Strategic Product Lead – Large Group (Hybrid)

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona•Phoenix, AZ

2d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Strategic Product Lead – Large Group is accountable for the design and execution of product initiatives that drive profitable growth and competitive differentiation in the large group commercial segment. The role owns the end-to-end product lifecycle for a portfolio of large group capabilities—spanning provider network positioning and implementations, oversight over revenue-generating buy-up and point-solution programs, multi-year strategic roadmaps, and discovery/validation of new product concepts (e.g., navigation/advocacy programs and alternatives to “copay-first / steerage-enabled” models in the market). The Product Manager is expected to lead with strong market insight—especially the Arizona large group landscape—while partnering cross-functionally to deliver operationally sound products that are easy to sell, easy to administer, and valued by employers and members.

Requirements

7 years of product management, strategy, consulting, or equivalent experience in healthcare/insurance, employer benefits, provider networks, or related domains.
5 years of experience leading complex, cross-functional product initiatives within large-scale or enterprise environments
5 years of experience in strategic planning, including product roadmap development, market analysis, and long-term growth initiatives
3 years of direct experience in Large Group (employer-sponsored) market segments, preferably within healthcare, insurance, or similarly regulated industries
2 years of leadership (including team lead) experience including influencing senior stakeholders and guiding product teams
Experience working with executive leadership to align product strategy with organizational goals
High-School Diploma or GED in general field of study (All Levels)
Strong product strategy and product management skills, with the ability to define vision, priorities, and roadmaps for Large Group products and solutions
Advanced knowledge of the Large Group market, including employer-sponsored health plans, customer needs, broker/consultant dynamics, and competitive landscape
Ability to lead cross-functional teams and influence partners across operations, sales, underwriting, finance, clinical, compliance, and technology
Strong leadership, problem-solving, and decision-making skills, with the ability to motivate and inspire the project team and stakeholders.
Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, including the ability to interpret market data, customer insights, financial results, and performance metrics to inform decisions
Advanced PC proficiency
Basic proficiency in spreadsheet, database, flow charting, and word processing software
Excellent communication skills
Service, project and results-orientation, with strong analytical and problem solving skills
High-energy work ethic, ability to establish vision, drive change and deliver results.
Ability to facilitate cross-functional teams to develop, deliver, operationalize, document, and support solutions.
Knowledge of developing and managing continuous improvement programs
Strong analytical skills to support independent and effective decisions
Ability to prioritize tasks and work with multiple priorities, sometimes under limited time constraints
Perserverance in the face of resistance or setbacks
Effective interpersonal skills and ability to maintain positive working relationship with others
Demonstrated ability to stay current on software trends and innovations
Experience working with and managing third parties
Ability to maintain confidentiality and privacy
Analytical knowledge necessary to generate reports based on available data and then make decisions based on reported data
Change leadership skills, with the ability to guide teams and stakeholders through product changes, market shifts, and strategic transformation
Strong execution skills, including the ability to move from strategy to implementation and deliver measurable business outcomes

Nice To Haves

10 years of experience in product management, product strategy, or related disciplines, particularly in complex or matrixed organizations
7 years of experience within the Large Group or employer-sponsored benefits market, with deep understanding of customer, consultant, and broker dynamics
5 years of experience in healthcare, health insurance, or other highly regulated industries, with demonstrated knowledge of compliance and market trends
5 years of experience leading enterprise-level product transformations or large-scale strategic initiatives
4 years of people leadership experience, including direct management of product managers or cross-functional teams
Demonstrated experience (5+ years) influencing executive-level decision-making and shaping enterprise product vision
Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, Business, or related field
Certification as Product Manager (CPM), Product Owner (CPO) , or equivalent product management certification
Project Management Professional (PMP)
Lean Six Sigma Green Belt or Black Belt certification
Knowledge of HIPAA regulations
Knowledge of the Health Care industry
Deep expertise in Large Group product innovation, including advanced plan design (e.g., ASO, level-funded, value-based models) and emerging market solutions
Advanced strategic leadership skills, with the ability to shape enterprise product vision and influence long-term organizational direction
Executive presence and storytelling ability, effectively communicating product strategy, insights, and recommendations to senior leadership and external stakeholders
Strong negotiation and influencing skills, particularly with brokers, consultants, vendors, and internal executive stakeholders
Demonstrated understanding of outsourcing business strategies and best practices
Thorough knowledge of the company’s needs, policies and culture
Advanced systems research and analysis expertise
Impeccable project management skills
Solid technical ability and critical thinking skills
Knowledge of internal departments and operations
Ability to provide mentoring and peer review to team members

Responsibilities

Manage the large group product strategy across priority domains (network, benefit/value adds, navigation/advocacy, clinical/vendor point solutions, and experience enablers).
Develop and maintain a 12–36 month roadmap with clear outcomes, success metrics, dependencies, and investment tradeoffs; produce leadership-ready recommendations and decision documents.
Translate strategy into executable plans: epics/initiatives, milestones, and cross-functional commitments; proactively surface risks and decision needs.
Lead research and provide support for for large group network design (e.g., tiering, steering, narrow/broad configurations, value/provider alignment, and employer/network customization where appropriate).
Provide product leadership during network implementations: scope definition, stakeholder alignment, readiness tracking, and launch governance—ensuring minimal disruption and clear internal/external messaging.
Partner with Provider Partnerships, Legal, Operations, Sales and Configuration teams to ensure network changes are operationally feasible, compliant and marketable.
Own financial performance for large group “buy-up” programs and value-add offerings: define value proposition, pricing/packaging approach, attach/penetration goals, and margin guardrails.
Build or coordinate business cases and financial rationale (including pricing/revenue-share structures where applicable) and implement performance tracking (sales pipeline, adoption, engagement, and outcomes).
Drive portfolio management: evolve, redesign, reposition, or sunset offerings based on employer value, outcomes, operational burden, and competitive relevance.
Coordinate structured discovery for new product concepts (member experience, pricing transparency, provider choice/quality signals, steerage, and navigation/advocacy).
Define required/optional capabilities, MVP scope, and differentiation strategy—grounded in user needs and market realities; validate concepts through research and stakeholder feedback loops.
Partner with Digital, Clinical, Operations and vendor partners to design integrated experiences (e.g., single sign-on, data exchange, and coherent end-to-end journeys).
Maintain top-level knowledge of competitive, healthcare delivery, distribution, and employer landscapes—especially Arizona large group dynamics and national carrier strategies.
Conduct robust competitive research to identify strengths, gaps, and opportunities; translate findings into clear product actions (roadmap changes, new capabilities, messaging, sales enablement).
Monitor market signals related to copay-tiered/dynamic copay offerings and navigation models, and recommend responses appropriate for the large group segment.
Ensure initiatives are operationally sound and scalable: strengthen implementation playbooks, data flows, handoffs, and risk controls; reduce manual work and defects.
Lead launch planning and go-to-market readiness in partnership with Sales, Marketing, Account Management, and Operations (materials, training, positioning, and adoption plans).
Coordinate Agile delivery with technical implementation leads where applicable.