Vice President, Payer Contracting & Strategy

Brigade Health • Los Angeles, CA

3d

About The Position

VP, Payer Contracting & Strategy (Healthcare | Managed Care | Value-Based Reimbursement | National Payer Strategy) Position Summary We are hiring a Vice President, Payer Contracting & Strategy to lead our national payer contracting and managed care strategy , with a focus on strengthening partnerships across commercial, Medicare, and Medicaid health plans . This is a senior executive leadership role for a proven payer expert who understands how payers evaluate risk, structure reimbursement models, and operationalize complex contracts in dynamic healthcare environments. The VP will own the end-to-end payer lifecycle , including payer strategy, contract development and negotiation, reimbursement optimization, and scalable payer operations. This role partners closely with executive leadership and cross-functional teams to support market expansion, value-based care initiatives, and sustainable reimbursement economics across multiple states.

Requirements

• 10+ years of healthcare experience within payer/health plan organizations, risk-bearing providers (IPA/MSO), managed care organizations, institutional providers, home health, hospice, or health technology companies.
• 5+ years of direct payer contracting and/or credentialing leadership experience , with demonstrated success negotiating managed care and primary care contracts.
• Deep relationships and credibility within the payer and managed care ecosystem .
• Strong understanding of reimbursement models, payment methodologies, value-based care, and medical group economics .
• Working knowledge of revenue cycle management (RCM), claims, and payer operations to ensure contracts are operationally executable.
• Experience building or scaling a payer relations or contracting function in a high-growth or tech-enabled healthcare environment .
• Proficiency with MS Office, CRMs, databases , and contract management tools.
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills, including executive-level presentation abilities.

Nice To Haves

• Experience in a healthcare startup or growth-stage organization .
• Proven ability to define KPIs, establish operational cadence, and drive measurable outcomes.
• Preference for candidates based in Southern California (open to remote candidates).
• Ability to travel periodically to Southern California headquarters and partner sites

Responsibilities

• Own the full payer contracting lifecycle: Lead payer engagement from initial outreach and strategy development through contract submission, negotiation, redlining, execution, renewals, and ongoing relationship management.
• Expand national payer relationships: Leverage an established network and existing relationships to grow partnerships with commercial, Medicare Advantage, and Medicaid payers across multiple markets.
• Lead payer strategy & reimbursement optimization: Define and execute payer partnership strategies that align reimbursement models, operational workflows, and financial performance across service lines.
• Support new market expansion: Drive contracting efforts for new states and markets, working with local, regional, and national health plans.
• Build scalable contracting infrastructure: Develop repeatable systems and processes for payer contracting, credentialing coordination, roster management, compliance, and performance tracking.
• Cross-functional leadership: Collaborate with executive leadership, general managers, credentialing, revenue cycle, and operations teams to translate payer requirements into operational execution.
• Serve as the internal payer expert: Advise leadership on payer policy, regulatory changes, reimbursement trends, and managed care best practices .
• People leadership: Recruit, develop, and lead a high-performing payer contracting and managed care team as the organization scales.
• Perform other related duties as assigned.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Executive
• Education Level: No Education Listed