McKesson

Strategic Account Operations Manager – Medical Prior Authorization

McKesson$100K — $167K *
Healthcare
5 - 7 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience
  • 7+ years of experience in account management, operations, or program leadership roles within healthcare
  • Direct experience supporting medical prior authorization workflows
  • Strong understanding of payer policies, provider workflows, and prior authorization lifecycle concepts
  • Demonstrated success managing complex, multi-stakeholder programs and customer relationships
  • Proven ability to lead through ambiguity during product evolution or operational change
  • Excellent communication skills across operational, technical, clinical, and executive stakeholders

Responsibilities

  • Serve as primary contact for managing complex medical prior authorization programs
  • Own operational delivery of contract deliverables related to medical PA
  • Act as escalation point for program issues; research, resolve, and communicate solutions
  • Develop and maintain program plans for medical PA and access services
  • Utilize knowledge to identify trends and improvement opportunities in assigned programs
  • Use data and reporting to inform operational decisions
  • Drive continuous improvement efforts in medical PA workflows and support models

Benefits

  • Comprehensive health insurance
  • Retirement savings plan with company match
  • Professional development opportunities
  • Flexible work arrangements
  • Generous paid time off policy
Full Job Description
Role Overview

Reporting to the Director, Account Operations, the Strategic Account Operations Manager (Medical Prior Authorization) is responsible for overseeing complex customer relationships, programs, and initiatives focused on medical benefit prior authorization and front-end access services.

We are seeking an experienced account operations leader with deep medical PA expertise and strong client-facing operational experience to support strategic programs critical to CoverMyMeds’ evolving access strategy. This role will help build and mature CMM’s medical PA capabilities while ensuring high-quality, scalable execution for assigned customers.

This position owns a portfolio of highly complex, strategic programs and serves as a trusted operational advisor to customers, internal stakeholders, and cross-functional partners. The ideal candidate is comfortable operating in ambiguity, understands payer–provider–vendor dynamics, and can translate medical PA complexity into repeatable, operationally sound solutions.

Key Responsibilities

  • Serves as the primary point of contact for day-to-day oversight and management of multiple, complex, and strategic medical prior authorization and front end access programs, ensuring strong customer engagement, satisfaction, and retention
  • Owns operational delivery of medical PA and front end access–related contract deliverables, ensuring adherence to contractual terms, service-level expectations, and regulatory requirements
  • Acts as the initial escalation point for complex program issues, independently researching, resolving, and communicating corrective actions; escalates appropriately and partners with internal teams as needed
  • Develops, documents, and maintains program plans for medical PA and access services, tracking progress against goals, identifying operational risks, and implementing mitigation strategies
  • Leverages medical benefit, payer policy, and prior authorization workflow knowledge to proactively identify trends, risks, and improvement opportunities across assigned programs
  • Proactively utilizes data and reporting (payer metrics, authorization outcomes, turnaround times, denial trends, volume forecasts) to inform recommendations and operational decisions
  • Drives a culture of continuous improvement and operational excellence, leading process optimization efforts related to medical PA workflows, front-end services, and scaled support models
  • Serves as a subject-matter resource for medical PA within the Account Operations organization, advising peers and mentoring less-experienced team members
  • Partners cross-functionally with Product, Network Services, Implementation, Support, Legal, Compliance, and Sales to ensure alignment between customer needs, product capabilities, and operational delivery
  • Participates in and/or leads strategic initiatives tied to the evolution of CMM’s medical PA, access, and front-end service offerings
  • Represents Account Operations in customer-facing discussions, including operational reviews, issue resolution meetings, and planning sessions
  • Travel to client sites and industry events as needed (approximately 10–15%)

About You

You are a seasoned account operations professional with hands-on medical prior authorization experience who thrives in complex, fast-paced environments. You are comfortable balancing operational rigor with relationship management and are energized by helping teams and customers navigate change. You bring a strong mix of analytical thinking, strategic problem-solving, and collaborative leadership.

You are trusted by customers and internal partners alike as someone who understands how medical PA really works—and how to make it better.

