rideshare and Public Transit Subsidy
• Career Advancement & Employee Development Opportunities

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.

Retirement:

State employees are required to participate in the Arizona State Retirement System (ASRS), the State-sponsored retirement contribution plan and the Long-Term Disability (LTD) program after a 27‑week waiting period. The ASRS defined benefit plan provides for life-long income upon retirement. You will also have the option to participate in a voluntary deferred compensation program to take advantage of tax-deferred retirement investments.

On, or shortly after, your first day of work you will be provided with additional information about the available insurance plans, enrollment instructions, submission deadlines and effective dates.

Contact Us:

For questions about this career opportunity, please contact us Alyssa Figueroa at 602-653-9837 or .

The State of Arizona is an Equal Opportunity/Reasonable Accommodation Employer. Persons with a disability may request a reasonable accommodation such as a sign language interpreter or an alternative format by contacting 602-653-9837 or should be made as early as possible to allow time to arrange the accommodation.