Director, Strategy and Incubation

About the role

LifeStance is building a dedicated strategic function to identify, pilot, and scale new clinical service lines—moving ideas from concept to operational reality in a rigorous and structured way. The Director, Strategy & Incubation will own this process end-to-end, working within a clinical dyad with a senior leader from the CMO's organization to frame growth capabilities and in close partnership with the Director of Corp Development to prioritize and vet potential inorganic targets. This is a high-visibility, high-independence role that sits at the intersection of clinical strategy, business development, and operational execution.

Responsibilities

• Maintain a structured inventory of potential new service lines and clinical capabilities, developed in partnership with the clinical dyad
• Keep the pipeline current, well-sourced, and grounded in both clinical relevance and market reality
• Apply a rigorous, multi-factor framework to rank opportunities—evaluating clinical viability, operational feasibility, financial return, and strategic fit
• Produce a clear, defensible prioritization that leadership can act on and revisit as conditions change
• Lead the design and execution of pilots for prioritized service lines
• Quarterback cross-functional teams—including clinical, operations, technology, finance, and legal—with dotted-line coordination
• Drive decisions, resolve blockers, and keep pilots on track against defined success criteria
• Develop full business cases for advancing pilots to scale, including financial models, operational requirements, and risk assessments
• Translate validated pilots into operational playbooks and transition plans in close coordination with operating counterparts
• Manage a structured handoff to operational owners
• Define transition criteria, prepare the receiving team, and ensure continuity—without maintaining ongoing ownership post-handoff
• Continuously evaluate whether new capabilities are best built internally, acquired, or developed through partnerships
• Collaborate directly with the M&A and corporate development team on building target pipeline and specific opportunities that warrant inorganic consideration

Requirements

• 7–10 years in strategy consulting, healthcare operations, or a combination of both
• Mental health or behavioral health experience strongly preferred; candidates without it should bring deep healthcare services expertise and demonstrate genuine interest in the space
• Track record of owning complex, cross-functional initiatives from concept through execution—not just analysis
• Experience building and presenting business cases to senior leadership
• Exposure and experience in clinical, service line, and/or venture development a plus

Qualifications

• Comfortable operating with significant ambiguity; able to impose structure without waiting for it
• Strong analytical and financial modeling skills—can build a business case from scratch
• Operationally literate; understands how healthcare services businesses operate
• Effective at leading without authority; skilled at aligning cross-functional stakeholders
• Clear, direct communicator—written and verbal
• High degree of independence; does not need close supervision to produce quality output
• MBA or equivalent advanced degree preferred

Skills and Attributes

• Comfortable operating with significant ambiguity; able to impose structure without waiting for it
• Strong analytical and financial modeling skills—can build a business case from scratch
• Operationally literate; understands how healthcare services businesses operate
• Effective at leading without authority; skilled at aligning cross-functional stakeholders
• Clear, direct communicator—written and verbal
• High degree of independence; does not need close supervision to produce quality output

Benefits

• Medical
• Dental
• Vision
• AD&D
• Short and long-term disability
• Life insurance
• 401(k) retirement savings plan with employer match
• Paid parental leave
• Paid time off
• Holiday pay
• Employee Assistance Program

Pay

$190,000 - $220,000/annually, with 20% annual bonus potential and long-term incentive plan eligibility

Schedule

This is a remote role. Candidates must have a quiet, distraction-free, dedicated HIPAA-compliant workspace. The role requires reliable internet access and the ability to participate in frequent audio/video calls and meetings across time zones.