Senior Director, Affordability Strategy

The Senior Director Affordability Strategy will serve as a leader responsible for shaping the affordability roadmap across the national ancillary and payment integrity teams at Cigna Healthcare. This role seeks an experienced strategist with deep healthcare expertise capable of influencing executive decision-making and driving the ideation design and oversight of new affordability initiatives and solutions that align with enterprise and Cigna Healthcare organizational goals. The ideal candidate will bring a consulting-grade toolkit strong analytical and financial acumen and a proven ability to operate at the intersection of innovation business strategy financial and operational execution. The role will also be responsible for comprehensively looking at the provider and payer landscape to identify and drive innovative approaches to address medical and admin cost trends provider behavior billing behavior and improve health plan operations.

Responsibilities

Strategic Leadership & Execution

• Drive annual strategic refresh cycles including 3-year outlook planning and initiative prioritization
• Defines reimbursement policies and tactical goals and objectives; directs strategy execution
• Assists affordability leadership in defining short and long-term strategic needs and work through multi management levels to track plan progress and execution
• Identify emerging trends impacting medical costs to inform new program and product development
• Serve as a strategic advisor to Cigna Healthcare senior affordability clinical and operational leadership translating enterprise and organizational priorities into actionable initiatives
• Act as a catalyst for change positioning the Cigna Healthcare affordability and payment integrity team as a leading program help with value creation within the organization

Affordability programs

• Support the design and refinement of affordability programs tailored to address specific trends and populations
• Partner with analytics operations product and clinical teams to validate business cases and define success metrics
• Identify new and scalability of affordability programs and initiatives
• Support go-to-market strategies communication and enablement efforts for new solutions
• Accountable for enabling the strategy set by leadership

Cross-Functional Collaboration & Communication

• Collaborate with matrix partners across contracting operations clinical finance product sales transformation and innovation teams within Cigna Healthcare and across the enterprise to ensure alignment and execution.
• Develop executive-level communications including strategy memos presentations reports stakeholder updates and create comprehensive narratives

Market & Competitive Intelligence

• Conduct external scans of the healthcare landscape to identify innovation and affordability opportunities and competitive threats using data and qualitative performance to advise management relative to the national network and payment integrity strategy
• Analyze internal capabilities and gaps to inform strategic priorities and decisions
• Synthesize internal and external insights into actionable recommendations that shape enterprise and organizational growth initiatives

Execution & Performance Management

• Track and report on initiative performance ensuring alignment with financial operational clinical impact and experience goals
• Synthesize annual and multi-year plans to demonstrate tie back to affordability and enterprise strategies and goals

Qualifications

• Bachelors degree required; MBA MPH MHA or relevant advanced degree preferred.
• 8 years with progressive experience in healthcare strategy or finance ideally with exposure to top-tier consulting or payer/provider/integrated delivery system strategy roles
• Demonstrated expertise in innovation product development and emerging technologies in healthcare
• Exceptional strategic thinking problem-solving and executive communication skills.
• Proven ability to deliver creative solutions to complex challenges
• Skilled in managing action items tracking progress and ensuring timely follow-ups is preferred
• Financial acumen and experience with business case development
• Experience working in a matrixed organization with strong internal relationship-building skills
• Excellent communication skills with the ability to translate complex topics into clear actionable insights

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in a top-tier strategy consulting firm or in a corporate strategy function within a leading healthcare organization
• Experience in payer or integrated delivery system environments
• Familiarity with emerging technologies and AI/ML applications in claims settings

This role is also anticipated to be eligible to participate in an annual bonus and long term incentive plan.

At The Cigna Group youll enjoy a comprehensive range of benefits with a focus on supporting your whole health. Starting on day one of your employment youll be offered several health-related benefits including medical vision dental and well-being and behavioral health programs. We also offer 401(k) company paid life insurance tuition reimbursement a minimum of 18 days of paid time off per year and paid holidays. For more details on our employee benefits programs click here.

About Cigna Healthcare

Qualified applicants will be considered without regard to race color age disability sex childbirth (including pregnancy) or related medical conditions including but not limited to lactation sexual orientation gender identity or expression veteran or military status religion national origin ancestry marital or familial status genetic information status with regard to public assistance citizenship status or any other characteristic protected by applicable equal employment opportunity laws.

If you require reasonable accommodation in completing the online application process please email: for support. Do not email for an update on your application or to provide your resume as you will not receive a response.

The Cigna Group has a tobacco-free policy and reserves the right not to hire tobacco/nicotine users in states where that is legally permissible. Candidates in such states who use tobacco/nicotine will not be considered for employment unless they enter a qualifying smoking cessation program prior to the start of their employment. These states include: Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas Delaware Florida Georgia Hawaii Idaho Iowa Kansas Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Nebraska Ohio Pennsylvania Texas Utah Vermont and Washington State.

Qualified applicants with criminal histories will be considered for employment in a manner consistent with all federal state and local ordinances.