Principal Healthcare Consultant

Overview

The Principal Healthcare Consultant will play a central role in helping our clients to execute strategies to help them compete and win. We partner with health plans to adapt their product strategies to the evolving needs of their clients, creating offerings that strengthen and sustain their competitive advantage. The Principal works alongside plan client leaders in product management and line-of-business leadership to deliver on this opportunity: designing competitively differentiated benefits and services products for employer groups with highly tailored needs and finding where such investments can create leverage across books of business.

The Principal then leads engagements alongside our other consultants to execute this strategy, translating it into technology and operational designs, and enabling them within the plan's ecosystem. Strategic product thinking paired with practical execution is what sets us apart from traditional consulting firms. The Principal will be instrumental in achieving this balance, advising executive clients to set product strategies that can win share in the market, while ensuring that client staff and NASCO successfully execute the strategy to achieve desired goals.

Responsibilities

Advises health plan executives on product strategy and innovation, helping them decide what to bring to market, when, and for which segments

Leads product strategy engagements from framing through executive readout, including portfolio review, product concept definition, and prioritized roadmaps

Defines and designs competitive health plan products, including benefit and plan design, network and pricing constructs, and funding arrangements, working with plan product, actuarial, finance, and sales partners to balance cost, value, and feasibility

Helps plans respond to highly tailored employer group needs, identifying where group requirements can be met through configurable offerings rather than one-off builds and where product investments create leverage across books of business through shared capabilities and sequencing that reduce costs and shorten time to market

Assesses market, regulatory, and competitive dynamics, including national carrier positioning, to shape offerings that differentiate rather than follow

Translates product strategy into executable plans, targets, success measures, and timelines aligned to plan years, rate filings, and bid cycles

Leads engagement on strategic work, directing the contributions of other consultants who take plans through operational design, configuration, and enablement within the plan's ecosystem

Participates in strategic pre-sales pursuits alongside commercial leaders, leading executive discoveries, framing customer problems, and establishing the value case before solutions are positioned

Develops practice points of view and reusable frameworks on health plan product strategy and innovation, working with the Market Intelligence team to ground them in current market data, and builds our reputation as a strategic partner by sharing them through customer forums, industry events, and published perspectives, including case studies and proof points of customer outcomes

Shares customer and market insight with product management to inform roadmap priorities and positioning

Preferred Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Consulting or advisory experience serving health plans
• Experience at a Blue Cross Blue Shield plan or national carrier, or familiarity with Blues plan operations and inter-plan programs
• Product leadership across multiple lines of business, including Medicare Advantage product development and bid experience
• Familiarity with core payer administration platforms and how platform capabilities enable or constrain product design
• Published perspectives, industry speaking, or recognized thought leadership in health plan product strategy

Experience

• 10 years of experience in healthcare payer operations, product management, product strategy, healthcare consulting, or related leadership roles
• 5 years of experience leading complex strategic initiatives or consulting engagements
• 5 years of experience working on or with health plans
• 8 years in consulting, strategy or solution design
• Experience engaging with executive stakeholders and influencing strategic business decisions
• Experience leading cross-functional initiatives involving multiple business functions and stakeholder groups
• Required Training, Certification and Education
• Bachelor’s degree in healthcare administration, Business Administration, Public Health, Finance, Marketing, or a related field or equivalent experience

Preferred Training, Certification and Education

Master’s degree in business administration, Healthcare Administration, Public Health, or a related field

Advanced coursework or formal training in innovation, portfolio management, or healthcare transformation

Working Conditions

• Remote home office
• Requires frequent interaction with internal and external stakeholders
• Travel up to 20% may be for customer workshops, executive sessions, and industry events
• Must be able to use workstation at least 8 hours a day

Benefits Overview

At NASCO, we trust our workforce to be fully remote, working from their home. This benefit offers significant, personalized outcomes for each associate including work/life balance, savings on commuting, work clothing, and increased time to spend on personal activities.

Our full benefit package is designed to support the physical, mental, and financial health of our associates. We offer:

Physical and Mental Health Benefits

Choice of Blue Cross Blue Shield Medical, Dental, and Vision Plans

Telehealthcare – for Medical and Behavioral visits

Generous PTO with buy/sell options

9 Company holidays, a floating day off, and a day off for volunteering

Employee Assistance Program

Wellness program - earn insurance discounts or credit towards health-related items

Financial Health Benefits

401K Plan with employer matching contributions

Company-funded spending/reimbursement accounts to help with out-of-pocket medical expenses

Bonus and Recognition programs

Tuition Assistance

• Consultation with financial planner
• Basic Life & AD&D Insurance, Short and Long-Term Disability Insurance provided, and Supplemental Term Life Insurance is available
• Group Discount programs - mobile, technology services, etc., to help you save money

Other Benefits

E-Learning – Comprehensive and current library of e-learning and performance support assets, available on demand and at no cost

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to, among other grounds, race, color, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, age, gender identity, protected veteran status or status as an individual with a disability. Must have legal authority to work in the US.

We will not accept applicants that use AI when answering the screening questions. Applicants who use AI to answer any questions or to complete their application will not be considered for employment.