Strategic Product Lead – Large Group (Hybrid)

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona; United States; Hybrid; USD 140,000 - 200,000; Full time

Job summary

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona is seeking a Strategic Product Lead for the Large Group segment. You will own the end‑to‑end product lifecycle, drive profitable growth, and lead cross‑functional teams across provider networks, pricing, and experience initiatives.

Strength in market analysis and executive stakeholder alignment is essential. You will develop multi‑year roadmaps, partner with Sales, Compliance, and Operations, and navigate complex regulatory environments to deliver market‑leading

Qualifications

• 7 years of product management, strategy, consulting, or equivalent experience in healthcare/insurance, employer benefits, provider networks, or related domains
• 5 years of experience leading complex, cross-functional product initiatives within large-scale or enterprise environments
• 5 years of experience in strategic planning, including product roadmap development, market analysis, and long-term growth initiatives
• 3 years of direct experience in Large Group (employer-sponsored) market segments, preferably within healthcare, insurance, or similarly regulated industries
• 2 years of leadership experience including influencing senior stakeholders and guiding product teams
• Experience working with executive leadership to align product strategy with organizational goals

Responsibilities

• Own large group product roadmap across priority domains with 12–36 month horizon
• Lead network design and implementation for large group products
• Own revenue-generating buy-up programs and portfolio optimization
• Coordinate discovery for new product concepts with cross-functional partners
• Maintain competitive intelligence on Arizona large group dynamics
• Ensure scalable, operational launch readiness with cross-functional partners

Skills

Product management

Strategy

Cross-functional leadership

Market analysis

Stakeholder management

Leadership

Education

High-School Diploma

Bachelor’s degree (preferred)

Job description

Awarded a Healthiest Employer, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona aims to fulfill its mission to inspire health and make it easy. AZ Blue offers a variety of health insurance products and services to meet the diverse needs of individuals, families, and small and large businesses as well as providing information and tools to help individuals make better health decisions.

At AZ Blue, we have a hybrid workforce strategy, called Workability, that offers flexibility with how and where employees work. Our positions are classified as hybrid, onsite or remote. While the majority of our employees are hybrid, the following classifications drive our current minimum onsite requirements:

• Hybrid People Leaders: must reside in AZ, required to be onsite at least twice per week
• Hybrid Individual Contributors: must reside in AZ, unless otherwise cited within this posting, required to be onsite at least once per week
• Hybrid 2 (Operational Roles such as but not limited to: Customer Service, Claims Processors, and Correspondence positions): must reside in AZ, unless otherwise cited within this posting, required to be onsite at least once per month
• Onsite: daily onsite requirement based on the essential functions of the job
• Remote: not held to onsite requirements, however, leadership can request presence onsite for business reasons including but not limited to staff meetings, one-on-ones, training, and team building

Please note that onsite requirements may change in the future, based on business need, and job responsibilities. Most employees should expect onsite requirements and at a minimum of once per week. This position is hybrid within the state of AZ only. This hybrid work opportunity requires residency, and work to be performed, within the State of Arizona.

PURPOSE OF THE JOB

The Strategic Product Lead – Large Group is accountable for the design and execution of product initiatives that drive profitable growth and competitive differentiation in the large group commercial segment. The role owns the end-to-end product lifecycle for a portfolio of large group capabilities—spanning provider network positioning and implementations, oversight over revenue-generating buy-up and point-solution programs, multi-year strategic roadmaps, and discovery/validation of new product concepts (e.g., navigation/advocacy programs and alternatives to “copay-first / steerage-enabled” models in the market). The Product Manager is expected to lead with strong market insight—especially the Arizona large group landscape—while partnering cross-functionally to deliver operationally sound products that are easy to sell, easy to administer, and valued by employers and members.

