Product Strategist, Principal - ASO

This role is part of the New Product Development team, advancing scalable product capabilities that support Blue Shield’s self-funded ASO growth, operational efficiency, and market competitiveness. The Product Strategist, Principal will report to the Senior Manager, Product Strategy and lead ASO modernization efforts across current and future roadmap priorities, including data integration, client-specific network needs and plan design, billing modernization, and reusable platform capabilities.

In this role, you will translate employer, broker, member, operational, and market needs into prioritized capabilities, measurable business outcomes, and executable roadmaps that improve ease of doing business and enable profitable self-funded growth. Our leadership model focuses on developing great leaders at all levels, creating opportunities for personal, professional, and financial growth. We seek leaders energized by creative and critical thinking, building high-performing teams, achieving results ethically, and fostering continuous learning.

Responsibilities

• Be accountable for evolving business line portfolios to deliver membership and operating income targets, designing competitive portfolios that account for acquisition, retention, and performance improvement.
• Architect product strategy and plan designs based on benefit intent, serving as a central resource throughout the implementation life cycle.
• Guide and supervise the creation and interpretation of business product performance analytics to drive ongoing portfolio management and strategy.
• Ensure delivery of innovation pipeline submissions from product line management, facilitating the translation of product strategy into formal business requirements.
• Track benefit design, implementation, and filing updates in collaboration with Product Lifecycle Management, escalating and resolving reported issues on behalf of the business line General Manager.
• Partner with market-facing and Product Strategy teams to translate feedback into prioritized capabilities that drive growth.
• Collaborate with internal and external partners to resolve dependencies, align decision rights, and move complex capabilities from concept through implementation readiness.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience.
• At least 10 years of prior relevant experience.
• At least 5 years of experience in product management, product strategy, product implementation, management consulting, health plan operations, or related fields.
• Experience translating ambiguous business problems into product capabilities, requirements, roadmaps, and measurable outcomes.
• Experience leading complex cross-functional initiatives requiring coordination across internal and external partners.
• Experience with healthcare payer operations, self-funded/ASO products, funding and payment models, benefit configuration, health and care navigation vendor integrations, claims, eligibility, billing, or related health plan capabilities.
• Experience with health plan platforms or configuration systems (preferred).
• Experience with network customization and benefit design (preferred).
• Experience working with external vendor data sharing and integration (preferred).
• Graduate degree, PMP, SAFe, CSPO, Lean, product management, healthcare administration, informatics, or related certification (preferred).

Schedule

This role follows a hybrid workplace model, requiring in-office presence two days per week. Employees living more than 50 miles from an office location will work with their manager to determine in-office time based on business need.

Pay

• California: $148,940.00 to $223,300.00
• Bay Area: $167,896.00 to $251,720.00

Salaries are based on candidate experience, location, and current employee salaries for similar roles.

About Us

As of January 2025, Blue Shield of California became a subsidiary of Ascendiun, a nonprofit corporate entity that includes Blue Shield of California, Blue Shield of California Promise Health Plan, Altais (a clinical services company), and Stellarus (a company designed to scale healthcare solutions). Together, these organizations form the Ascendiun Family of Companies.

Blue Shield of California’s mission is to create a healthcare system worthy of our family and friends—one that is sustainably affordable. We are transforming healthcare by lowering costs, improving quality, and enhancing the member and physician experience. Our supportive workplace environment upholds our values and advances our goals, fostering an inclusive culture where all employees can thrive.

Blue Shield is recognized as a U.S. News Best Company to Work For, a Deloitte U.S. Best Managed Company, and a Top 100 Inspiring Workplace. We have been acknowledged by Fair360 as a Top Regional Company and by Points of Light as one of the 50 most community-minded companies in the United States.

Our Values

• Honest: We hold ourselves to the highest ethical and integrity standards, building trust by doing what we say and acknowledging and correcting shortcomings.
• Human: We strive to listen and communicate effectively, showing empathy by understanding others' perspectives.
• Courageous: We stand up for what we believe in and commit to the hard work necessary to achieve our ambitious goals.

Physical Requirements

This role operates in an office environment with a sedentary activity level for most of the workday.