Executive Director, Clinical Strategy & Operations

We’re building a world of health around every individual — shaping a more connected, convenient and compassionate health experience. At CVS Health, you’ll be surrounded by passionate colleagues who care deeply, innovate with purpose, hold ourselves accountable and prioritize safety and quality in everything we do. Join us and be part of something bigger – helping to simplify health care one person, one family and one community at a time.

Position Summary

At Aetna, our health benefits business, we are committed to helping our members achieve their best health in an affordable, convenient, and comprehensive manner. Combining the assets of our health insurance products and services with CVS Health’s unrivaled presence in local communities and their pharmacy benefits management capabilities, we’re joining members on their path to better health and transforming the health care landscape in new and exciting ways every day. Aetna is seeking an Executive Director, Clinical Strategy and Operations to integrate strategy, operational planning, governance, relationship management, and execution across Aetna Clinical Service’s Strategic Operations & Program Management (SOPM). This leader will translate enterprise direction into clear priorities, investment recommendations, leadership decisions, and measurable results. They will build and manage executive and cross-functional relationships to align business needs and priorities, strengthen accountability, resolve dependencies, and enhance operating-model effectiveness.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead annual and multiyear strategic and operating planning, aligning priorities, resources, and intended outcomes.
• Design and lead governance forums, operating reviews, and decision processes that establish clear ownership, leadership alignment, and timely escalation; track decisions and actions through completion.
• Integrate portfolio roadmaps, performance measures, risks, and dependencies; drive corrective actions with accountable owners.
• Define SOPM's tooling strategy and lead the selection, governance, adoption, and optimization of tools for intake, portfolio management, reporting, and decision support, partnering with technology and business teams to standardize workflows, improve data quality, and enable a shared source of truth.
• Develop executive briefings and leadership agendas that focus discussion on priorities, risks, and decisions; evaluate tradeoffs, recommend action, and align leaders on the path forward.
• Lead relationship management with business and cross-functional partners, serving as a primary point of connection for SOPM to understand business needs, align priorities and expectations, and resolve issues.
• Lead high-priority cross-functional initiatives, resolving ownership gaps and execution barriers in partnership with business leaders.
• Lead SOPM change management and communications, aligning messages, stakeholder engagement, and adoption plans with strategic priorities and operating-model changes.
• Lead a team of six employees; guide organizational assessment, workforce planning, staff development, succession planning, and capability building to strengthen SOPM's effectiveness and leadership continuity.

Required Qualifications

The candidate will have a strong work ethic, be a self-starter, and be able to be highly productive in a dynamic, collaborative environment. This position offers broad exposure to all aspects of the company’s business, as well as significant interaction with all the business leaders.

• 10+ years of progressive leadership experience in strategic planning, business operations, portfolio/program management, transformation, or related discipline.
• Demonstrated success translating enterprise strategy into multiyear operating plans, portfolio priorities, roadmaps, and measurable outcomes.
• Experience establishing governance, operating reviews, performance management, and decision-making processes within a complex organization.
• Strong portfolio management capabilities, including prioritization, metrics, risk and dependency management, reporting, and corrective action planning.
• Experience leading the strategy, adoption, or optimization of portfolio management, workflow, reporting, and decision-support tools.
• Proven ability to influence senior leaders and lead complex, cross-functional initiatives in a highly matrixed environment.
• Exceptional executive communication and analytical skills, with the ability to synthesize complex information, evaluate tradeoffs, and provide actionable recommendations.
• Demonstrated experience leading organizational change, stakeholder engagement, and adoption of new processes or operating models.
• Strong people leadership capabilities, including talent development, workforce and succession planning, and organizational capability building.

Education Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience required.

Pay Range

The typical pay range for this role is: $131,500.00 - $303,195.00 This pay range represents the base hourly rate or base annual full-time salary for all positions in the job grade within which this position falls. The actual base salary offer will depend on a variety of factors including experience, education, geography and other relevant factors. This position is eligible for a CVS Health bonus, commission or short-term incentive program in addition to the base pay range listed above. This position also includes an award target in the company’s equity award program. Our people fuel our future. Our teams reflect the customers, patients, members and communities we serve and we are committed to fostering a workplace where every colleague feels valued and that they belong.

Great benefits for great people

We take pride in offering a comprehensive and competitive mix of pay and benefits that reflects our commitment to our colleagues and their families. This full‑time position is eligible for a comprehensive benefits package designed to support the physical, emotional, and financial well‑being of colleagues and their families. The benefits for this position include medical, dental, and vision coverage, paid time off, retirement savings options, wellness programs, and other resources, based on eligibility. Additional details about available benefits are provided during the application process and on Benefits Moments. We anticipate the application window for this opening will close on: 11/07/2026 Qualified applicants with arrest or conviction records will be considered for employment in accordance with all federal, state and local laws.

Our Work Experience

Our Work Experience is the combination of everything that's unique about us: our culture, our core values, our company meetings, our commitment to sustainability, our recognition programs, but most importantly, it's our people. Our employees are self-disciplined, hard working, curious, trustworthy, humble, and truthful. They make choices according to what is best for the team, they live for opportunities to collaborate and make a difference, and they make us the #1 Top Workplace in the area.