Continuous Improvement Manager

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.

PURPOSE OF THE JOB

The mission of the Operational Excellence team is to drive process efficiency, financial strength, operational performance, and the success of strategic imperatives. The Continuous Improvement Manager delivers this mission by partnering with the business to identify improvement opportunities, develop operational/system solutions, and assist with implementation. Drives

process improvement initiatives in support of business strategies. Develops and maintains strategic business partner relationships with key executive leaders and provides vital support. The Continuous Improvement Manager has a strong understanding of how efficient business units function and has a keen eye for identifying improvement opportunities. Stays current on process improvement methodologies and tools, such as Lean/Six Sigma, to ensure BlueCross BlueShield of Arizona processes are as efficient and effective as possible.

QUALIFICATIONS

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

1. Required Work Experience

5 years business operational experience

5 years implementing operational solutions and working collaboratively with other departments and different levels of administration.

5 years process management experience with a proven track record managing process improvement and teams

3 years of experience in Project Management

2. Required Education

High-School Diploma or GED in general field of study

3. Required Licenses

N/A

4. Required Certifications

N/A

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

1. Preferred Work Experience

5 years of working experience with process analysis and driving Lean/Six Sigma transformation efforts that result in sustained, on-going process improvement and culture change.

5 years of experience facilitating work sessions and process improvement events

7 years of experience in Customer Service, call center, finance or insurance field

3 years experience working in an agile environment including planning, stand ups, story points/backlogs, burndown charts/velocity metrics and retrospectives

2. Preferred Education

Bachelors Degree in Business or related field

3. Preferred Licenses

N/A

4. Preferred Certifications

Six Sigma Green Belt Certification)

ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Responsible for being a "change agent," constantly challenging conventional thinking, approach, and current ways of doing business.

Consult with business partners to assess new projects for value, ensure sponsor/stakeholder commitment and select appropriate improvement methodologies.

Provide the business analysis, design, and implementation support on critical projects to ensure the right processes are implemented at the right time with minimum negative impact.

Provide customized support options to meet the specific business need(s), which may include:

Work session facilitation: train, coach and challenge process owners and teams in the use of Lean/Six Sigma tools and approaches to define customer and business requirements, analyze barriers and develop solutions to improve the customer experience and increase the efficiency and effectiveness of processes

"SWAT" team analysis: facilitate rapid response teams to identify root cause/solutions and mitigate risk o Process Mapping: develop process maps and translate into business requirements where needed

Process Optimization: understand business needs, analyze existing processes, and generate and implement validated improvement solutions to optimize existing the process and provide real ROI

New Process Implementation: design and implement new processes/programs through analysis, benchmarking, validated designs and post implementation review

Application Implementation: assist with the deployment of a new application through holistic business design, definition of business requirements, ongoing solutioning, and post implementation refinement

Service Experience Blueprinting: design the desired customer experience and the processes and support structure to deliver that experience

Process Management: Coordinate with end-to-end teams to map processes, identify roles and responsibilities, mitigate risk and define vision for success, strategy/tactics and success measures

Benchmarking: identify and replicate "best-in-class" operational practices o Data analysis: mine and analyze data to identify root cause and solutions Develop and communicate business cases to support recommendations for change to current business practices and processes.

Facilitate post-event/project reviews to validate desired results are achieved and sustained. Recommend additional solutions as needed to achieve project goals.

Represent Operational Excellence in a professional manner, encouraging operational improvement and use of available tools and techniques.

Engage the support and buy-in of leaders within the organization by promoting the importance and value of the operational excellence model and processes.

Lead and participate in other corporate projects as assigned.

Perform all other duties as assigned.

The position 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.

COMPETENCIES

REQUIRED COMPETENCIES

1. Required Job Skills

Proficiency in process improvement and business process design

Proficiency in process mapping at both a high and detailed level

Strong analytical skills. (i.e. ability to conduct data analysis, process analysis, and root cause analysis)

Decision analysis skills. (i.e. ability to separate a complex whole into component parts)

Knowledge of what type of control method is best for each project and how to create and sustain a plan

Strong planning and project management skills

Must be articulate and able to communicate with employees at all levels across the organization, from front-line

worker to executives

Knowledge of Kanban and Agile practices

Intermediate PC proficiency

Intermediate proficiency in spreadsheet, database and word processing software

2. Required Professional Competencies

Ability to independently lead others and facilitate projects from start to finish

Results focused with successful record of accomplishments

Intermediate skills in influence, persuasion, negotiation and problem resolution

Effective organizational skills and attention to detail

Conceptual and tactical planning skills

Ability to manage multiple priorities

Maintain confidentiality and privacy

Intermediate coaching, training and mentoring skills

Ability to think about customer and employee needs when evaluating process and possible solutions

3. Required Leadership Experience and Competencies

Demonstrates political awareness and a proven track record of building effective working relationships with

senior level business partners both internally and externally.

Ability to coordinate with stakeholders across the company and manage occasionally competing interests.

Ability to work with others collaboratively in a constantly changing environment.

Ability to motivate and empower associates at all levels and encourages innovation and risk taking.

Advanced customer relationship management skills

Leadership and matrix management skills

PREFERRED COMPETENCIES

1. Preferred Job Skills

Advanced process analysis and facilitation skills

Advanced planning and project management skills

Knowledge of statistical concepts and capabilities.

Data mining skills

Knowledge of healthcare industry.

Advanced PC proficiency

Advanced proficiency in spreadsheet, database, and word-processing software

2. Preferred Professional Competencies

Advanced skills in influence, persuasion, negotiation, and problem resolution

Advanced coaching, training, and mentoring skills

Thorough knowledge of the companys needs, policies and culture

3. Preferred Leadership Experience and Competencies

Ability to lead others in the same or higher levels to a valuable solution that may be novel or have no known set precedence in the customer experience or operational outsourcing areas.

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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.