Senior Director, Network Contract and Strategy

L.A. Care Health Plan•Los Angeles, CA

1d•$206,311 - $350,729•Onsite

About The Position

The Senior Director, Network Contract and Strategy functions as a strategic architect and operational steward, driving the health plan’s contracting excellence and ensuring the provider network remains responsive, resilient, and aligned with organizational goals. This role leads the health plan’s contracting strategy across a broad range of providers and partners, develops strategic plans, drives change, and influences critical business outcomes. The Senior Director directs operations, ensuring efficiency and effectiveness, and steers top-level decision-making and implements initiatives that drive the organization forward. This role translates organizational goals and market insights into actionable contracting initiatives that enhance network adequacy, access, quality, and financial performance. The Senior Director develops tailored contracting strategies, manages a robust portfolio, and drives negotiations to optimize provider relationships and ensure compliance. As a senior authority, this leader partners with cross-functional teams, oversees the full contract lifecycle, and mentors a high-performing team. The Senior Director represents the health plan in key meetings and forums, ensuring the provider network remains responsive, resilient, and aligned with organizational objectives. This position is responsible for directing all aspects of running an efficient team, including hiring, supervising, coaching, training, disciplining, and motivating direct reports.

Requirements

Bachelor's Degree (In lieu of degree, equivalent education and/or experience may be considered).
At least 10 years of progressive experience in managed care, provider contracting, network strategy, and healthcare finance.
Experience managing complex, high-value provider arrangements and driven organizational performance.
At least 5 years in senior leadership roles, directing contract and network functions, led teams, and executed enterprise priorities.
At least 10 years of lead staff, supervising staff and/or people management experience.
Experience developing market-level contract strategies aligned with access, affordability, quality, and growth.
Experience leading teams, projects, initiatives, or cross-functional groups.
Experience leading high-stakes negotiations with hospitals, health systems, and strategic partners; and establishing negotiation strategies and financial parameters for major agreements.
Experience making strategic contracting decisions, ensuring network adequacy and competitive positioning, and representing the organization in complex negotiations with provider executives and senior health system leadership.
Deep knowledge of provider reimbursement and advanced payment models.
Ability to successfully manage contract portfolios, renewals, and multi-year plans.
Demonstrated successful ability to design and execute comprehensive provider contracting strategies that align negotiations and relationships with organizational, financial, and network objectives.
Excellent skills in leading complex, high-stakes negotiations and managing significant financial exposure, while balancing competing interests and minimizing network disruption.
Advanced knowledge of healthcare economics, reimbursement models, and financial analysis, translating contracting decisions into organizational performance.
Demonstrated ability to think long-term and develop strategies that align with the overall goals of the organization.
Demonstrated ability to make sound and timely decisions.
Demonstrated ability to adapt to changing situations and adjust strategies accordingly.
Demonstrated ability to adapt to a fast-paced and evolving environment and to lead others through change.
Excellent written and verbal communication, negotiation, and interpersonal skills.
Excellent interpersonal skills for building relationships, fostering teamwork, and creating a positive work environment.
Excellent ability and knowledge in analyzing data, identifying problems, and making informed decisions, often in complex or ambiguous situations.
Travel to offsite locations for work required.

Nice To Haves

Master's Degree
At least 12 years of healthcare industry experience with significant leadership roles in complex organizations such as health plans, integrated delivery systems, and/or medical groups.
Expert skills in leading contracting strategies for large, multi-type provider networks across diverse markets and lines of business, including Medi-Cal, Medicare Advantage, Commercial, and government-sponsored programs.
Advanced skills in negotiating advanced reimbursement arrangements with major hospitals and health systems, and developing multi-year contracting strategies, provider segmentation, renewal frameworks, and network optimization plans.

Responsibilities

Shaping and executing the health plan’s contracting vision across a diverse spectrum of providers and strategic partners.
Translating organizational strategy, market intelligence, and regulatory requirements into actionable contracting initiatives that drive network adequacy, access, quality, and financial sustainability.
Developing differentiated contracting strategies tailored to provider type, market position, service category, and strategic value, considering ancillary providers, skilled nursing facilities, CalAIM providers, community-based organizations, specialty health plans, and other non-traditional partners.
Leveraging data-driven insights and market benchmarks to ensure contracting priorities align with member needs, competitive positioning, and long-term organizational objectives.
Maintaining a robust contracting portfolio and pipeline, proactively identifying opportunities for network expansion, consolidation, diversification, and optimization.
Managing renewals, addressing network gaps, and navigating high-priority negotiations, while ensuring compliance with legal, regulatory, and financial parameters.
Leading the development, evaluation, and refinement of contract language, structures, and negotiation strategies.
Balancing cost optimization with the imperative to maintain a high-quality, accessible network, and partnering with cross-functional teams to assess the total economic impact of agreements.
Establishing disciplined processes for contract development from opportunity assessment through execution and ongoing administration (review, negotiate, approve, amend, renew, and closure).
Ensuring meticulous documentation of negotiation history, financial assumptions, approvals, exceptions, and final terms.
Conducting strategic planning to maximize the utilization of resources to meet current and future departmental and Enterprise-wide goals.
Managing department budget(s).
Leading discussions on policy operationalization and overseeing key policy perspective sharing.
Identifying and actualizing enhancements to support company vision.
Identifying and driving change initiatives.
Developing and implementing communication strategies.
Collaborating with cross-functional teams to achieve common goals.
Developing and maintaining relationships with key stakeholders.
Representing the company or organization in external interactions.
Building and mentoring a high-performance contract management team.
Fostering a culture of clarity, accountability, and decision-oriented execution.
Providing executive management with concise assessments of contracting opportunities, risks, financial implications, and recommended strategies.
Representing the health plan in high-level provider meetings, community forums, and strategic partnerships.
Developing goals, objectives, and action plans for assigned staff, including full management responsibility for hiring, performance reviews, salary reviews, and disciplinary matters for direct reporting employees.
Performing other duties as assigned.