Sr. Director, Health Plan Strategy

About the role

The Sr. Director, Health Plan Strategy will lead the development of health plan strategies that drive growth, profitability, and distinctive value for our members and provider partners. They will integrate product, network, clinical, and financial strategy to ensure alignment with long-range organizational goals and evolving regulatory and market dynamics.

Responsibilities

• Define Blue Shield’s strategic position by directing analysis of competitive trends, regulatory shifts, and customer and market needs;
• Lead development of clear enterprise point of view and recommended actions for executive leadership;
• Direct decision-quality strategy standards (problem framing, assumptions, options, risks, and tradeoffs) to ensure recommendations are consistent, comparable, and ready for executive decision-making;
• Drive executive alignment and influence by communicating recommendations through concise executive narratives; facilitate cross-functional stakeholder alignment where priorities conflict and ensure leaders understand implications, choices, and next steps;
• Provide executive-level updates and strategic recommendations to senior leadership and the Board;
• Serve as a thought leader on emerging trends like value-based reimbursement models, artificial intelligence, and partnership strategies;
• Direct market analysis, competitor assessments, and portfolio optimization to inform growth and investment decisions;
• Serve as a key leader in launching and scaling strategic initiatives or new offerings;
• Ensure all strategies support sustainable growth, regulatory compliance, and exceptional member experience;
• Lead, mentor, and develop a high-performing Health Plan Strategy team, establishing best practices for strategic planning, insights generation, and analytical rigor.

Qualifications

• A bachelor’s degree required; graduate degree strongly preferred;
• At least 12 years of experience in health plan strategy, enterprise strategy, or healthcare consulting, with deep expertise in the payer landscape, competitive dynamics, regulatory drivers, and market needs;
• At least 6 years of people management experience, including developing high-performing teams;
• Deep understanding of health plan economics, cost-of-care drivers, network strategy, and value-based care models;
• Experience developing enterprise-level strategic recommendations, including competitive analysis, investment prioritization, portfolio optimization, and long-term strategy roadmaps;
• Experience launching and scaling strategic initiatives or new offerings;
• Demonstrated ability to synthesize complex market, regulatory, and financial insights into executive-ready recommendations that drive decision-making at senior leadership, operating committee, and Board levels;
• Strong executive influence skills, with the ability to align cross-functional leaders around competing priorities;
• Management healthcare consulting experience is strongly preferred.

About Us

About Blue Shield of California As of January 2025, Blue Shield of California became a subsidiary of Ascendiun. Ascendiun is a nonprofit corporate entity that is the parent to a family of organizations including Blue Shield of California and its subsidiary, Blue Shield of California Promise Health Plan; Altais, a clinical services company; and Stellarus, a company designed to scale healthcare solutions. Together, these organizations are referred to as the Ascendiun Family of Companies. At Blue Shield of California, our mission is to create a healthcare system worthy of our family and friends and sustainably affordable. We are transforming health care in a way that genuinely serves our nonprofit mission by lowering costs, improving quality, and enhancing the member and physician experience. To achieve our mission, we foster an environment where all employees can thrive and contribute fully to address the needs of the various communities we serve. We are committed to creating and maintaining a supportive workplace that upholds our values and advances our goals. Blue Shield is a U.S. News Best Company to work for, a Deloitte U.S. Best Managed Company and a Top 100 Inspiring Workplace. We were recognized by Fair360 as a Top Regional Company, and one of the 50 most community-minded companies in the United States by Points of Light. Here at Blue Shield, we strive to make a positive change across our industry and communities – join us!