AVP, Head of Medicare National Strategic Partnerships

Role Overview

• Develops and executes the sales strategy for national distribution partnerships across Individual Medicare Advantage, Medicare Supplement, and ancillary Senior Supplemental Insurance products.
• Establishes long‑range plans for market expansion, revenue optimization, and portfolio growth through national distribution channels, NMOs, and strategic distribution partnerships.
• Evaluates emerging trends, regulatory developments, competitive positioning, and partner insights to inform enterprise‑level decision‑making and anticipate market shifts.
• Shapes policy and programmatic direction for sales, account management, and aligns with retention strategy to support profitable growth and organizational objectives.
• Serves as the senior executive interface for national strategic partners, large‑scale aggregators, and distribution organizations.
• Cultivates trusted, multi‑layered relationships with partners, advancing collaboration, innovation, and shared business outcomes.
• Provides strategic, data-driven guidance to partners on Aetna products, capabilities, market strategy, and compliance requirements.
• Represents Aetna and CVS Health externally as a thought leader and ambassador for Medicare and SSI distribution strategy.
• Oversees end‑to‑end external distribution strategy, forecasting, pipeline development, and performance analytics for both Medicare and SSI national distribution channels.
• Directs the use and evolution of CRM systems, reporting frameworks, and business intelligence tools to enhance transparency, predictability, and data‑driven decision‑making.
• Ensures alignment of sales forecasts, partner commitments, reporting, and performance insights across product portfolios and distribution segments.
• Establishes KPIs, dashboards, and performance benchmarks and leverages insights to drive timely course‑correction and opportunity capture.
• Oversees negotiation of high‑impact distribution agreements, and NMO relationships, ensuring alignment with enterprise financial, operational, and compliance standards.
• Ensures governance over pricing, contractual terms, incentive programs, and partner performance requirements.
• Leads resolution of complex partner escalations and ensures consistent, high‑quality service delivery and operational execution.
• Advises and collaborates with marketing, product development, actuarial, field strategy, operations, compliance, and consumer experience teams to drive integrated go‑to‑market execution.
• Ensures synchronization of product, distribution, and operations strategies to deliver compelling partner value propositions and superior broker and member experiences.
• Champions innovation and cross‑functional problem‑solving to accelerate profitable growth initiatives and unlock strategic opportunities.
• Leads, mentors, and develops a team of 9 direct reports and a total of 32+ high‑performing colleagues spanning Medicare National Strategic Partnerships and the SSI Sales team.
• Builds a cohesive leadership structure for the combined teams and establishes performance goals aligned to the Medicare Sales and the Enterprise strategy.
• Drives an accountable, inclusive, and growth‑oriented culture focused on talent development, operational discipline, and continuous improvement.
• Oversees workforce planning, succession planning, and capability building to ensure strong leadership pipelines and organizational scalability.

Requirements

• 20+ years of progressive leadership experience in sales, account management, Medicare distribution, or related healthcare organizations.
• Proven track record of driving strategic growth and executing national expansion strategies within Medicare Advantage and/or Medicare Supplement markets.
• Executive-level experience leading complex, multi-layered sales organizations, including leaders of leaders, with accountability for large-scale performance and results.
• Deep expertise in relationship management, contract negotiation, and navigating complex partner, broker, and stakeholder ecosystems.
• Strong business acumen with advanced capabilities in business intelligence, data analytics, forecasting, and sales performance management.
• Exceptional strategic thinking, decision-making, and organizational leadership skills, with the ability to influence and collaborate effectively across all levels of an organization and with external partners.
• Executive presence and outstanding communication skills, including public speaking and presentation capabilities that effectively engage senior leaders, board members, partners, and large audiences.
• Proven ability to attract, develop, and retain top talent while fostering an inclusive, highly engaged, and high-performing culture that drives organizational success.
• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent work experience.

Benefits

• medical, dental, and vision coverage
• paid time off
• retirement savings options
• wellness programs
• comprehensive benefits package designed to support physical, emotional, and financial well-being of colleagues and their families