Basic Qualifications

  • Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience
  • 7+ years of experience in account management, operations, or program leadership roles within healthcare
  • Direct experience supporting medical prior authorization workflows, ideally within medical benefit (not pharmacy-only) programs
  • Strong understanding of payer policies, provider workflows, and prior authorization lifecycle concepts
  • Demonstrated success managing complex, multi-stakeholder programs and customer relationships
  • Proven ability to lead through ambiguity, particularly during product evolution or operational change
  • Excellent communication skills, with the ability to communicate effectively with operational, technical, clinical, and executive stakeholders

Critical Skills & Experience

  • Expertise in medical PA operations, including pre-authorizations, determinations, appeals, and payer-provider workflows
  • Strong operational and account leadership skills, including SLA oversight, risk mitigation, and service optimization
  • Ability to analyze and interpret operational data to drive insights and recommendations
  • Skilled in problem-solving complex customer and operational issues under pressure
  • Track record of building trust and credibility across internal teams and external partners
  • Strong project and process management capabilities in cross-functional environments
  • Experience working with healthcare technology platforms, EHR-integrated workflows, or access solutions strongly preferred
  • PACS certification preferred
  • Working knowledge of Salesforce (SFDC) or similar CRM tools preferred

We are proud to offer a competitive compensation package at McKesson as part of our Total Rewards. This is determined by several factors, including performance, experience and skills, equity, regular job market evaluations, and geographical markets. The pay range shown below is aligned with McKesson's pay philosophy, and pay will always be compliant with any applicable regulations. In addition to base pay, other compensation, such as an annual bonus or long-term incentive opportunities may be offered. For more information regarding benefits at McKesson, please

Our Base Pay Range for this position

$100,500 - $167,500

About McKesson

McKesson Corporation provides medicines, pharmaceutical supplies, information and care management products and services across the healthcare industry. The Company operates in two segments. The McKesson Distribution Solutions segment delivers ethical drugs, medical-surgical supplies and equipment and health and beauty care products throughout North America. This segment also provides specialty pharmaceutical solutions for biotech and pharmaceutical manufacturers, sells financial, operational and clinical solutions for pharmacies (retail, hospital, long-term care) and provides consulting, outsourcing and other services. The McKesson Technology Solutions segment delivers enterprise-wide clinical, patient care, financial, supply chain, strategic management and software solutions. In July 2011, the Company acquired Portico Systems from Safeguard Scientifics, Inc. On March 25, 2012, it acquired the independent banner and franchise businesses of Katz Group Canada Inc. McKesson Distribution Solutions delivers pharmaceuticals to retail pharmacies and institutional providers like hospitals and health systems. They operate pharmaceutical distribution centers across the country, serving customers in all 50 states. They also deliver a comprehensive offering of health care products, technology, equipment and related services to the alternate site market, including physician offices, surgery centers, long-term care facilities and home care businesses across the country. McKesson is currently the largest pharmaceutical distributor in North America. McKesson also operates McKesson Canada and has an equity holding in Nadro, a leading distributor in Mexico.

McKesson Careers

Join McKesson, a leading global healthcare company, and be part of a team that is redefining the future of healthcare. With a variety of job opportunities available, McKesson is the perfect place to advance your career, whether you're a seasoned professional or just starting out. Work You’ll Do At McKesson, we are committed to improving care in every setting—one product, one partner, one patient at a time. We’re seeking talented professionals to join our team and contribute to a culture of innovation, diversity, and leadership. Our employees are driven by a deep sense of purpose and a desire for continuous growth and improvement. Empower Your Future in Healthcare With positions ranging from internships to leadership roles, McKesson offers unparalleled employment opportunities to develop your skills and advance your career. Our commitment to diversity training ensures that all team members have the opportunity to thrive. Join a team where your skills will be honed, your professional growth will be supported, and where you can genuinely see the difference you make in the lives of patients around the world. Innovative Work Environment McKesson is at the forefront of healthcare innovation. Our team is constantly exploring new ways to improve patient outcomes and streamline care processes. This commitment to innovation is what sets us apart and what makes McKesson an exciting place to work. Career Development and Benefits McKesson believes in nurturing the potential of its employees through robust career development programs and comprehensive benefits designed to support your life and well-being. From leadership training to health and wellness benefits, we ensure our team members are equipped to meet their professional and personal goals. Explore Job Opportunities Whether you’re looking for an internship to kickstart your career, or a senior position to utilize your extensive experience, McKesson offers a range of opportunities. Explore our open positions and find where you can make a difference at McKesson. Stay Connected Join Our Team Search for open positions that match your skills and interests. We are looking for passionate, curious, and solution-driven team players who are ready to take the next step in their careers. Keep Up to Date Stay ahead with career tips, insider perspectives, and industry-leading insights you can put to use today—all from the people who work here. Networking and Professional Growth At McKesson, networking and professional growth are part of our everyday environment. We encourage our employees to connect, share, and learn from each other to foster personal and professional development. Job Alert Emails Personalize your subscription to receive job alerts, latest news, and insider tips tailored to your preferences. Discover the exciting and rewarding career opportunities that await you at McKesson. Join McKesson today and be part of a team that is dedicated to shaping the future of healthcare.
Learn more about McKesson
Size
58,000 employees
Market Cap
$53.7 billion
Industry
Net Income
-$4.1 billion
Founded
1833
5 Year Trend
+5.9%
Revenue
$237.6 billion
NASDAQ

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