Strategy Development Consultant

Job Summary

The Strategy Development Consultant plays a critical role in shaping and advancing the organization’s longer-term direction by driving enterprise goals planning, strategic pacing, and execution readiness.

About the Role

This role focuses on orchestrating the “how and when” of achieving organizational goals, ensuring the enterprise remains aligned, sequenced, and on track to deliver intended outcomes. This individual serves as a driver of organizational planning cadence, translating organizational goals into a clear planning rhythm, integrated timelines, and decision checkpoints that enable leaders to make timely, informed tradeoff decisions.

Responsibilities

• Manage all components of Highmark’s enterprise strategic planning process
• Identify industry trends and issues that may impact Highmark strategies and public policy
• Provide a structured approach to the refining enterprise strategic objectives and supporting capabilities
• Manage external consultants hired to supplement the enterprise planning process
• Prepare all materials in support of enterprise planning meetings
• Presentation to or facilitation of executive meetings to review options and make decisions surrounding strategic issues and public policy options
• Work closely with corporate support areas critical to the strategic planning process including Government Affairs, Finance and Administrative Services, and Market Research
• Formation and management of cross-functional teams to execute action plans in response to strategic issues and events
• Affiliate with the senior executives of subsidiary businesses to develop strategic planning toolsets tailored to their businesses
• Drive all strategic planning activities for Corporate Marketing & Planning and the Corporate Strategy & Development division
• Performance Monitoring and Communication of Strategy
• Manage performance monitoring activities relating to strategic advancement and strategy execution
• Conduct structured reviews of operational planning activities with CEO and executive strategy group
• Communicate key components of enterprise strategy to Highmark BOD and employees
• Develop communications for periodic BOD meetings and the Annual Board Strategy Retreat
• Lead enterprise strategy projects
• Serve as subject matter expert to business management and stakeholders on membership, growth, operational strategy, acquisition/divestiture and competitor issues
• Provide strategic, analytic, and leadership support to Highmark senior management and project teams enabling
• Design and execution of analytics for addressing business issues including market research, scenario planning, and forecasting
• Development of technical content including competitive intelligence and market trend analysis
• Presentation of formal recommendations to senior leadership
• Manage and lead major corporate strategy and/or business development projects and teams comprised of internal or external strategy consulting resources
• Prioritize issues and brief executive management on potential impacts and actions
• Develop processes to build competitive strategies, plans, and tools and determine the most appropriate responses to competitive threats and opportunities

Qualifications

• Minimum Bachelor's Degree in Business, Healthcare or related field, or relevant experience and/or education as determined by the company in lieu of bachelor's degree
• 7 years of experience in strategic planning, corporate development, project management, or management consulting
• Preferred Master’s Degree in Business, Healthcare or related field
• 10 years of healthcare payer industry experience
• Significant project management experience
• Experience in working with and presenting findings to management senior management

Skills

• Ability to assimilate a wide variety of information of strategic importance then use the information to build a coherent message and strategic options for presentation to Highmark executive management
• Proven track record of successful problem solving
• Exceptional written and oral communication skills
• Ability to interact and communicate with Highmark Executives and must do so in an effective, efficient and confident manner
• Solid research, analytical, critical thinking and creative problem solving skills
• Broad range of general business knowledge and experience
• Ability to work independently and develop analytical assessments of strategic issues of importance to the company and its future direction