Strategic Insights Manager

Quest Diagnostics Incorporated; Houston (TX); Hybrid; USD 150,000 - 210,000; Full time

Job summary

Quest Diagnostics Incorporated is seeking a Strategic Insights Manager (SIM) in Houston, TX. The role focuses on managing and growing Quest's Top 12-15 physician customers within the region, using advanced analytics to drive clinical outcomes and defend profitability.

Hybrid work in Houston, TX. Responsibilities include defensive strategy to deter internalization, clinical outcomes analytics, and commercial growth in collaboration with PAEs and Sales Directors.

Qualifications

• 7+ years of experience in the healthcare, medical device, or diagnostics industry.
• Proven track record of managing large enterprise accounts or high-value customer portfolios.
• Experience owning and driving a complex profit-and-loss (P&L) structure.
• Deep understanding of healthcare economics and payer mixes.

Responsibilities

• Defensive Strategy & Prevention of Internalization: evaluate top accounts for internalization risk and model make-vs-buy scenarios.
• Clinical Outcomes & Data-Driven Insights: analyze utilization patterns and support value-based care objectives.
• Commercial Collaboration & Strategic Growth: partner with local sales teams to build growth strategies and upsell.
• Financial Stewardship & P&L Management: own revenue, margins, and costs for top accounts and improve profitability.
• Operational & Staffing Optimization: coordinate with clinical staffing and operations for efficient service delivery.
• Executive Reporting & Communication: prepare dashboards and engage C-suite with strategic progress.

Skills

Executive presence

Negotiation

Cross-functional leadership

Analytical thinking

Strategic thinking

Education

Bachelor's degree in Business/Finance/Healthcare

MBA or related advanced degree (Preferred)

Tools

Tableau

Power BI

Excel

Job description

The Strategic Insights Manager (SIM) is a highly specialized, senior-level champion who sits at the intersection of clinical insight, financial analytics, and strategic operations. This role is dedicated entirely to managing, growing, and retaining Quest's Top 12-15 Physician Customers within the region. Acting as a strategic advisor, the SIM leverages high-end data analytics to drive improved clinical outcomes for our clients while managing a full regional portfolio P&L to optimize Quest's profitability and defend against diagnostic internalization.

This is a hybrid position based in Houston, TX.

Responsibilities:

Defensive Strategy & Prevention of Internalization (Approx. 25%)

• Proactively evaluates assigned top-tier accounts for structural signs of internalization risk, such as intent to establish in-house Physician Office Labs (POLs) or contract with competing reference laboratories.
• Builds and delivers comprehensive, customized "Make vs. Buy" financial models for clients, clearly demonstrating the hidden operational costs, staffing burdens, regulatory compliance risks, and capital expenditures of running an in-house lab compared to outsourcing to Quest.
• Formulates and negotiates highly tailored pricing, digital connectivity, and specialized diagnostic menu packages to lock in long-term alignment and make internalization economically unfavorable for the client.

Clinical Outcomes & Data-Driven Insights (Approx. 20%)

• Analyzes physician-specific test utilization patterns to identify gaps in care and opportunities to introduce advanced diagnostics (e.g., oncology, prenatal genetics, cardiometabolic panels) that improve patient management.
• Supports client physician groups in achieving value-based care objectives, including MIPS, HEDIS, and ACO targets, by tracking and presenting clear gaps in patient compliance and screening.
• Translates complex clinical diagnostic data into highly actionable, clear, and strategic narratives for physician stakeholders, proving the tangible impact of Quest's insights on their patient populations.

Commercial Collaboration & Strategic Growth (Approx. 20%)

• Partners closely with local Physician Account Executives (PAEs) and Sales Directors (SDs) to conduct regional market assessments and build customized account growth strategies.
• Identifies under-utilized, high-value clinical tests within the target accounts to enable PAEs to execute highly targeted, clinical upsell conversations.
• Co-leads structured joint business reviews with commercial teams, presenting a unified, consultative, and executive-ready Quest front to client leadership.

Financial Stewardship & P&L Management (Approx. 15%)

• Maintains end-to-end accountability for the revenue, margins, and operational costs associated with the top 12-15 assigned physician accounts in the regional portfolio.
• Collaborates with the Quest Finance organization to audit account-specific cost structures, analyze pricing agreements, and execute margin-improvement strategies.
• Identifies and reduces billing friction, improves clean-claim rates, and optimizes the regional payer mix within key client locations to protect and grow overall account profitability.

Operational & Staffing Optimization (Approx. 15%)

• Collaborates with Patient Services leadership to optimize the placement, scheduling, and utilization of In-Office Phlebotomists (IOPs) and Patient Service Center (PSC) resources allocated to target accounts.
• Measures, monitors, and improves key operational metrics, including patient wait times, specimen processing speed, and draw success rates, to ensure a premium patient experience.
• Aligns with logistics and laboratory operations to guarantee seamless specimen transport, courier schedules, and rapid turnaround times (TAT) for the designated accounts.

Executive Reporting & Communication (Approx. 5%)

• Prepares and presents portfolio health dashboards, growth metrics, internalization threat assessments, and strategic progress reports directly to Quest's C-suite and regional executive leadership.
• Establishes strong, peer-to-peer consultative relationships with client Chief Medical Officers (CMOs), Chief Financial Officers (CFOs), and Chief Executive Officers (CEOs).

Qualifications:

Required WorkExperience:

• 7+ years of experience in the healthcare, medical device, or diagnostics industry.
• Proven track record of managing large enterprise accounts or high-value customer portfolios.

Preferred Work Experience:

• Demonstrated experience owning and driving a complex profit-and-loss (P&L) structure, with a deep understanding of healthcare economics and margin optimization.
• Deep familiarity with physician office workflows, electronic health record (EHR) integrations, and clinical test utilization.

Physical and Mental Requirements:

• Ability to sit or stand for extended periods in both standard office environments and client clinical settings.
• Strong mental acuity, analytical reasoning, and complex problem-solving capabilities under high-pressure scenarios.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills; ability to articulate complex financial and clinical data clearly and confidently to C-suite executives.
• Ability to travel routine​ly to regional client sites.

Knowledge:

• Advanced proficiency in data-driven storytelling and financial modeling.
• High competency in utilizing business intelligence tools (e.g., Tableau, PowerBI, Excel) to extract actionable trends from raw, complex data sets.
• Strong understanding of healthcare economics, payer mixes, and diagnostic testing menus.

Skills:

• Executive presence with strong negotiation and consultative selling skills.
• High-level strategic and critical thinking.
• Exceptional cross-functional leadership and collaboration skills.

Work Environment:

• Standard office environment and client clinical office settings.
• Travel Required.
• English Required

Education:

• 4-year Degree (Bachelor's degree in Business, Finance, Healthcare Administration, Life Sciences, or a related quantitative field) (Required)
• MBA, MHA, or advanced clinical degree (Preferred)

Technical Training or Professional Licensing:

• Six Sigma Green Belt or Black Belt certification (Ability to apply Lean/DMAIC methodologies to optimize clinical workflows, phlebotomy staffing, and specimen tracking). (Preferred)

Quest Diagnostics honors our service members and encourages veterans to apply.

Equal Opportunity Employer: Race/Color/Sex/Sexual Orientation/Gender Identity/Religion/National Origin/Disability/Vets or any other legally protected status.