Director of Payer Partnerships
$125,000–$170,000 year
On-siteBakersfield, California, United States
Job Summary
Build and maintain front-line relationships with Network Managers, Provider Relations reps, UM managers, case management leaders, and delegated IPA/MSOs across California commercial health plans. Apply consultative sales discipline to drive account planning, prospecting, stakeholder mapping, and referral opportunity tracking while documenting CRM updates and follow-up cadences. Position CNS as a solution for high-cost stroke and TBI cases, explaining value differentiators against SNF and home health options. Identify and resolve barriers related to referral routing, authorizations, network status, and claims friction by coordinating the right internal owners and promoting clearer escalation paths. Create direct working connections between payer contacts and CNS Admissions, UR, Contracting, and Clinical Leadership. Capture payer feedback, competitor activity, and referral trends to report actionable patterns to the Sr. Director of Payer Partnerships and Chief Strategy Officer. Increase qualified commercial referrals and improve referral-to-admission conversion for complex neuro cases. Full-time role with travel and some evening/weekend work; based in California.
Required Qualifications
- Bachelor's Degree
- Master's degree in a related field of study
- Minimum of five years in payer relations, provider relations, network management, managed care, business development, admissions, or healthcare account management
- Commercial health plan experience or direct payer-facing provider experience
- Strong knowledge of authorizations, referrals, network status, provider directories, claims friction, and payer issue resolution
- Demonstrated sales/account development discipline, including follow-up cadence, contact mapping, opportunity tracking, and persuasive value messaging
- Consultative selling skills related to discovery, value framing, stakeholder mapping, objection handling, and disciplined follow-up
- Ability to translate clinical value into payer language of avoiding long-term care costs, functional recovery, complex case management, discharge alternatives, and member/family impact
- Must be able to effectively lead and coach others
- Must be available for weekend shifts
- Must be able to lift 50 lbs
Desired Qualifications
- Master's degree in a related field of study preferred
- Experience inside a health plan, IPA/MSO, or delegated medical group preferred
- Experience working with both provider and payer organizations is preferred
- California commercial payer relationships, especially Network Management or Provider Relations preferred
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