Strategic Planning and Performance, Principal

Blue Shield of California; California (MO); Hybrid; USD 149,000 - 223,000; Full time

Job summary

Blue Shield of California is seeking a Strategic Planning and Performance, Principal to lead the annual planning process and align Pharmacy program strategy with organizational goals. You will work with senior leaders and cross-functional teams to drive strategic objectives and operational excellence.

The role emphasizes leadership, thoughtful analysis, and strong communication as you guide programs across multiple domains, balancing strategic vision with practical execution.

Qualifications

• Requires a Bachelor’s degree or equivalent and 4 additional years of relevant experience.
• 10 years of prior relevant experience.
• In-depth knowledge of pharmacy operations.
• Mastery level knowledge of Strategic Planning and Performance through advanced education and experience.
• Healthcare services or payer operations experience is preferred.

Responsibilities

• Plan and implement complex programs spanning across multiple business areas with diverse projects and analytics.
• Ensure the program's strategic direction aligns with goals and objectives.
• Facilitate the annual strategic planning process.
• Collaborate with financial partners on business planning and forecasting.
• Manage budget planning as part of the annual cycle.
• Track progress with metrics and escalate risks as needed.
• Manage information flow to leadership, enterprise, and partners.
• Develop presentations and talking points for executive level meetings.
• Improve processes and systems through conceptualizing and interpretation.
• Perform other duties as needed.

Skills

Strategic thinking

Problem-solving

Executive communication

Project management

Cross-functional leadership

Pharmacy operations

Healthcare payer operations

Education

Bachelor’s degree

Job description

Your Role

The Pharmacy Planning & Integration team is a shared services team supporting Pharmacy Strategy and Operations in a variety of functions including, but not limited to, annual and strategic planning, project and change management, portfolio budget management, vendor and contract management, and pharmacy compliance. The Strategic Planning and Performance, Principal will report to the Director of Pharmacy Planning & Integration. In this role you will be responsible for facilitating the annual strategic planning process and ensuring the strategic direction of the Pharmacy program is in line with goals and objectives. You will work closely with senior leaders, cross-functional teams, and external stakeholders to advance Pharmacy’s strategic objectives and operational excellence.

Job Description

The Pharmacy Planning & Integration team is a shared services team supporting Pharmacy Strategy and Operations in a variety of functions including, but not limited to, annual and strategic planning, project and change management, portfolio budget management, vendor and contract management, and pharmacy compliance. The Strategic Planning and Performance, Principal will report to the Director of Pharmacy Planning & Integration. In this role you will be responsible for facilitating the annual strategic planning process and ensuring the strategic direction of the Pharmacy program is in line with goals and objectives. You will work closely with senior leaders, cross-functional teams, and external stakeholders to advance Pharmacy’s strategic objectives and operational excellence.

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.

Responsibilities

In this role, you will:

• Be responsible for planning and implementation of complex programs spanning across business areas which include encompass multiple projects, initiatives, and where analysis requires evaluation of intangible variance factors
• Ensure strategic direction of program is in line and designs strategies for alignment with goals and objectives
• Be responsible for facilitating annual strategic planning process
• Work in conjunction with financial partner’s complete business planning and forecasting
• Manage budget planning as part of the annual budget cycle
• Track progress against goals including metrics and performance tracking, escalating risks as needed
• Manage the flow of information from Pharmacy leadership to the department, enterprise, and/or external partners
• Manage development of presentations and speaking points for executive level presentations and meetings
• Be responsible for proactively improving upon existing processes and systems using significant conceptualizing, reasoning and interpretation
• Perform other duties as needed

Qualifications

• Requires a Bachelor’s degree or High School Diploma/GED and 4 years of additional relevant experience in lieu of a degree
• Requires 10 years of prior relevant experience
• Requires in-depth knowledge of pharmacy operations
• Requires mastery level knowledge of Strategic Planning and Performance obtained through advanced education combined with experience
• Healthcare services or payer operations experience is strongly preferred
• Deep knowledge of project management
• Strong strategic thinking, problem-solving, and executive communication skills
• Proven ability to lead complex, cross-functional initiatives in a matrixed environment
• Ability to operate at both a strategic and execution level

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.

About Us

As of January 2025, Blue Shield of California became a subsidiary of Ascendiun. Ascendiun is a nonprofit corporate entity that is the parent to a family of organizations including Blue Shield of California and its subsidiary, Blue Shield of California Promise Health Plan; Altais, a clinical services company; and Stellarus, a company designed to scale healthcare solutions. Together, these organizations are referred to as the Ascendiun Family of Companies.

At Blue Shield of California, our mission is to create a healthcare system worthy of our family and friends and sustainably affordable. We are transforming health care in a way that genuinely serves our nonprofit mission by lowering costs, improving quality, and enhancing the member and physician experience.

To achieve our mission, we foster an environment where all employees can thrive and contribute fully to address the needs of the various communities we serve. We are committed to creating and maintaining a supportive workplace that upholds our values and advances our goals.

Blue Shield is a U.S. News Best Company to work for, a Deloitte U.S. Best Managed Company and a Top 100 Inspiring Workplace. We were recognized by Fair360 as a Top Regional Company, and one of the 50 most community-minded companies in the United States by Points of Light. Here at Blue Shield, we strive to make a positive change across our industry and communities – join us!

Our Values

• Honest. We hold ourselves to the highest ethical and integrity standards. We build trust by doing what we say we're going to do and by acknowledging and correcting where we fall short.
• Human. We strive to listen and communicate effectively, showing empathy by understanding others' perspectives.
• Courageous. We stand up for what we believe in and are committed to the hard work necessary to achieve our ambitious goals.

Our Workplace Model

We believe in fostering a workplace environment that balances purposeful in-person collaboration with flexibility - providing clear expectations while respecting the diverse needs of our workforce. Our workplace model is designed around intentional in-person interaction, collaboration, connection, creativity and flexibility:

• For most teams, this means coming into the office two days per week.
• Employees living more than 50 miles from an office location, out of state employees, and employees in certain member-facing roles should work with their manager to determine in-office time based on business need.
• For employees with medical conditions that may impact their ability to work in-office, we are committed to engaging in an interactive process and providing reasonable accommodations to ensure their work environment is conducive to their success and well-being.

The Company reserves the right to require more presence in the office based on business needs, and requirements are subject to change with periodic reviews.

Physical Requirements

Office Environment - roles involving part to full time schedule in Office Environment. Based in our physical offices and work from home office/deskwork - Activity level: Sedentary, frequency most of work day.

Equal Employment Opportunity

External hires must pass a background check/drug screen. Qualified applicants with arrest records and/or conviction records will be considered for employment in a manner consistent with Federal, State and local laws, including but not limited to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regards to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, protected veteran status or disability status and any other classification protected by Federal, State and local laws.

JOB INFO

Job Identification : 20261657

Job Category : Business Operations

Posting Date : 2026-09-08T20:20:38+00:00

Job Schedule : Full time

Locations :

Long Beach, CA, United States

CA, United States

El Dorado Hills, CA, United States

Lodi, CA, United States

Oakland, CA, United States

Rancho Cordova, CA, United States

Redding, CA, United States

San Diego, CA, United States

Woodland Hills, CA, United States

Pay Range for California : $148940.00 to $223300.00

Pay Range for Bay Area : $167896.00 to $251720.00

Note : Please note that this range represents the pay range for this and many other positions at Blue Shield that fall into this pay grade. Blue Shield salaries are based on a variety of factors, including the candidate experience, location (California, Bay Area, or outside California), and current employee salaries for similar roles.

Role can be filled by a candidate requiring sponsorship : No