Director, Strategy and Incubation

LifeStance Health

1d•$190,000 - $220,000•Remote

About The Position

LifeStance is building a dedicated strategic function to identify, pilot, and scale new clinical service lines — moving ideas from concept to operational reality in a rigorous and structured way. The Director, Strategy & Incubation will own this process end-to-end, working within a clinical dyad with a senior leader from the CMO's organization to frame growth capabilities and in close partnership with the Director of Corp Development to prioritize and vet potential inorganic targets. This is a high-visibility, high-independence role that sits at the intersection of clinical strategy, business development, and operational execution. The right person is comfortable with ambiguity, rigorous in their thinking, and effective at driving cross-functional work without positional authority. Consistent with LifeStance's values, every member of the LifeStance team is expected to support each other and the mission, which may mean participating in projects and initiatives and performing functions and responsibilities not specifically outlined in this job description.

Requirements

7–10 years in strategy consulting, healthcare operations, or a combination of both
Mental health or behavioral health experience strongly preferred; candidates without it should bring deep healthcare services expertise and demonstrate genuine interest in the space
Track record of owning complex, cross-functional initiatives from concept through execution — not just analysis
Experience building and presenting business cases to senior leadership
Comfortable operating with significant ambiguity; able to impose structure without waiting for it
Strong analytical and financial modeling skills — can build a business case from scratch
Operationally literate; understands how healthcare services businesses operate
Effective at leading without authority; skilled at aligning cross-functional stakeholders
Clear, direct communicator — written and verbal
High degree of independence; does not need close supervision to produce quality output
Candidates must have a quiet, distraction-free, dedicated HIPAA-compliant workspace.
The role requires reliable internet access and the ability to participate in frequent audio/video calls and meetings across time zones.
Qualified candidates must be legally authorized to be employed in the United States.

Nice To Haves

Exposure and experience in clinical, service line and/or venture development a plus
MBA or equivalent advanced degree preferred
Clinical licensure or clinical background
Investment banking experience
People management experience

Responsibilities

Maintain a structured inventory of potential new service lines and clinical capabilities, developed in partnership with the clinical dyad
Keep the pipeline current, well-sourced, and grounded in both clinical relevance and market reality
Apply a rigorous, multi-factor framework to rank opportunities — evaluating clinical viability, operational feasibility, financial return, and strategic fit
Produce a clear, defensible prioritization that leadership can act on and revisit as conditions change
Lead the design and execution of pilots for prioritized service lines
Quarterback cross-functional teams — including clinical, operations, technology, finance, and legal — with dotted-line coordination
Drive decisions, resolve blockers, and keep pilots on track against defined success criteria
Develop full business cases for advancing pilots to scale, including financial models, operational requirements, and risk assessments
Translate validated pilots into operational playbooks and transition plans in close coordination with operating counterparts
When a service line is ready to scale, manage a structured handoff to operational owners
Define transition criteria, prepare the receiving team, and ensure continuity — without maintaining ongoing ownership post-handoff
Continuously evaluate whether new capabilities are best built internally, acquired, or developed through partnerships
Collaborate directly with the M&A and corporate development team on building target pipeline and specific opportunities that warrant inorganic consideration