Economist Senior

Arizona Department of Administration • Phoenix, WA

3d • Hybrid

About The Position

The Arizona Office of Economic Opportunity (OEO) is committed to advancing Arizona's workforce and fostering opportunities for well-paying jobs, in line with Governor Hobbs's vision. Collaborating with state, federal, local, tribal, educational, business, labor, and community partners, OEO serves as the state's workforce planning coordinator, conducts economic and demographic research, and provides employment and demographic analysis. OEO also supports the Arizona Finance Authority (AFA), ensuring streamlined financing for businesses, community infrastructure, and first-time home buyers. AFA prioritizes delivering affordable financing swiftly, serving as a one-stop resource for various financial needs to promote Arizona's growth and development.

Under the general direction of the Deputy Administrator (Division 1 Lead), the Participant Recruitment & Engagement Specialist (Senior Economic Analyst) conducts senior-level applied economic research, data visualization, and strategic stakeholder outreach to support Arizona’s Rural Health Transformation Program (RHTP) and core state workforce initiatives. Operating within the Applied Analysis Division, this position translates complex labor market statistics, healthcare workforce supply and demand data, and program evaluation metrics into actionable career pathway guides, regional workforce profiles, and data-driven decision-making tools. The primary objective of this role is to collaborate with educational institutions, healthcare providers, local workforce boards, and regional partners to align healthcare training programs with documented economic needs, expand clinical training capacity, and support workforce advancement in rural communities.

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.

Requirements

• Knowledge of applied Labor Market Information (LMI): Knowledge of labor market data, occupational supply and demand metrics, and regional shortage indicators.
• Knowledge of Rural Healthcare & Education Pipelines: Understanding of rural Arizona healthcare needs and educational training structures (community colleges, CTE programs, AHEC, and clinical sites).
• Knowledge of Career Pathways & KSA Mapping: Understanding of how to map Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs) to industry credentials and build step-by-step career pathways (e.g., CNA to RN).
• Knowledge of Program Evaluation & Outcome Tracking: Knowledge of methods for tracking job placement outcomes, upskilling trends, and training program effectiveness.
• Knowledge of Data Visualization & Reporting: Knowledge of clear data presentation standards for executive briefs and public dashboards (e.g., Tableau).
• Knowledge of RHTP Framework: Understanding of the Rural Health Transformation Program (RHTP) goals, workforce initiatives, and the Rural Innovation Learning Network (RILN).
• Skill in Data Visualization & Web Dashboarding: Skilled in using Tableau, HTML, and web-native charting tools to design interactive dashboards, regional workforce profiles, and visual decision-making tools.
• Skill in Data Translation & Technical Storytelling: Proficient in translating complex labor market data, occupational metrics, and program evaluation findings into plain-language reports, career pathway guides, and executive briefs.
• Skill in Applied LMI & Pipeline Analysis: Skilled in analyzing occupational supply and demand data, mapping Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs) to credentials, and evaluating rural healthcare shortage indicators.
• Skill in Project & Stakeholder Coordination: Effective project management skills to coordinate workforce deliverables, conduct technical assistance briefings, and support initiatives across regional partners.
• Skill in Stakeholder Engagement & Outreach: Strong interpersonal and communication skills for building working relationships with community colleges, CTE programs, healthcare providers, and local workforce boards.
• Skill in Technical Writing & Presentation: Skilled in preparing methodology documentation, technical briefs, and presenting economic findings to diverse, non-technical audience groups.
• Ability to drive applied economic research projects from concept to final completion under general supervision, while actively incorporating feedback from leadership and team members to ensure deliverables meet project goals.
• Ability to collaborate dynamically with technical teams (such as Division 2 Modeling and Forecasting) to convert complex models into practical, stakeholder-facing communication products.
• Ability to build and maintain effective working relationships with community colleges, CTE programs, healthcare providers, local workforce boards, and regional partners.
• Capacity to translate labor market data, occupational supply/demand metrics, and evaluation metrics into actionable career pathway guides and decision-making tools.
• Ability to manage multiple stakeholder-facing deliverables, technical assistance briefings, and regional workforce profiles within established initiative timelines.
• Capability to produce clear, professional briefs, methodology documentation, and program progress summaries for agency leadership and workforce partners.
• Ability to evaluate participant outcome metrics and regional workforce trends to help stakeholders refine training strategies and align incentives with local rural needs.
• Strong research and analysis skills; has the ability to write articles and make presentations; Ability to work under pressure to meet deadlines.

Nice To Haves

• Bachelor's degree in Economics or a related discipline.

Responsibilities

• Develop applied LMI resources, pathway archetypes (e.g., CNA to LPN to RN), and technical assistance materials that assist community colleges, universities, CTE programs, AHEC, and clinical sites in expanding healthcare training opportunities.
• Analyze occupational supply and demand data to help educational partners strengthen student pipelines, map KSAs to credentials, and align healthcare training programs with documented regional shortages.
• Translate complex occupational mobility data into plain-language career awareness resources that support student and job seeker decision-making.
• Evaluate regional healthcare workforce trends, preceptor availability, and residency program capacity to deliver data-driven guidance that supports provider upskilling and workforce retention.
• Provide technical assistance to healthcare training providers and workforce partners on implementing evidence-based training activities designed to strengthen rural clinical capacity.
• Analyze career progression pathways for incumbent healthcare workers to support transition-to-practice models and long-term retention in rural shortage areas.
• Analyze health workforce shortage indicators, wage competitiveness, and regional recruitment frictions to help stakeholders align recruitment and retention incentives with local economic needs.
• Deliver applied research and technical assistance that support the alignment of participant tuition support, clinical stipends, and workforce incentives with high-demand rural occupations.
• Evaluate participant transition outcomes from training completion into rural healthcare employment to inform future program design.
• Develop and maintain regional workforce profiles, interactive data visualization dashboards (e.g., Tableau), career navigation tools, and web-based data resources supporting the Rural Innovation Learning Network (RILN).
• Conduct technical assistance briefings and workshops for educational institutions, healthcare employers, and local workforce boards to improve regional understanding of LMI and workforce needs.
• Represent the division in regional healthcare workforce forums, advocating for OEO’s data-driven methodologies and evidence-based planning practices.
• Collaborate with Modeling and Forecasting Division economists to translate predictive evaluation outputs, training right-sizing models, and participant outcome metrics into stakeholder-facing summaries.
• Support the alignment and communication of labor market and evaluation research conducted across the OEO economic analysis unit with key state and regional partners.
• Other duties as assigned as related to the position.

Benefits

• 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
• Paid Parental Leave program

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior