VP, Medicare Product - Aetna

CVS Health•Hartford, CT

2d•$300,000 - $400,000

About The Position

The Vice President, Medicare Product sets product strategy and leads Aetna’s complex, multi-segment Medicare portfolio, accountable for differentiated products, portfolio performance, and alignment with enterprise growth, financial, and customer objectives across a Medicare business of approximately $90 billion. The role leads strategy across Medicare Advantage, Medicare Part D, Duals, Group Medicare, and related ancillary offerings, ensuring products remain competitive, financially strong, operationally executable, and responsive to market, regulatory, and customer dynamics. Reporting to the SVP & President of Medicare, this executive defines product design, innovation, lifecycle management, and portfolio performance strategy across a national footprint. The role integrates business strategy, market opportunity, product economics, regulatory requirements, clinical and operational considerations, and customer needs into a portfolio agenda that drives growth, margin, quality, and long-term competitive advantage. The Vice President also holds significant accountability for implementation and governance, annual bid and product filings, vendor management, and regulatory execution. As a senior leader and thought partner across Medicare, the Vice President influences portfolio positioning, product evolution, implementation readiness, and go-to-market strategy. Success requires executive leadership in a highly matrixed organization and the ability to align Product, Finance, Actuarial, Sales, Marketing, Operations, Pharmacy, Network, Clinical, Compliance, Legal, Government Affairs, and Technology. The position leads a large product organization and develops high-performing leadership teams.

Requirements

15+ years of healthcare experience leading complex product portfolios and driving results in a highly regulated, large-scale healthcare environment.
Strong knowledge of Medicare, especially Individual Medicare.
Demonstrated success setting strategy and leading a large-scale Medicare product portfolio, including product design, economics, lifecycle management, regulatory complexity, and implementation.
Strong understanding of Medicare product economics, including the relationships among product design, pricing, affordability, growth, margin, and portfolio performance.
Enterprise orientation and demonstrated ability to connect product strategy with business performance, market opportunity, customer value, and long-term growth.
Proven success leading major product initiatives from strategy through implementation, including complex launches, filings, operating-model integration, and downstream execution.
Demonstrated ability to influence senior executive decision-making and build alignment across highly matrixed organizations.
Strong judgment and ability to balance growth, financial performance, competitive positioning, regulatory requirements, customer needs, and execution risk.
Experience leading and developing large, high-performing teams and building leadership capability and organizational bench strength.
Strong financial and strategic acumen, including experience with product economics, operating plans, investment tradeoffs, and portfolio-level performance decisions.
Exceptional executive presence, communication, and stakeholder management skills.
Credibility as a senior Medicare thought leader capable of representing the business with clients, industry stakeholders, and policy and regulatory audiences.

Responsibilities

Set the Medicare portfolio’s 1-to-5-year product strategy and strategic roadmap, aligned with growth objectives, market opportunities, customer value, financial performance, and enterprise strategy.
Lead portfolio strategy across Medicare Advantage, Part D, Duals, Group Medicare, and ancillary products.
Shape product design, differentiation, innovation, and lifecycle strategies to strengthen competitive positioning and long-term portfolio performance.
Guide portfolio decisions and investment tradeoffs, balancing growth, affordability, financial performance, regulatory requirements, customer needs, and execution risk.
Monitor market dynamics, competitive trends, customer needs, and regulatory developments and translate them into actionable product strategies.
Drive portfolio performance, focusing on growth, margin, affordability, quality, and customer value.
Translate enterprise and Medicare priorities into actionable product strategies and execution plans.
Lead major cross-functional product initiatives from strategy through implementation and market execution.
Build alignment across Actuarial, Finance, Operations, Clinical, Pharmacy, Provider Network, Sales, Marketing, Compliance, Legal, Government Affairs, and Technology.
Partner with senior leaders to ensure product decisions are financially sound, operationally feasible, and aligned with Medicare priorities.
Hold executive accountability for implementation readiness and downstream execution across the Medicare portfolio.
Oversee operational execution of 700+ annual bid and product filings, ensuring accuracy, timeliness, and disciplined governance.
Ensure filed benefits and product changes are accurately translated into systems, operations, vendor requirements, and member-facing experiences.
Establish governance and controls for highly regulated, high-risk processes where execution accuracy is critical.
Oversee key vendor relationships supporting product delivery and ensure execution aligns with business and regulatory requirements.
Partner with Government Affairs, Legal, Compliance, and senior business leaders on Medicare policy developments, product implications, and strategic positioning.
Serve as a senior Medicare product subject matter expert in client discussions, industry forums, and select regulatory conversations.
Represent the Medicare business with external stakeholders and incorporate external market perspectives into portfolio strategy and decision-making.
Lead a large product organization; build, develop, and retain high-performing leadership teams and strengthen organizational capability and succession depth.
Establish a leadership culture centered on strategic thinking, accountability, collaboration, execution excellence, and talent development.
Lead through influence across a highly matrixed enterprise, aligning stakeholders with differing priorities.