Strategic Planning and Performance

Your Role

The Health Plan Strategist, Principal is responsible for supporting the improvement and maintenance of our integrated health plan strategy to execution process and supporting initiatives designed to provide strategic thought leadership to business leaders across the organization to address specific strategic initiatives. This role will serve as a change agent, leveraging a consistent and disciplined approach to strategy to design dynamic yet enduring strategies and implementation plans. Under the guidance of leadership, this role will use data-driven insights, executive stakeholder management, strategy design, development and implementation, and project and program management to provide decision support to business and executive leaders. The Health Plan Strategist, Principal will have a pivotal role in supporting the ongoing building and executing of organization and business-unit level strategies to strengthen Blue Shield of California’s ability to transform healthcare. This role will report to the Director, Strategic Planning and Performance.

Our leadership model is about developing great leaders at all levels and creating opportunities for our people to grow – personally, professionally, and financially. We are looking for leaders that are energized by creative and critical thinking, building and sustaining high-performing teams, getting results the right way, and fostering continuous learning.

Responsibilities

Your Work

In this role, you will:

• Be responsible for planning and implementation of complex programs spanning across business areas which include multiple projects, initiatives, and where analysis requires evaluation of intangible variance factors
• Support annual and multi-year strategic planning process, and shaping our long-term strategy/goals in conjunction with financial partners
• Systematically leverage a consistent, repeatable approach to strategy design and execution, including the associated engagement model, tools, resources and artifacts
• Collaborate with business unit strategists and planners to develop strategic direction of projects/programs and alignment across the enterprise, to inform decision-making at all levels of the organization
• Facilitate the design of comprehensive enterprise and business-unit strategies under the guidance of the Health Plan Strategy team lead, including clear, shared objectives that tie to outcomes that produce value for members, providers, and colleagues
• Provide consulting support as needed on engagements, including facilitation of design sessions, workshops, or focus groups to engage key stakeholders across the enterprise.
• Provide consultation to the improvements and maintenance of our enterprise strategy success metrics
• Provide program and project management support to mature BSC’s strategy and innovation capabilities (e.g., Strategy Committee)
• Create highly professional presentations to communicate and support findings and prepare executive materials to maintain clear, succinct, and meaningful communication with Blue Shield executives and our Board
• Other duties as assigned

Qualifications

Your Knowledge and Experience

• ​​​​​​Requires a bachelor’s degree or high school diploma/GED and 4 years of additional relevant experience in lieu of a degree; graduate degree (e.g., MBA, MPH or MHA) strongly preferred
• Requires at least 10 years of prior relevant experience
• Requires experience in healthcare industry environment, health plan/insurance or healthcare provider
• Requires experience leading enterprise-level programs, strategic planning processes, or cross-functional initiatives in highly matrixed organization
• Demonstrate strong strategic thinking with the ability to synthesize complex concepts, align enterprise priorities, and translate insights into actionable strategies
• Requires core management consulting capabilities including client management, workshop facilitation, structured problem-solving, data analysis, process design, and change management
• Ability to communicate clearly and persuasively, simplifying complex information for diverse audiences both verbal and written
• Ability to influence effectively by combining logic and empathy to build alignment, navigate complex organizations and drive change; ability to gain buy-in from leaders and peers
• Excellent project management skills, Agile methodology experience preferred
• Design thinking certification preferred; Agile or similar certification preferred

Hybrid

This role requires employees to be in-office based on our hybrid workplace model, balancing purposeful in-person collaboration with flexibility. For most teams, this means coming into the office two days each week.

Employees living more than 50 miles from an office location will work with their manager to determine in-office time based on business need.

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About Blue Shield of California

As of January 2025, Blue Shield of California became a subsidiary of Ascendiun. Ascendiun is a nonprofit corporate entity that is the parent to a family of organizations including Blue Shield of California and its subsidiary, Blue Shield of California Promise Health Plan; Altais, a clinical services company; and Stellarus, a company designed to scale healthcare solutions. Together, these organizations are referred to as the Ascendiun Family of Companies. 

At Blue Shield of California, our mission is to create a healthcare system worthy of our family and friends and sustainably affordable. We are transforming health care in a way that genuinely serves our nonprofit mission by lowering costs, improving quality, and enhancing the member and physician experience. 

To achieve our mission, we foster an environment where all employees can thrive and contribute fully to address the needs of the various communities we serve. We are committed to creating and maintaining a supportive workplace that upholds our values and advances our goals.

Blue Shield is a U.S. News Best Company to work for, a Deloitte U.S. Best Managed Company and a Top 100 Inspiring Workplace. We were recognized by Fair360 as a Top Regional Company, and one of the 50 most community-minded companies in the United States by Points of Light. Here at Blue Shield, we strive to make a positive change across our industry and communities – join us!  

Our Values: 

• Honest. We hold ourselves to the highest ethical and integrity standards. We build trust by doing what we say we're going to do and by acknowledging and correcting where we fall short. 
• Human. We strive to listen and communicate effectively, showing empathy by understanding others' perspectives.
• Courageous. We stand up for what we believe in and are committed to the hard work necessary to achieve our ambitious goals. 

Our Workplace Model 

We believe in fostering a workplace environment that balances purposeful in-person collaboration with flexibility - providing clear expectations while respecting the diverse needs of our workforce. Our workplace model is designed around intentional in-person interaction, collaboration, connection, creativity and flexibility:

• For most teams, this means coming into the office two days per week.

• Employees living more than 50 miles from an office location, out of state employees, and employees in certain member-facing roles should work with their manager to determine in-office time based on business need.

• For employees with medical conditions that may impact their ability to work in-office, we are committed to engaging in an interactive process and providing reasonable accommodations to ensure their work environment is conducive to their success and well-being.

The Company reserves the right to require more presence in the office based on business needs, and requirements are subject to change with periodic reviews.  

Physical Requirements:

Office Environment - roles involving part to full time schedule in Office Environment. Based in our physical offices and work from home office/deskwork - Activity level: Sedentary, frequency most of work day.

Please click here for further physical requirement detail. 

Equal Employment Opportunity:

External hires must pass a background check/drug screen. Qualified applicants with arrest records and/or conviction records will be considered for employment in a manner consistent with Federal, State and local laws, including but not limited to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regards to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, protected veteran status or disability status and any other classification protected by Federal, State and local laws.