Payer Strategy & Partnerships Lead

Overview

Loula is a digital health startup based in New York, NY, focused on building a provider network for birth and postpartum doulas. The company provides a platform that simplifies insurance acceptance for doulas.

Responsibilities

• Identify and negotiate contracts with health plans, focusing on reimbursement rates, credentialing requirements, claims processes, and payment timelines.
• Create and maintain an internal "Payer Playbook" covering contract nuances, reporting and billing requirements, credentialing processes, fee schedules, and key contacts.
• Build and maintain relationships with 20+ payer organizations, including Medicaid and commercial plans, to ensure Loula is seen as a trusted partner.
• Support the Provider Success team by developing onboarding resources for doulas working with different plans.
• Communicate with payer organizations to address operational issues and advocate for Loula's needs.
• Provide payer-specific guidance to the Credentialing and Revenue Cycle teams to optimize processes.
• Manage plan launch operations, including mapping out launch timelines, coordinating with various teams, and managing internal and external communications.
• Present quarterly payer strategy recommendations to leadership, including contract priorities, revenue projections, and risk assessments.
• Ensure long-term, collaborative relationships with payers, conducting regular check-ins and exploring pilot programs or expanded partnerships.
• Work with the Provider Success team to develop onboarding resources for doulas working with different plans.
• Share trends, friction points, and opportunities with relevant teams to improve tooling and the overall payer experience.

Requirements

• 4-8 years of experience in healthcare payer relations, payer contracting, healthcare go-to-market, provider network management, or healthcare operations.
• Experience managing external partnerships or stakeholder relationships with professionalism and strong follow-through.
• Experience building workflows, documentation, and systems to increase visibility and help teams scale.
• Experience collaborating across functions to solve problems and drive improvements.
• Experience navigating complex organizations with competing priorities and multiple stakeholders.
• Experience negotiating contracts, agreements, or terms (or willingness to learn quickly).
• Experience on a founding team or early employee at a startup.

Benefits

• $150,000 - $180,000 annual salary
• Generous equity package
• Unlimited PTO
• Medical, dental, and vision coverage with FSA & HSA options
• Access to benefits like One Medical, Talkiatry, Peloton, Kindbody, and more
• Short and long-term disability insurance, Life insurance
• Team-building activities and events

Pay & Schedule

• Remote positions available
• California or New York preferred

Qualifications

• Mission-driven, caring deeply about perinatal health equity and provider empowerment.
• Strategic and execution-oriented, able to think both big picture and dive into details.
• Fast and precise, moving quickly and executing with accuracy, even when external stakeholders operate on slower timelines.
• A masterful relationship builder and communicator, balancing relationship warmth with business rigor.
• Energized by early-stage environments, seeing ambiguity as an opportunity to build something from scratch.

Skills

• Strong negotiation skills
• Excellent communication and relationship-building abilities
• Experience with healthcare payer relations and contracting
• Ability to navigate complex organizational structures
• Proficiency in healthcare operations and go-to-market strategies

Equal Opportunity Employer

Loula is committed to building a diverse and inclusive team and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, or any other legally protected characteristic.