Payor Strategy Lead

Remote; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 150,000 - 210,000; Full time

Job summary

Journey Clinical is transforming mental health care by expanding access to Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy through a specialized payor strategy lead role. You will own payor contracting, develop partnerships with national and local insurers, and shape reimbursement models to support scalable access to high-quality behavioral health services.

You will work on negotiations, relationship management, data-driven performance tracking, and strategic advisory to guide leadership on market positioning

Qualifications

• 5-8 years in payor relations and strategy.
• Proven success in negotiating contracts and rate improvements upon renewals.
• Experience in the behavioral health space.

Responsibilities

• Lead contract negotiations and renegotiations with health plans to secure favorable rates and terms.
• Expand and strengthen partnerships with existing and prospective health plans to improve access to behavioral health care.
• Analyze payor data, reimbursement policies, and market trends to optimize strategies and track KPIs with RCM.
• Communicate payor trends, contract changes, and regulatory developments to internal stakeholders and leadership.

Skills

Payor relations

Strategy

Contract negotiations

Healthcare payor market

Job description

Journey Clinical is on a mission to transform the growing mental health crisis by accelerating the adoption of frontier treatments that lead to lasting improvements in clinical outcomes. We have built a turnkey healthtech platform to safely and effectively expand access to a powerful modality known as Psychedelic-Assisted Psychotherapy, starting with Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy (KAP). In our patient-centered collaborative care model, licensed psychotherapists in the network take on the psychotherapy, while Journey Clinical's in-house medical team takes on patient eligibility, treatment plan and outcome monitoring. Our platform gives psychotherapists passionate about PAP the infrastructure and support required to become empowered KAP providers, while enabling higher standards of patient care and enhanced clinical outcomes.

We have recently closed a successful Series A round led by Union Square Ventures, and are backed by a number of top-tier investors including AlleyCorp, Fifty Years, Able Partners, Gaingels, Palo Santo, PsyMed Ventures, Coalition Operators, Christina Sass co-founder of Andela, Edvard Engesæth, MD co-founder of Nurx and, Hans Gangeskar co-founder of Nurx.

We are building an open-minded and inclusive workplace where you will have the opportunity to grow and collaborate with a diverse team of high performing individuals. Our team combines extensive experience in business and healthcare. We are mission driven and strive to make the workplace stimulating, ethical, rewarding, and fun. Together, we will be working at the cutting edge of a groundbreaking field that is reshaping mental health and we will make a direct impact on people’s lives.

The Opportunity

As a Payor Strategy Lead at Journey Clinical, you will play a pivotal role in shaping and executing our payor engagement strategy to expand access to high-quality behavioral health services for individuals in need. Your expertise in payor contracting—including direct negotiations with both national and local insurers—and your deep understanding of healthcare payment models will be instrumental in driving our mission forward.

What You’ll Do

• Contract Negotiation & Partnership Development

• Lead contract negotiations and renegotiations, securing favorable rates and terms while ensuring compliance with regulatory standards.

• Create tailored partnership proposals that address the unique needs of each health plan and prioritize improved patient access and care quality.

• Model and analyze the financial impact of new and renegotiated reimbursement rates to inform business decisions.

• Payor Relationship Management

• Expand and strengthen partnerships with existing and prospective health plans to increase access to behavioral health care.

• Identify, engage, and cultivate relationships with key decision-makers at target payors to unlock new collaboration opportunities.

• Data Analysis & Performance Tracking

• Analyze data related to payor policies, reimbursement rates, and market trends to optimize reimbursement strategies.

• Track and report on key payor performance metrics, including reimbursement analysis, denial rates, and other KPIs, in partnership with Revenue Cycle Management.

• Communication & Advisory

• Communicate updates on payor trends, contract changes, and regulatory developments to internal stakeholders.

• Advise leadership on payor mix, market positioning, and strategic opportunities to support organizational growth objectives.

What We’re Looking For

Must-Haves

• 5-8 years in payor relations and strategy

• Proven success in negotiating contracts and rate improvements upon renewals

• Experience in the behavioral health space