Position Summary
At Aetna, our health benefits business, we are committed to helping our members achieve their best health in an affordable, convenient, and comprehensive manner. Combining the assets of our health insurance products and services with CVS Health’s unrivaled presence in local communities and their pharmacy benefits management capabilities, we’re joining members on their path to better health and transforming the health care landscape in new and exciting ways every day.
Aetna is seeking a highly strategic Executive Director to lead the National Specialty Value‑Based Care (VBC) Partnership organization. This senior leader will serve as the enterprise owner of Aetna’s national specialty VBC strategy, spanning provider partnerships, clinical vendor governance, operational execution, and performance oversight across Medicare, Medicaid, and Commercial markets.
This role oversees a growing national specialty VBC portfolio supporting 20+ markets and hundreds of thousands of attributed lives, with responsibility for enterprise strategic alignment, partner performance, clinical and operational governance, and the delivery of meaningful affordability, quality, and member experience outcomes.
The Executive Director leads a team of Lead Directors and Senior Managers across contracting, strategic & operational excellence, and provider performance ensuring tight coordination, scalable infrastructure, and seamless partner experience while advancing Aetna’s long-term specialty VBC strategic roadmap.
Key Responsibilities
Enterprise Strategy & Leadership
Serve as the enterprise owner of the national specialty value‑based care strategy, setting multi‑year direction and operational priorities.
Oversee the full lifecycle of specialty provider partnerships from sourcing and contracting through implementation, performance monitoring, and long‑term governance.
Lead and scale a national specialty VBC organization supporting 20+ markets and diverse specialty conditions, ensuring readiness, scalability, and best‑in‑class partner engagement.
Act as the senior decision‑maker on specialty VBC design, market deployment, and national model standardization.
Contracting, Compliance & Performance Governance
Make executive‑level decisions on complex provider agreements involving significant financial, quality, and regulatory implications across Medicare and Medicaid.
Oversee provider and vendor risk performance, including affordability impact, quality outcomes, and experience metrics.
Lead escalation across markets, clinical operations, and network teams, ensuring timely issue resolution and risk mitigation.
Ensure compliance with CMS, state, and federal requirements related to clinical delegation, reporting, specialty contracting, and care model operations.
Oversee service continuity and contingency planning across specialty partners to ensure uninterrupted member care.
Cross‑Functional Alignment & Enterprise Influence
Convene senior leaders across Network, Clinical, Medical Economics, Product, Segment Leadership, and Enterprise Strategy to align on strategic priorities and enterprise roadmaps.
Lead executive‑level sessions, strategic forums, and condition‑specific summits to drive shared understanding, accountability, and execution.
Serve as the executive liaison across Aetna and CVS Health enterprise teams to ensure transparency, mitigate barriers, and accelerate time‑to‑value.
Organizational Leadership & Talent Development
Lead a team responsible for National Specialty VBC provider contracting, strategic & operational excellence, and partner strategy.
Establishes performance expectations, coaching frameworks, and accountability structures that promote a culture of high performance and continuous improvement.
Builds, develops, and leads a high‑performing team with responsibility for contracting, provider relations, performance management, and strategic network initiatives.
Financial, Market, and Operational Impact
Drive enterprise affordability outcomes through negotiation strategy, risk model optimization, and disciplined vendor management.
Oversee market expansion strategy, ensuring readiness, capability alignment, and strong financial modeling to support disciplined growth.
Monitor national performance KPIs across clinical outcomes, financial impact, partner performance, and operational execution.
Required Qualifications
The candidate will have a strong work ethic, be a self-starter, and be able to be highly productive in a dynamic, collaborative environment. This position offers broad exposure to all aspects of the company’s business, as well as significant interaction with all the business leaders. The candidate will be expected to have the following key attributes:
15+ years of leadership experience in healthcare strategy, value‑based care, network contracting, or specialty care delivery.
10+ years of senior‑level experience negotiating complex payer‑provider and/or clinical vendor agreements.
Deep expertise in value‑based care models, risk‑based arrangements, and regulatory environments.
Proven experience leading large, multi‑market or national healthcare programs with measurable financial and quality outcomes.
Demonstrated ability to lead senior‑level cross‑functional initiatives in a highly matrixed organization.
Excellent executive communication, influencing, and relationship‑building skills.
Strong analytical, operational, and strategic planning capabilities.
Open to a remote work arrangement anywhere within the U.S. Candidates located on the West Coast must be able to work East Coast business hours. For those located near an Aetna Hub, a hybrid schedule is preferred, with in-office presence on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday.
Preferred Qualifications
Experience with value-based contracting across Medicare Advantage, Medicaid, and Commercial lines of business.
Experience with Behavioral Health or Mental Health related VBC programs.
Experience launching specialty VBC programs (MSK, Cardiology, Oncology, Vendor relationships).
Pay Range
The typical pay range for this role is:
$131,500.00 - $303,195.00
This pay range represents the base hourly rate or base annual full-time salary for all positions in the job grade within which this position falls. The actual base salary offer will depend on a variety of factors including experience, education, geography and other relevant factors. This position is eligible for a CVS Health bonus, commission or short-term incentive program in addition to the base pay range listed above. This position also includes an award target in the company’s equity award program.
Great benefits for great people
We take pride in offering a comprehensive and competitive mix of pay and benefits that reflects our commitment to our colleagues and their families.
This full‑time position is eligible for a comprehensive benefits package designed to support the physical, emotional, and financial well‑being of colleagues and their families. The benefits for this position include medical, dental, and vision coverage, paid time off, retirement savings options, wellness programs, and other resources, based on eligibility.
Additional details about available benefits are provided during the application process and on .
We anticipate the application window for this opening will close on: 07/25/2026
