Principal Product Manager - Utilization Management

At Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota, we are committed to paving the way for everyone to achieve their healthiest life. We are looking for dedicated and motivated individuals who share our vision of transforming healthcare. As a Blue Cross associate, you are joining a culture built on values of succeeding together, finding a better way, and doing the right thing.

About the role

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota is hiring a Principal Product Manager supporting Utilization Management in Eagan, Minnesota. In this leadership role, you will help define and advance the strategy for key Utilization Management (UM) products and capabilities that support compliance, operational effectiveness, affordability, and quality outcomes. You will lead product lifecycle management efforts across critical business areas, ensuring strategic priorities are aligned with customer needs, organizational goals, and evolving industry requirements. This role offers the opportunity to influence enterprise priorities, lead Product Owners and cross-functional teams, and shape the future direction of UM foundational capabilities, appropriate payments, and compliance initiatives.

Responsibilities

• Co-lead the product strategy and roadmap for Utilization Management products and capabilities, aligning priorities to business objectives, operational performance, and customer needs.
• Provide leadership and direction to Product Owners and cross-functional teams while cultivating a collaborative, high-performance culture.
• Drive product lifecycle management activities, including performance monitoring, strategic planning, and identification of opportunities for innovation and growth.
• Partner with stakeholders across compliance, operations, clinical, and business teams to establish priorities, manage resource allocation, and advance strategic initiatives.
• Ensure effective governance and oversight across UM foundations, appropriate payments, and compliance-related product initiatives while advancing long-term strategic outcomes.
• Act as the voice of the customer and evaluate existing products, competitor, and industry data to improve existing market/product lines and make recommendations on new opportunities.
• Ensure presentations, communications, and implementation of all phases of product development are executed effectively.
• Review, analyze, and make recommendations on actions for existing products.
• Investigate market opportunities and their effect on the market for existing and new products.
• Engage with Product Owners to help develop short-term and long-term Market/Product Strategy Roadmaps.
• Determine customer needs and preferences through research and analysis of industry technology, current processes, and other methods.
• Support the Product Lifecycle Management process to monitor product performance (clinical, financial, and operational) across all markets, including competitive analysis research for benefits, market, and regional data and trends.
• Support the development of short- and long-term strategic product promotions in support of market, sales, and profitability objectives.
• Establish product development policies.
• Actively look for opportunities to create product innovation.
• Accountable for highlighting strategic capabilities for Product/Business line and tracking current state vs future vision for the capability (Leading, Above Market, Market, Below Market & Missing).
• Provide input into funding needs to create, support, or accelerate Market/Product line strategic growth or cost control outcomes.
• Perform additional responsibilities consistent with the scope and level of the role, as assigned.

Requirements

• 7+ years of related project/program management professional experience.
• Bachelor’s degree; in lieu of a degree, an additional two years of relevant experience beyond the qualifications listed above may be accepted.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master's degree in a related field; Informatics or Public Health preferred.
• Demonstrated Utilization Management (UM) experience, with a strong understanding of UM operations, processes, and business priorities.
• Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) experience.
• Direct people leadership experience with a demonstrated ability to lead teams, influence stakeholders, and drive business outcomes.
• Ability to translate complex information into actionable messaging, actively listen to diverse perspectives, and drive alignment across cross-functional priorities.
• Ability to analyze complex challenges, evaluate tradeoffs, and collaborate with stakeholders to reach effective, lasting solutions.
• Ability to effectively organize work, balance shifting priorities, and manage time across multiple workstreams to meet commitments.
• Working knowledge of agile methodologies, techniques, and frameworks such as Scrum or Kanban.
• Experience with agile planning tools such as Jira and/or Mural.
• Experience in data-driven decision-making, program management, and process improvement with a strong focus on execution.
• Ability to build relationships and collaborate effectively across technical and non-technical teams to achieve product goals.

Preferred Certifications

• Professional Scrum Product Owner (PSPO)
• Certified Scrum Product Owner (CSPO)
• Agile Certified Practitioner (PMI-ACP) – Project Management Institute (PMI)
• Large Scale Scrum (LeSS)
• Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe) – Scaled Agile Inc

Schedule

Hybrid approach: Two days in the office each week, with at least one anchor day designated for team interaction. The rest of the week is remote.

Pay

Pay Range: $117,800.00 - $159,000.00 - $200,200.00 annually. Pay is based on several factors including skills, ability, and knowledge.

Benefits

• Medical, dental, and vision insurance
• Life insurance
• 401k
• Paid Time Off (PTO)
• Volunteer Paid Time Off (VPTO)

To discover more about what we have to offer, please review our benefits page.