Senior Business Development Associate, Payer Partnerships

Headway

$90K — $133K *
Healthcare
Less than 5 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • 3+ years in consulting, business development, partnerships, or sales with a focus on external relationships.
  • Experience in client-facing roles without a safety net, preferably in healthcare.
  • Strong commercial instincts with the ability to build trust and navigate discussions effectively.
  • Fluent and skeptical use of AI tools, capable of evaluating their outputs critically.
  • Resourceful and proactive in seeking solutions.

Responsibilities

  • Drive external payer relationships and manage deal strategy from start to finish.
  • Conduct market analysis to prioritize partnerships and develop executive briefings.
  • Engage consistently with payer counterparts to foster relationships and advance negotiations.
  • Question AI tool outputs and ensure all recommendations are well-vetted before presentation.
  • Shape and direct business development strategy in a rapidly evolving sector.

Benefits

  • Equity compensation
  • Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage
  • Health Savings Account (HSA) / Flexible Spending Account (FSA) options
  • 401K retirement savings plan
  • Work-from-Home Stipend
  • Therapy reimbursement for mental health support
  • 16-week parental leave policy
  • Annual reimbursement and membership for fertility assistance
  • 13 paid holidays plus a week-long Holiday Break
  • Flexible Paid Time Off (PTO) policy
  • Employee Assistance Program (EAP) for additional support
  • Training and professional development opportunities.
Full Job Description
As a Senior Business Development Associate, you will be the commercial engine behind Headway's health plan partnerships - owning external payer relationships, driving deal strategy and content, and accelerating negotiated outcomes across the nation. This role is on the front line of rewiring mental healthcare in America.

Reporting to one of Headway's Managing Principals, you will own payer-facing workstreams end-to-end: market and buyer analysis that shapes partner prioritization, deal content and executive briefings that move negotiations forward, and recurring external touchpoints with payer counterparts. You'll do this in one of the most AI-forward commercial teams in digital health - with the expectation that you direct the tools, question their output, and own every recommendation that carries your name.

You will thrive in this role if...
  • You have 3+ years in consulting, BD, partnerships, or sales where you owned external relationships end-to-end - ideally with real reps operating client-facing without a safety net. Bonus points for direct healthcare experience.
  • You have genuine commercial instinct: you read rooms, build trust quickly, and move conversations toward outcomes.
  • You use AI tools fluently and skeptically - you know what they're good at, where they fail, and you never ship an output you haven't pressure-tested.
  • You are resourceful, scrappy, and leave no stone unturned.

You will love this role if...
  • You want to be in front of payers, not behind a spreadsheet - with a clear commercial track to grow into.
  • You want to work at the front edge of AI-enabled business development.
  • You thrive in ambiguity, seek out unfamiliar challenges, and shape strategy.
  • You are motivated to face off against one of our generation's defining problems: access to mental healthcare.

Compensation and Benefits:

The expected base pay range for this position is $90,440 - $133,000 based on a variety of factors including qualifications, experience, and geographic location. In addition to base salary, this role may be eligible for an equity grant, depending on the position and level.

We are committed to offering a comprehensive and competitive total rewards package, including robust health and wellness benefits, retirement savings, and meaningful ownership opportunities through equity. Compensation decisions are made holistically, ensuring fairness and alignment with market benchmarks while recognizing individual contributions and potential.
  • Benefits offered include:
    • Equity compensation
    • Medical, Dental, and Vision coverage
    • HSA / FSA
    • 401K
    • Work-from-Home Stipend
    • Therapy Reimbursement
    • 16-week parental leave for eligible employees
    • Carrot Fertility annual reimbursement and membership
    • 13 paid holidays each year as well as a Holiday Break during the week between December 25th and December 31st
    • Flexible PTO
    • Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
    • Training and professional development


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