[Hiring] Vice President, Payer Contracting & Strategy @Brigade Health

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. Key Responsibilities Responsibilities include, but are not limited to: • 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. Minimum Qualifications • 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. Preferred Qualifications • 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 Pay Range (may vary based on region) $180,000—$220,000 USD Apply tot his job