Market Vice President

Vice President, Managed Care & Payer Contracting Location: South Florida preferred | Approximately 30–40% travel Competitive salary plus an annual bonus A rapidly growing, multi-state behavioral health organization is seeking an experienced Vice President of Managed Care & Payer Contracting to lead its national payer contracting strategy. This is a high-impact leadership opportunity for a managed care executive who has successfully navigated out-of-network (OON) to in-network (INN) transitions and understands the complexities of behavioral health reimbursement, payer negotiations, and multi-state expansion. The VP will develop and execute payer strategy across SUD, mental health, and high-acuity psychiatric services spanning inpatient, residential, PHP, IOP, and outpatient levels of care. Key Responsibilities Develop and execute a national, state-by-state payer contracting strategy , prioritizing commercial, Medicaid MCO, Medicare Advantage, ACA, TRICARE/VA, and other key payer opportunities. Lead payer negotiations from strategy through execution , including rates, reimbursement methodology, authorization/UR terms, level-of-care coverage, escalators, and contract provisions. Drive the organization's strategic transition from OON to INN , balancing increased network access and patient volume with strong reimbursement and margin protection. Build financial models comparing OON collections, proposed INN rates, anticipated volume, length of stay, and net revenue by level of care. Evaluate payer opportunities in new markets to support continued national expansion and de novo growth. Partner closely with Revenue Cycle, Operations, Clinical, Admissions, Marketing, and Legal to ensure successful contract implementation. Monitor contract performance, payment accuracy, underpayments, renewals, and payer relationships while reporting key performance metrics to executive leadership. Lead and develop the existing contracting function and serve as a primary relationship owner with payer network and behavioral health leadership. Qualifications 10+ years of managed care contracting experience , including 5+ years directly leading negotiations with commercial payers. Significant behavioral health contracting experience , ideally across SUD and mental health services. Proven success converting a healthcare organization from OON to INN or establishing network participation for a growing multi-site provider. Multi-state payer contracting experience, including familiarity with Medicaid MCO environments. Strong knowledge of reimbursement methodologies, utilization review, prior authorization, and mental health parity requirements. Strong financial and contract modeling skills with the ability to build and defend payer contract pro formas. Bachelor's degree in Business, Finance, Healthcare Administration, or a related field required; MBA, MHA, or JD preferred Established relationships with national and regional payers and behavioral health vendors are highly preferred. The Opportunity This is a builder role, not a maintenance role . The VP will have the opportunity to shape the payer strategy for a growing national behavioral health platform, influence expansion into new markets, and build a contracting infrastructure capable of supporting significant long-term growth.