Dir, Account Management

Kaiser Permanente; Fresno (CA); Hybrid; USD 140,000 - 200,000; Full time

Job summary

Kaiser Permanente in Fresno, CA seeks an Area Director to lead long‑term sales and retention strategies for health insurance accounts. This remote role requires base in Fresno and will shape performance‑driven initiatives using data, technology, and cost and clinical metrics to meet growth targets.

You will guide a high‑performing team, partner with customers, brokers, and consultants, and align programs with company priorities.

Qualifications

• Minimum 3 years of leadership with direct reports.
• Bachelor's degree and 9+ years in sales/health plan admin, or 12+ years in related field.
• California Accident and Health Insurance License within 3 months of hire.
• Master's degree in Health Administration, Public Health, or Business (preferred).

Responsibilities

• Directs long-term strategic direction for sales and retention efforts.
• Oversees relationships with customers, brokers, and channel partners.
• Provides consultation on health benefits strategy and offerings.
• Represents market perspective to influence senior leadership decisions.
• Accountable for KPIs to drive growth and market position.
• Guides cross-functional teams in sales and renewals including negotiations and pricing.

Skills

Leadership

Strategic Thinking

Communication

Decision Making

Team Building

Problem Solving

Health Care Industry

Ambiguity Management

Diversity & Inclusion

Influencing Others

Education

Bachelor's degree in related field

Job description

Note: This is a remote role that requires the Area Director to be based in Fresno, CA.

Job Summary

Directs the long‑term strategic direction of sales and retention strategies for health insurance or workers compensation accounts in alignment with company‑wide initiatives. Establishes best practices for utilizing resources, technology tools, and customer performance data (e.g., cost utilization, financial, clinical) to meet competitive revenue and growth targets. Oversees relationships with customers, consultants, brokers, and/or channel partners, ensuring that their overall needs are being met. Provides consultation to teams in developing recommendations to support health benefits strategy and offering. Represents the marketplace perspective to influence strategic direction and decision‑making of senior leadership. Is accountable for Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) to drive the sustained growth and competitive position of KP in the market.

Essential Responsibilities

• Prepares individuals for growth opportunities and advancement; builds internal collaborative networks for self and others. Solicits and acts on performance feedback; drives collaboration to set goals and provide open feedback and coaching to foster performance improvement. Demonstrates continuous learning; oversees the recruitment, selection, and development of talent; ensures performance management guidelines and expectations to achieve business needs. Stays up to date with organizational best practices, processes, benchmarks, and industry trends; shares best practices within and across teams. Motivates and empowers teams; maintains a highly skilled and engaged workforce by aligning resource plans with business objectives. Provides guidance when difficult decisions need to be made; creates opportunities for expanded scope of decision making and impact.
• Oversees the operation of multiple units within a department by identifying member and operational needs; ensures the management of work assignment completion; translates business strategy into actionable business requirements; ensures products and/or services meet member requirements and expectations while aligning with organizational strategies. Gains cross‑functional support for business plans and priorities; assumes responsibility for decision making; sets standards, measures progress, and fosters resolution of escalated issues. Communicates goals and objectives; analyzes resources, costs, and forecasts and incorporates them into business plans; prioritizes and distributes resources. Removes obstacles that impact performance; guides performance and develops contingency plans accordingly; ensures teams accomplish business objectives.
• Manages experience customer and market turnaround by: establishing long‑term strategic direction for team member communications with customers, consultants, brokers, and/or channels for contract, benefit/service, and renewal activities and resolve escalations when needed; serving as an expert on product knowledge and directing team members to educate customers, consultants, brokers, and/or channel partners, resolving any questions or concerns; setting best practices for building expertise in prospect or customer business to ensure that Request for Renewal (RFR) response and engagement strategies are in alignment with customer and company‑wide goals; managing team relationships with engagement team/specialist, and setting long‑term strategic direction for engagement programs (e.g., member wellness); and setting long‑term strategic direction for providing recommendations for new products, benefits/services offerings, and pricing models to address customer, consultant, broker, and/or channel needs.
• Demonstrates commitment to KP sales and retention goals by: directing the team to meet or exceed challenging targets for retention and growth for accounts in the Book of Business; establishing company‑wide Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), and monitoring progress using the Customer Relationship Management (CRM) platform; and directing the team in alignment with the sustained growth and competitive position of KP in the market.
• Contributes to the execution of sales and renewals by: directing broad strategy for RFR processes, troubleshooting and resolving escalations when necessary; establishing and promoting best practices for teams sales and renewals including administration, negotiations, and presentations and rate product and benefit/service validation; directing teams across the organizations to ensure that contracts, pricing, and membership accounting implement the negotiated terms for sales and renewals; and providing consultation across organizations to develop and implement highly advanced strategies for cross‑sell and upsell opportunities to increase growth and retention.
• Supports internal and external communication by: directing teams across organizations to collaborate on account strategy, and ensuring alignment with company‑wide long‑term objectives; directing the flow of information across the company to advance and ensure deadlines and objectives are met; providing consultation to teams developing highly advanced recommendations for customer channels on all aspects of health benefits/services strategy and offering; and representing the marketplace perspective to influence strategic direction and decision‑making of senior leadership.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities: (Core)

• Ambiguity/Uncertainty Management
• Attention to Detail
• Business Knowledge
• Communication
• Constructive Feedback
• Critical Thinking
• Cross‑Group Collaboration
• Decision Making
• Dependability
• Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Support
• Drives Results
• Facilitation Skills
• Health Care Industry
• Influencing Others
• Integrity
• Leadership
• Learning Agility
• Organizational Savvy
• Problem Solving
• Short- and Long‑term Learning & Recall
• Strategic Thinking
• Team Building
• Teamwork
• Topic‑Specific Communication

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities: (Functional)

• Benefits/Services
• Brand Strategy
• Change Management
• Customer Data
• Customer Experience
• Goal Setting
• Market Research
• Member Service
• Negotiation
• Persuasion
• Sales Operations
• Sales Opportunity Orchestration
• Sales Performance Data
• Sales/Partnership Strategy and Techniques
• Underwriting

Minimum Qualifications

• Minimum three (3) years of experience in a leadership role with direct reports.
• Bachelors degree in Mathematics, Statistics, Engineering, Social/Physical/Life Science, Business, or related field AND minimum nine (9) years of experience in sales, customer service, telemarketing, account management, health plan administration, insurance, or a directly related field OR minimum twelve (12) years of experience in sales, customer service, telemarketing, account management, health plan administration, insurance, or a directly related field.

• Accident and Health Insurance License (California) within 3 months of hire

Preferred Qualifications

• Master's degree in Health Administration, Public Health, or Business Administration.
• Five (5) years of experience in group health care benefits sales, account management, and/or implementation, or a directly related field.