QUALIFICATIONS REQUIRED

• Required Work Experience
  • 7 years of product management, strategy, consulting, or equivalent experience in healthcare/insurance, employer benefits, provider networks, or related domains.
  • 5 years of experience leading complex, cross-functional product initiatives within large-scale or enterprise environments
  • 5 years of experience in strategic planning, including product roadmap development, market analysis, and long-term growth initiatives
  • 3 years of direct experience in Large Group (employer-sponsored) market segments, preferably within healthcare, insurance, or similarly regulated industries
  • 2 years of leadership (including team lead) experience including influencing senior stakeholders and guiding product teams
  • Experience working with executive leadership to align product strategy with organizational goals
• Required Education
  • High-School Diploma or GED in general field of study (All Levels)
• Required Licenses N/A
• Required Certifications N/A

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Preferred Work Experience
  • 10 years of experience in product management, product strategy, or related disciplines, particularly in complex or matrixed organizations
  • 7 years of experience within the Large Group or employer-sponsored benefits market, with deep understanding of customer, consultant, and broker dynamics
  • 5 years of experience in healthcare, health insurance, or other highly regulated industries, with demonstrated knowledge of compliance and market trends
  • 5 years of experience leading enterprise-level product transformations or large-scale strategic initiatives
  • 4 years of people leadership experience, including direct management of product managers or cross-functional teams
  • Demonstrated experience (5+ years) influencing executive-level decision-making and shaping enterprise product vision
• Preferred Education
  • Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, Business, or related field
• Preferred Licenses N/A
• Preferred Certifications
  • Certification as Product Manager (CPM), Product Owner (CPO), or equivalent product management certification
  • Project Management Professional (PMP)
  • Lean Six Sigma Green Belt or Black Belt certification

ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS AND RESPONSIBILITIES

• Large Group Product Roadmap Ownership Manage the large group product strategy across priority domains (network, benefit/value adds, navigation/advocacy, clinical/vendor point solutions, and experience enablers). Develop and maintain a 12–36 month roadmap with clear outcomes, success metrics, dependencies, and investment tradeoffs; produce leadership-ready recommendations and decision documents. Translate strategy into executable plans: epics/initiatives, milestones, and cross‑functional commitments; proactively surface risks and decision needs.
• Provider Network Design Positioning + Implementation Leadership Lead research and provide support for for large group network design (e.g., tiering, steering, narrow/broad configurations, value/provider alignment, and employer/network customization where appropriate). Provide product leadership during network implementations: scope definition, stakeholder alignment, readiness tracking, and launch governance—ensuring minimal disruption and clear internal/external messaging. Partner with Provider Partnerships, Legal, Operations, Sales and Configuration teams to ensure network changes are operationally feasible, compliant and marketable.
• Revenue Generation, Buy-Up Programs & Portfolio Optimization Own financial performance for large group “buy-up” programs and value‑add offerings: define value proposition, pricing/packaging approach, attach/penetration goals, and margin guardrails. Build or coordinate business cases and financial rationale (including pricing/revenue-share structures where applicable) and implement performance tracking (sales pipeline, adoption, engagement, and outcomes). Drive portfolio management: evolve, redesign, reposition, or sunset offerings based on employer value, outcomes, operational burden, and competitive relevance.
• Discovery & New Concept Management (e.g., Surest‑like Alternatives, Navigation/Advocacy) Coordinate structured discovery for new product concepts (member experience, pricing transparency, provider choice/quality signals, steerage, and navigation/advocacy). Define required/optional capabilities, MVP scope, and differentiation strategy—grounded in user needs and market realities; validate concepts through research and stakeholder feedback loops. Partner with Digital, Clinical, Operations and vendor partners to design integrated experiences (e.g., single sign‑on, data exchange, and coherent end‑to‑end journeys).
• Arizona Large Group Market Research & Competitive Intelligence Maintain top‑level knowledge of competitive, healthcare delivery, distribution, and employer landscapes—especially Arizona large group dynamics and national carrier strategies. Conduct robust competitive research to identify strengths, gaps, and opportunities; translate findings into clear product actions (roadmap changes, new capabilities, messaging, sales enablement). Monitor market signals related to copay‑tiered/dynamic copay offerings and navigation models, and recommend responses appropriate for the large group segment.
• Cross‑Functional Delivery, Operational Readiness & Launch Excellence Ensure initiatives are operationally sound and scalable: strengthen implementation playbooks, data flows, handoffs, and risk controls; reduce manual work and defects. Lead launch planning and go‑to‑market readiness in partnership with Sales, Marketing, Account Management, and Operations (materials, training, positioning, and adoption plans). Coordinate Agile delivery with technical implementation leads where applicable.

