Director Business Planning and Operations

Strategic Management Office Leader

This role serves as a key member of the Strategic Management Office within the Enterprise Clinical Organization (ECO) and supports the Chief Medical and Clinical Transformation Officer of Highmark Health and the senior clinical leadership team. Operating in a fast-paced, highly visible environment, the position plays a critical role in translating enterprise clinical strategy into operational execution while partnering closely with executive leaders across Highmark Health and affiliated organizations to drive strategic transformation, organizational effectiveness, and business results. The role functions as a strategic advisor and execution partner, ensuring alignment across Highmark Health and key enterprise stakeholders to advance priorities related to the business objectives of improving health outcomes, affordability, clinician engagement, and sustainability.

Within the ECO, incumbent leads initiatives that enable the organization to translate strategic vision into measurable results, including multi-year strategic planning, annual goal development, enterprise health goal management, operating model design, organizational governance, executive performance reporting and scorecard management, and strategy activation. The role works collaboratively across clinical, operational, analytical, financial, provider, and corporate functions to ensure alignment, accountability, and transparency of transformational initiatives while proactively identifying risks, dependencies, and opportunities for improvement.

Responsibilities include overseeing executive scorecards and reporting processes; facilitating leadership forums and decision-making structures; coordinating budget planning and financial management activities; directing change management, employee engagement, and communication strategies; and advancing organizational capabilities through AI adoption, process improvement, and operational transformation efforts. The role also serves as a key leader for complex cross-functional initiatives and projects involving health outcomes strategy, value creation measurement, clinical data strategy, precision medicine, clinical transformation, and the continued evolution of the Living Health Clinical Strategy and associated quality, analytics, and performance management capabilities.

This position is well-suited for a highly strategic and operationally minded leader who thrives in a dynamic environment, excels at influencing without authority, and is passionate about improving healthcare outcomes through innovation, collaboration, and disciplined execution of enterprise priorities.

This is a hybrid based role in Pittsburgh, PA - Onsite 3 days a week. T, W, TH.

Essential Responsibilities

• Strategic Planning: Facilitate the planning and organization of all strategic initiatives. Direct and oversee the initiation progress, resource requirements, financial performance, benefits and value levers, and communications associated with, tactical and business as usual projects led by the function. Identify, develop, and execute key processes that improve overall organizational efficiency and effectiveness including governance. Work with departmental leadership and matrix partners to identify risks and create actionable plans to mitigate those risks to ensure realization of outcomes.
• Business Performance Monitoring: Direct budgets and related financial oversight, in partnership with matrix partners and other corporate departments. Direct performance monitoring activities relating to strategic advancement and strategy execution. Facilitate the budget and strategic governance process. Develop and maintain an executive-level communications dashboard, including ROI metrics and uses data to drive initiatives, evaluate success and failure and communicate results.
• Develops and implements business strategies in conjunction with senior leadership in accordance with organizational goals. Maintains an in-depth knowledge of the changing healthcare environment and evaluates the market need for specific clinical services or programs.
• Identifies the need for quality and performance improvement initiatives in accordance with strategic direction. Develops and implements plans for clinical, administrative and safety improvement processes in collaboration with senior leadership, clinical and physician leadership.
• Establishes revenue and expense targets in conjunction with senior leadership; analyzes trends impacting revenue and volume; identifies opportunities to optimize clinical reimbursement and implements new policies and procedures as necessary. Maintains a thorough understanding of clinical reimbursement and managed care issues, specific to the specialty line. Leads the management of external vendor performance within the business area.
• Employee Engagement: Organize and lead communications from the division that includes a matrix partnership with other departments across the network. Lead quarterly and yearly planning processes to decide on established priorities and communication approach. Direct and oversee the change management practice ensuring all levels of management and all employees are effectively absorbing organizational change while maintaining excellent operational results.

Experience

• Required: 7 years of experience in strategic planning, corporate development, project management, or management consulting. To include: 5 years in a management or leadership role; 5 years of experience presenting and communicating with large audiences.
• Preferred: 5 years of experience in the healthcare industry, strategic vendor and practice management.

Education

• Required: Bachelor's degree in healthcare administration, business administration or related field or relevant experience and/or education as determined by the company in lieu of bachelor's degree.
• Preferred: Master's Degree in healthcare administration, business administration or related field.

Skills

• Oral and Written Communication Skills
• Creative Problem Solving
• Critical Thinking
• Analytical and Logical Reasoning/Thinking
• Project Planning and Organization
• Leadership
• Business Planning

Language (Other than English): None

Travel Requirement: 0% - 25%

Physical, Mental Demands and Working Conditions

Position Type: Office based - Hybrid 3 days a week onsite - T, W, TH

Teaches / trains others: Occasionally

Travel from the office to various work sites or from site-to-site: Rarely

Works primarily out-of-the office selling products/services (sales employees): Never

Physical work site required: No

Lifting: up to 10 pounds Constantly

Lifting: 10 to 25 pounds Occasionally

Lifting: 25 to 50 pounds Rarely