Pharmacist, Principal

Blue Shield of CA; Los Angeles (CA); Hybrid; USD 190,000 - 270,000; Full time

Job summary

Blue Shield of California seeks a Pharmacist, Principal to lead the Cost of Health Care (COHC) and Specialty Drug Management Pharmacy team, overseeing networks and access programs to improve affordability, quality, and member experience.

The role reports to the Director, Pharmacy COHC & Specialty Drug Management. This hybrid role requires in-office presence two days per week, with flexible arrangements for eligible colleagues.

Qualifications

• PharmD from an accredited U.S. school.
• Active, unrestricted California RPh license.
• 4+ years of experience in clinical pharmacy.
• Experience in specialty pharmacy, PBM, and networks.
• Vendor partnerships, contract operations preferred.
• Strong business acumen with executive-level communication.

Responsibilities

• Oversight of specialty pharmacy networks and LDD programs.
• Lead specialty drug reimbursement, access, and biosimilar strategies.
• Evaluate program value and performance drivers.
• Present findings to internal and external stakeholders.

Skills

Strategic planning

Leadership

Communication

Financial analysis

Cross-functional collaboration

Vendor management

Education

Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD)

California RPh license

Job description

Your Role

The Cost of Health Care (COHC) & Specialty Drug Management Pharmacy team is responsible for managing the Specialty Drug strategies across the pharmacy and medical benefit and leading and implementing cost of health care initiatives. The Pharmacist, Principal will report to the Director, Pharmacy COHC & Specialty Drug Management. In this role you will be responsible for oversight of the specialty pharmacy networks, limited distribution drug access, specialty-at-retail initiatives, direct drug distribution partnerships, and specialty pharmacy programs to improve affordability, access, quality, and member experience.

Our leadership model is about developing great leaders at all levels and creating opportunities for our people to grow - personally, professionally, and financially. We are looking for leaders that are energized by creative and critical thinking, building and sustaining high-performing teams, getting results the right way, and fostering continuous learning.

Your Knowledge and Experience

• Requires a Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) degree from an accredited school of pharmacy in the U.S.
• Requires a current, active, and unrestricted California Registered Pharmacist (RPh) license
• Requires 4 years of experience in clinical pharmacy
• Experience in specialty pharmacy, managed care pharmacy, pharmacy benefit design, specialty networks, LDD programs, and biosimilar strategies
• Prior experience in evaluation of pharmacy program value and performance drivers
• Prior management experience in health plans or pharmacy benefit management companies, with deep knowledge of pharmacy benefit, formulary and network products, program strategies and competitive landscape
• Prior experience in vendor partnership, contract operations, negotiations, and performance management is preferred
• Possesses strong business acumen with proven experience in pharmacy strategy development and planning
• Strong knowledge of specialty drug reimbursement, contracting, distribution models, analytics, and vendor management
• Excellent communication skills with prior experience in presentations to internal and external executive level business stakeholders
• Demonstrated leadership, strategic planning, financial analysis, and cross-functional collaboration skills
• Detail-oriented with the ability to work in a fast-paced environment
• Exhibit "can do" attitude and solution-oriented approach to resolve challenges

Hybrid

This role requires employees to be in-office based on our hybrid workplace model, balancing purposeful in-person collaboration with flexibility. For most teams, this means coming into the office two days each week.

Employees living more than 50 miles from an office location will work with their manager to determine in-office time based on business need.