The position has an onsite expectation of 1 day per week and requires a full‑time work schedule. Full‑time is defined as working at least 40 hours per week, plus any additional hours as requested or as needed to meet business requirements.

COMPETENCIES REQUIRED

• Strong product strategy and product management skills, with the ability to define vision, priorities, and roadmaps for Large Group products and solutions
• Advanced knowledge of the Large Group market, including employer-sponsored health plans, customer needs, broker/consultant dynamics, and competitive landscape
• Ability to lead cross‑functional teams and influence partners across operations, sales, underwriting, finance, clinical, compliance, and technology
• Strong leadership, problem‑solving, and decision‑making skills, with the ability to motivate and inspire the project team and stakeholders.
• Strong analytical and problem‑solving skills, including the ability to interpret market data, customer insights, financial results, and performance metrics to inform decisions
• Advanced PC proficiency
• Basic proficiency in spreadsheet, database, flow charting, and word processing software
• Excellent communication skills
• Service, project and results‑orientation, with strong analytical and problem solving skills
• High‑energy work ethic, ability to establish vision, drive change and deliver results
• Ability to facilitate cross‑functional teams to develop, deliver, operationalize, document, and support solutions
• Knowledge of developing and managing continuous improvement programs
• Strong analytical skills to support independent and effective decisions
• Ability to prioritize tasks and work with multiple priorities, sometimes under limited time constraints
• Perseverance in the face of resistance or setbacks
• Effective interpersonal skills and ability to maintain positive working relationship with others
• Demonstrated ability to stay current on software trends and innovations
• Experience working with and managing third parties
• Ability to maintain confidentiality and privacy
• Analytical knowledge necessary to generate reports based on available data and then make decisions based on reported data

PROFESSIONAL COMPETENCIES

• Excellent communication skills
• Service, project and results‑orientation, with strong analytical and problem solving skills
• High‑energy work ethic, ability to establish vision, drive change and deliver results
• Ability to facilitate cross‑functional teams to develop, deliver, operationalize, document, and support solutions
• Knowledge of developing and managing continuous improvement programs
• Strong analytical skills to support independent and effective decisions
• Analysis and representation of data for business decision making
• Strong analytical and problem‑solving skills, including the ability to interpret market data
• Excellent communication skills
• Service, project and results‑orientation
• High‑energy work ethic, ability to establish vision, drive change and deliver results
• Steady and diligent work-related habits
• Strong teamwork and collaboration skills
• Strong talent acquisition skills
• Strong negotiation and influencing skills

PREFERRED COMPETENCIES

• Knowledge of HIPAA regulations
• Knowledge of the Health Care industry
• Deep expertise in Large Group product innovation, including advanced plan design (e.g., ASO, level‑funded, value‑based models) and emerging market solutions
• Advanced strategic leadership skills, with the ability to shape enterprise product vision and influence long‑term organizational direction
• Executive presence and storytelling ability, effectively communicating product strategy, insights, and recommendations to senior leadership and external stakeholders
• Strong negotiation and influencing skills, particularly with brokers, consultants, vendors, and internal executive stakeholders
• Demonstrated understanding of outsourcing business strategies and best practices
• Thorough knowledge of the company’s needs, policies and culture
• Advanced systems research and analysis expertise
• Impeccable project management skills
• Solid technical ability and critical thinking skills
• Knowledge of internal departments and operations

Our Commitment

AZ Blue does not discriminate in hiring or employment on the basis of race, ethnicity, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, protected veteran status or any other protected group.

Imagine doing life‑changing work and helping more than one million Arizonans live healthier and longer lives. That’s the kind of satisfaction you’ll find when you work here.

Our exceptional teams in Phoenix, Tucson, Chandler, and Flagstaff have been transforming healthcare for more than 80 years.