Deputy Assistant Director

Arizona Department of Administration • Phoenix, AZ

1d • $119,000 - $123,000 • Remote

About The Position

This position reports directly to the Assistant Director for the Division of
Behavioral Health and Housing and serves as a senior executive leader
responsible for statewide oversight of Arizona’s behavioral health system of
care. The Deputy Assistant Director provides leadership, strategic direction,
and operational oversight to multiple system-of-care administrators responsible
for adult behavioral health, child behavioral health, children’s justice
initiatives, adult re-entry services, crisis services, and the State Opioid
Treatment Authority (SOTA).

The position ensures Managed Care Organizations (MCOs) meet contractual, policy,
and performance expectations for behavioral health service delivery across all
populations. Key responsibilities include system oversight and monitoring,
policy and contract development, legislative reporting, stakeholder engagement,
cross-division collaboration, and partnership with grants teams to address
service delivery gaps and maximize the effective use of grant funding. This
position plays a critical role in advising agency leadership on system
performance, emerging best practices, and strategic improvements to Arizona’s
behavioral health continuum of care.

Requirements

• Five (5) or more years of progressively responsible professional experience in managed health care, Medicaid, or publicly funded behavioral health systems, including programmatic and/or financial oversight. Demonstrated experience in system-level oversight, such as monitoring service delivery, compliance, performance, or funding across complex programs or initiatives. Two (2) or more years of direct supervisory or management experience, including oversight of professional-level staff or administrators. Experience working within highly regulated environments, including interpretation and application of policy, contract, or regulatory requirements.

Nice To Haves

• Bachelor's or master's degree in healthcare or a related field. Demonstrated experience in one or more of the following: Senior-level leadership or oversight of publicly funded behavioral health systems. Direct experience overseeing or working with Medicaid-contracted Managed Care Organizations, including compliance monitoring, performance oversight, or corrective action processes.

Responsibilities

• Behavioral Health System Oversight & MCO Monitoring: Directs and oversees the monitoring and evaluation of AHCCCS Managed Care Organizations for behavioral health service delivery across adult, child, justice-involved, crisis, re-entry, and opioid treatment populations. Ensures MCO adherence to contractual requirements, policy provisions, network adequacy standards, and performance expectations. Reviews system trends, performance data, and compliance findings to identify risks, gaps, and improvement opportunities. Guides administrators in development and implementation of corrective actions, remediation strategies, and system improvements.
• Executive Leadership and Staff Management: Provides executive leadership, direction, and supervision to system-level administrators responsible for adult behavioral health, child behavioral health, children’s justice initiatives, crisis services, adult re-entry, and opioid treatment systems. Oversees workforce planning, staff development, performance management, and succession planning within the Division of Behavioral Health and Housing. Establishes clear expectations for administrators regarding compliance oversight, system monitoring, stakeholder engagement, and strategic priorities. Promotes alignment and collaboration across units to ensure a cohesive, integrated behavioral health system of care.
• Policy, Contract, and Program Development: Leads and contributes to behavioral health policy development, review, and revision to support system goals, compliance, and best practices. Participates in contract development and amendments related to behavioral health services to ensure requirements are clear, enforceable, and aligned across systems of care. Advises agency leadership on the operational and system impacts of policy and contract changes. Supports change management efforts related to new requirements, system transformations, and evolving behavioral health priorities.
• Legislative Reporting and Data-Driven Accountability: Provides executive oversight for multiple legislatively required behavioral health reports involving Managed Care Organizations and AHCCCS data evaluation teams. Ensures timely, accurate, and consistent reporting year over year, including validation of data, narrative context, and trend analysis. Coordinates with MCOs and internal analytics staff to resolve data discrepancies and clarify reporting expectations. Supports leadership responses to legislative inquiries and information requests related to behavioral health system performance.
• Community Engagement, Grants Coordination and System Innovation: Oversees and supports meaningful community engagement efforts conducted by system administrators, including collaboration with providers, advocates, and partner agencies. Partners with grants teams to identify gaps in behavioral health service delivery and align grant funding strategies to system needs. Supports review of grant opportunities, subject matter expertise for grant development, and coordination with procurement as needed. Advises the agency on new and emerging behavioral health best practices, system innovations, and opportunities to strengthen outcomes statewide.
• Process Improvement and Operational Excellence: Supports the Assistant Director in identifying and implementing process improvement initiatives within the Division of Behavioral Health and Housing. Contributes to development of standard work, performance measures, and operational strategies to enhance efficiency and effectiveness. Supports use of AMS strategies and continuous improvement methodologies to strengthen division operations.

Benefits

• 10 paid holidays per year
• Paid Vacation and Sick time off (13 and 12 days per year respectively) - start earning it your 1st day (prorated for part-time employees)
• Paid Parental Leave-Up to 12 weeks per year paid leave for newborn or newly-placed foster/adopted child. Learn more about the Paid Parental Leave pilot program here.
• Other Leaves - Bereavement, civic duty, and military.
• A top-ranked retirement program with lifetime pension benefits
• A robust and affordable insurance plan, including medical, dental, life, and disability insurance
• Participation eligibility in the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program (must meet qualifications)
• RideShare and Public Transit Subsidy
• A variety of learning and career development opportunities

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Executive
• Number of Employees: 501-1,000 employees