Strategic Medical Director, Inpatient New

Cohere Health; Boston (MA); Hybrid; USD 285,000 - 305,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical coverage

401K with match

Paid parental leave

Fully remote with travel

Job summary

Cohere Health is seeking a Strategic Medical Director Inpatient to help design and lead clinical programs, translating strategy into tech-enabled solutions. You will drive payer and provider collaborations, advise on clinical logic, and partner with product and engineering to shape offerings.

The role is remote-first with limited travel to Boston for onboarding and events, requiring 5+ years of inpatient clinical experience and strong leadership skills.

Qualifications

• Completion of an ACGME-accredited residency in Internal Medicine or Family Practice.
• Active, unrestricted medical license in any US state.
• Board certification (ABMS or AOA) in primary specialty.
• 5+ years of clinical practice beyond residency/fellowship; inpatient experience preferred.
• 5+ years in managed care or clinical strategy in payers or healthtech.

Responsibilities

• Lead vision and evolution of clinical and digital care management offerings.
• Use market data and patient analytics to improve clinical delivery and tech integration.
• Serve as physician leader for inpatient program development with Cohere teams.
• Develop research packages on clinical areas and manage external partnerships.
• Collaborate with VP Clinical Strategy on new projects.
• Provide SME leadership in General Medicine for client discussions.
• Travel as needed for prospective client meetings.
• Expand client relationships and identify upsell opportunities.
• Participate in strategic planning of clinical/digital strategy.
• Guide utilization management and medical policy programs.
• Monitor and improve launched programs.

Skills

Clinical leadership

Strategic thinking

Cross-functional collaboration

Executive presence

Communication skills

Education

ACGME residency

Medical license (US)

Board certification (ABMS/AOA)

MBA or healthcare degree

Job description

The Strategic Medical Director Inpatient will report to the Managing Medical Director, Clinical Strategy, and be a fundamental physician driver of clinical program design, strategy, and innovation, working closely with prospective and current clients as we rapidly expand. As an internal subject matter expert in one or more clinical specialties, you will support go-to-market efforts with the Growth team by evangelizing Cohere's vision and understanding the pain points and needs of Cohere's clients (i.e., health plans, health systems, & ACOs). You will also collaborate cross-functionally to shape and execute the clinical strategy so that Cohere successfully fills those needs using our core technologies and services. This includes contributing to the development of clinical logic, evaluating policy architecture, and partnering with Product and Engineering teams to translate clinical strategy into technology-enabled solutions.

This is a remote-first role that may require travel to Boston, MA for new hire onboarding and occasional in-person team meetings and company events.

What you’ll do:

• Lead the vision and evolution of the company’s clinical and digital care management offerings as the clinical subject matter expert, in collaboration with colleagues from Clinical Strategy, Analytics, Product Management, Operations, Growth, and other teams
• Utilize market data, consumer research, and patient analytics to spearhead new approaches to effective clinical delivery services, including the introduction of new technology and integrated paths
• Physician leader for Inpatient clinical program development in partnership with Cohere teams.
• Provide physician leadership in the creation of comprehensive research packages, investigating specific clinical areas/offerings and strategic partners of interest to strengthen the offering, then execute on cultivating any external partnerships and/or vendor relationships as necessary
• Partner with the VP Clinical Strategy and Cohere teams on new projects
• Provide subject matter expertise and leadership in General Medicine, strategy, and client-facing discussions as needed
• Support the Growth team by traveling as one of our clinical experts (MD) for prospective client meetings and sales opportunities if needed
• Build and expand client relationships by partnering with the Growth and Client Experience teams to uncover client pain points, deliver solutions, assign clients to managers as appropriate, and support upsell opportunities (e.g., Sleep programs)
• Participate in strategic planning for Cohere’s clinical and digital care management strategy
• Provide strategic guidance of utilization management and medical policy programs/areas as necessary to support the clinical organization
• Monitor performance of launched clinical programs within your specialty area and support continuous improvement

What you’ll need:

• Successful completion of an ACGME-accredited residency training program (or AOA approved legacy equivalent. Internal Medicine or Family Practice training preferred
• Active, unrestricted medical license in any US State
• Active Board certification (ABMS or AOA) in your primary specialty.
• 5+ years of clinical practice beyond residency/fellowship, Inpatient experience preferred
• 5+ years experience in managed care or clinical strategy at a health plan, healthtech/solutions/services, expert consulting (partner-level), or related payer-facing roles
• MBA or advanced degree in healthcare-related discipline preferred
• Experience serving as the lead thinker / consulting partner, designing innovative clinical programs and interventions driving value for payers and their members
• Success in building credibility, influence and partnership with key clients
• Executive presence and ability to communicate effectively with partners / clients
• Demonstrated ability to work collaboratively with highly cross-functional teammates and influence internal partner groups with an understanding of how clinical logic translates into technology-enabled solutions.
• Strong communication and team management / interpersonal skills
• Strong leadership capabilities and ability to initiate and maintain cross-team relationships
• Ability to thrive in a self-directed environment and manage multiple projects simultaneously to meet tight deadlines and deliverables.

Benefits:

• Medical, dental, vision, life, disability insurance, and Employee Assistance Program
• 401K retirement plan with company match; flexible spending and health savings account
• Up to 14 weeks of paid parental leave
• Fully remote opportunity with about 10% travel

The salary range for this position is $285,000 to $305,000 annually; as part of a total benefits package which includes health insurance, 401k and bonus. In accordance with state applicable laws, Cohere is required to provide a reasonable estimate of the compensation range for this role. Individual pay decisions are ultimately based on a number of factors, including but not limited to qualifications for the role, experience level, skillset, and internal alignment.

Interview Process*:

• Connect with Talent Acquisition for a Preliminary Phone Screening
• Meet your Hiring Manager!
• Behavioral Interview(s)

*Subject to change

About Cohere Health:

Cohere Health’s clinical intelligence platform and agentic AI-powered solutions connect health plans’ strategic goals and providers’ needs, optimizing the speed, cost, and quality of care. With an enterprise approach that streamlines payer-provider decision‑making across the care continuum–including policy, prior authorization, payment accuracy, and more–the company improves collaboration and reduces burden, resulting in up to 8x ROI and 94% provider satisfaction.

With the acquisition of ZignaAI, we’ve further enhanced our platform by launching our Payment Integrity Suite, anchored by Cohere Validate, an AI‑driven clinical and coding validation solution that operates in near real‑time. By unifying pre-service authorization data with post‑service claims validation, we’re creating a transparent healthcare ecosystem that reduces waste, improves payer‑provider collaboration and patient outcomes, and ensures providers are paid promptly and accurately.

Cohere Health’s innovations continue to receive industry wide recognition. We’ve been named to the 2025 Inc. 5000 list and in the Gartner Hype Cycle for U.S. Healthcare Payers (2022-2025), and ranked as a Top 5 LinkedIn Startup for 2023 & 2024. Backed by leading investors such as Deerfield Management, Define Ventures, Flare Capital Partners, Longitude Capital, and Polaris Partners.

The Coherenauts, as we call ourselves, who succeed here are empathetic teammates who are candid, kind, caring, and embody our core values and principles . We believe that diverse, inclusive teams make the most impactful work. Cohere is deeply invested in ensuring that we have a supportive, growth‑oriented environment that works for everyone.

Equal Opportunity Statement:

Cohere Health is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We are committed to fostering an environment of mutual respect where equal employment opportunities are available to all. To us, it’s personal.