Health Strategy Director

This high-profile role drives critical business strategy activation alongside the EVP, Chief Health & Innovation Officer and the HCI executive leadership team. The primary focus will be to prioritize and execute HCI’s strategic directives aligned with Wellmark’s strategy. You will directly drive business and operational outcomes as well as align executive leadership around critical initiatives, leveraging your deep health care industry expertise and external relationships (Iowa Hospital Association, BCBSA, etc.) to advance Wellmark’s strategies, influence decisions and help shape the future. The Health Strategy Director delivers value across the division and enterprise, serving as a trusted advisor to HCI executive leadership and others across the organization and and standing in for the EVP, Chief Health & Innovation Officer in assigned capacities.

Bachelor’s degree (Masters - MPH, MHA, MBA - preferred) or direct and applicable work experience and 10+ years of related Health Plan or Health Care industry experience that includes:

• Deep expertise in one or more facet of the health care ecosystem; large health system experience preferred
• Business/organizational process engineering and consulting
• Business strategy development and execution to include effective management of project/initiative interdependencies
• Track record of success leading complex programs/projects through partnership with diverse teams, including senior/executive leadership
• Advanced process improvement skills. Excellent research, analytical, and critical thinking skills, and the ability to develop and effectively advocate for creative solutions
• Advanced consulting, strategic planning/execution, and relationship management skills.
• Demonstrates an understanding of the business as well as its interdependencies; ability to evaluate customer and internal and external stakeholder needs when developing recommendations
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to facilitate meetings, negotiate, and influence others
• Strong executive presentation skills, including development and delivery; builds trust, understands needs, influences decisions, negotiates, promotes collaboration and resolves conflict to achieve results.
• Willingness to approach complex problems from various angles in order to deliver creative, innovative solutions

• Reporting to the EVP, Chief Health & Innovation Officer, facilitate the development and implementation of the annual division planning process, including the development of prioritized strategic initiatives and KRPs within the HCI division.
• As a trusted advisor to HCI executive leadership, assist and communicate with decision-making, program management, and initiative implementation. Participates with the EVP and key divisional leadership in strategic planning, policy development and execution, as well as problem resolution, charting a course of collaboration and consensus among divisional leadership and their teams.
• Serve as a key liaison and interface with key external stakeholders including: Blue Cross Blue Shield Association (BCBSA) committees and workgroup initiatives; and, Iowa Hospital Association, translating what is happening externally in the industry to develop strategies for how HCI/Wellmark would address and support key issues and topics. Gather and assimilate external data to key stakeholders to integrate in planning processes and key decision making. Builds and leverages relationships to provide innovative solutions to complex business problems. Partner with colleagues to effectively and efficiently perform job accountabilities in a manner that is seamless to EVP and other leaders.
• As a strong facilitator for navigating change and fostering team work and collaboration, serve as traffic coordinator using network of connections with external stakeholders to gather and assimilate information to influence decisions and drive strategy and; as an integrator connecting work streams and initiatives to gain efficiencies; as a communicator linking the leadership team and the broader organization; as a trusted colleague providing a wide-ranging view to help leaders navigate sensitive issues.
• Drive collaboration and engagement across matrixed workgroups initiatives and to support/lead change, identifying interdependencies and linking across the division/enterprise.
• Provide insight and be the point of contact for government affairs, with our Government Relations team, playing a key role in how Wellmark shows up externally. Serve as divisional representative on Legislative Review Board.
• May interact with divisional leadership, senior executives, external executives and stakeholders, and industry stakeholders in the representation and implementation of Wellmark business and initiatives. Prepares and/or contributes to the preparation of correspondence, reports, briefings, and presentations.
• In partnership with Director Health Care, Intelligence, Innovation, and Implementation, and key strategic initiative support team members, ensure the development and refinement of key performance measures for each initiative, as well as for the analytical and financial framework to identify practical and meaningful business improvement opportunities across functional capabilities.
• Leads, facilitates, or coordinates special projects and work assignments supporting the agenda of the EVP and HCI division, occasionally involving senior executives across the company, as well as external partners/stakeholders (i.e. BCBSA, Iowa Hospital Assn).
• Other duties as assigned.

This job requires a non-compete agreement.

An Equal Opportunity Employer

The policy of Wellmark Blue Cross Blue Shield is to recruit, hire, train and promote individuals in all job classifications without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, veteran status, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity or any other characteristic protected by law.

Applicants requiring a reasonable accommodation due to a disability at any stage of the employment application process should contact us at careers@wellmark.com