Director, Physician Compensation & Contracting

Atlantic Health; Morristown (NJ); On-site; USD 200,000 - 320,000; Full time

Job summary

Atlantic Health in Morristown, NJ seeks a Director of Physician Compensation and Contracting to lead strategy, design, and governance of physician compensation programs and provider employment contracting. This role reports to executive leadership and collaborates with Legal, Finance, and HR to drive fair market value compliance and organizational alignment.

The position oversees bi-weekly compliance reviews, annual budgeting, and contract lifecycle management across sites, ambulatory practices,

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in a relevant field; MBA/masters preferred.
• 7–10 years in physician compensation or contracting; leadership experience requested.
• Experience with Stark Law, Anti-Kickback Statute, and FMV standards.

Responsibilities

• Lead the development and governance of physician compensation programs.
• Oversee employment agreements and contract provisions with Legal and Recruitment partners.
• Ensure compliance with federal/state regulations and fair market value standards.
• Provide senior leadership with financial analyses, budgets, and dashboards.

Skills

Leadership

Strategic planning

Negotiation

Financial analysis

Healthcare regulations

Education

Bachelor's degree in HR/Finance/BA

Master's degree

Tools

Contract management systems

Excel

Power BI

Job description

Director, Physician Compensation and Contracting

The Director, Physician Compensation and Contracting is responsible for the strategic leadership, administration, and governance of physician compensation programs and provider employment contracting across the organization. This role oversees the design, implementation, analysis, and management of physician compensation arrangements and employment agreements to ensure alignment with organizational objectives, market competitiveness, regulatory requirements, and financial sustainability.

The Director serves as a key advisor to executive leadership, physician leaders, legal counsel, finance, and operational stakeholders regarding provider compensation strategy, contract administration, retention, productivity, and fair market value compliance. The role supports employed physicians across the various sites, ambulatory practices, specialty service lines, and affiliated physician groups.

Essential Functions

Physician Compensation Strategy

• Lead the development, implementation, and administration of physician compensation programs.
• Ensure compensation models align with organizational goals, strategic priorities, physician engagement, quality outcomes, productivity, and financial performance.
• Evaluate and recommend compensation methodologies, including productivity-based and administrative compensation arrangements.
• Conduct market analyses utilizing national physician compensation surveys and industry benchmarks.
• Develop recommendations regarding physician recruitment offers, retention strategies, leadership stipends, call coverage arrangements, medical directorships, and incentive programs.
• Monitor physician compensation trends and emerging healthcare industry practices.

Contracting and Provider Agreements

• Direct the review, development, negotiation support, and administration of physician employment agreements and compensation-related contract provisions.
• Partner with Legal, Physician Recruitment, Finance, and Operational Leadership to facilitate timely contract execution.
• Oversee contract lifecycle management, including renewals, amendments, compensation modifications, and terminations.
• Ensure physician contracts accurately reflect approved compensation arrangements and organizational policies.
• Maintain contract templates, standards, and governance processes.

Compliance and Governance

• Lead bi-weekly compliance meetings with Committee to ensure physician compensation arrangements comply with applicable federal and state regulations, including Stark Law, Anti-Kickback Statute, IRS requirements, and other healthcare regulatory standards.
• Collaborate with Compliance and Legal departments to support audits, investigations, and regulatory reviews.
• Establish governance processes for physician compensation review, approval, and documentation.
• Oversee fair market value and commercial reasonableness assessments for physician compensation arrangements.
• Maintain compensation policies, procedures, and approval workflows.

Financial Analysis and Reporting

• Direct financial modeling and compensation analyses supporting physician employment, recruitment, retention, and strategic growth initiatives.
• Develop physician compensation budgets and forecasting methodologies.
• Monitor physician compensation expense trends and productivity performance.
• Prepare executive-level reports, presentations, dashboards, and recommendations for senior leadership and governing committees.
• Analyze provider productivity, quality, and incentive performance metrics.

Leadership and Team Management

• Lead and develop the Physician Compensation and Contracting team.
• Establish departmental goals, performance expectations, and operational priorities.
• Promote continuous improvement, process optimization, and operational excellence.
• Foster strong partnerships with physician leaders, service line executives, human resources, legal, finance, compliance, and operational teams.
• Serve as a subject matter expert for physician compensation and contracting matters throughout the organization.

Qualifications:

Education

• Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Finance, Business Administration, Healthcare Administration, Accounting, or related field required.
• Master's degree preferred.

Experience

• Seven to ten years of progressively responsible experience in physician compensation, healthcare consulting, provider contracting, healthcare finance, physician practice management, or related healthcare administration.
• Minimum of five years of leadership experience.
• Experience supporting employed physician groups within a large healthcare system, academic medical center, or integrated delivery network preferred.
• Demonstrated experience with physician compensation plan design and provider contract administration.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Extensive knowledge of physician compensation methodologies and market survey data.
• Strong understanding of healthcare regulatory requirements, including Stark Law, Anti-Kickback Statute, fair market value, and commercial reasonableness standards.
• Expertise in financial analysis, compensation modeling, and healthcare operations.
• Strong executive presence and ability to influence senior leaders and physician stakeholders.
• Excellent negotiation, presentation, and communication skills.
• Advanced proficiency with compensation analytics, physician productivity metrics, and healthcare financial reporting.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities in a complex and highly regulated environment.