Associate Medical Director/Principal, Payer Partnerships

About the role

You will serve as the clinical strategist at the center of Headway's expanding network, owning the clinical oversight of payer partnerships and ensuring alignment between provider capabilities and health plan requirements. In this role, you will translate complex clinical realities into actionable business strategies that strengthen Headway's value proposition for health plans and provider organizations. You will spearhead the development and execution of external thought leadership that showcases the measurable impact of our platform on patient outcomes and system efficiency. You will act as the primary clinical liaison for key health plan relationships, facilitating deep collaboration and trust. You will leverage large scale data to uncover insights that redefine how behavioral health value is measured and delivered. You will ensure that all clinical initiatives and documentation adhere to the highest standards of regulatory compliance and quality. You will mentor and influence cross functional teams to embed clinical excellence into every product decision and go to market motion.

Key facts

What you'll do

• Partner with the payer team to design and execute strategic account plans that drive network growth and retention.
• Lead the creation of clinical content, case studies, and outcome reports that demonstrate the efficacy of Headway's platform to payer stakeholders.
• Analyze complex utilization, cost, and quality data to identify trends that support the development of innovative coverage strategies.
• Translate intricate clinical processes into clear, concise narratives for non-clinical audiences, aligning product, sales, and marketing teams.
• Represent Headway at industry conferences, contributing expert perspective on the future of behavioral health delivery and reimbursement.
• Collaborate with the product team to ensure that clinical workflows and documentation tools meet the evolving needs of providers and payers.
• Develop and maintain a deep understanding of mental health parity regulations and ensure all partnership activities are compliant.
• Work with the data and analytics team to build dashboards that track provider performance and patient outcomes across health plans.
• Provide subject matter expertise during sales engagements to support complex enterprise negotiations.
• Mentor junior team members on clinical best practices and standards of care.
• Liaise with the provider success team to resolve clinical questions and optimize provider network performance.
• Drive initiatives that measure patient satisfaction, retention, and clinical progress using Headway's platform data.
• Participate in the development of strategic proposals and responses to requests for information from health systems and payers.
• Serve as a clinical advisor to guide the roadmap of Headway's payer integration features.

Requirements

• You are a licensed Psychiatrist (MD/DO) or Clinical Psychologist (PhD) with a minimum of 3 years of clinical experience in a fast-paced, high growth business environment.
• You hold an active medical license or psychology license in at least one US state, with the ability to obtain licenses in additional states as required by the role.
• You bring a minimum of 2 years of direct experience in payer or partnership roles, ideally within technology driven environments.
• You possess a proven track record as an industry thought leader in behavioral health, demonstrated by speaking engagements at relevant conferences and industry events.
• You have a history of peer-reviewed publications and mainstream media contributions that establish your credibility in the field.
• You excel at distilling complex clinical jargon into clear, actionable information for non-clinical stakeholders, including executives and engineers.
• You have demonstrated the ability to lead presentations and communicate effectively to large audiences.
• You are an advanced data consumer, capable of interpreting sophisticated datasets to generate insights that inform strategic decisions.
• You are a creative problem solver who thrives in ambiguous situations and can define problems where others see only noise.
• You have a strong working knowledge of healthcare regulations, including but not limited to the corporate practice of medicine and telehealth compliance.
• You have prior experience working within a healthcare technology company or a high growth startup.
• You are comfortable navigating complex sales cycles and building relationships with senior level executives at payer organizations.
• You are empathetic, resilient, and able to manage the emotional weight of supporting mental health at scale.
• You are eligible to work in the United States without sponsorship for this role.

Nice to have

• Experience with value based care models and alternative payment models.
• Familiarity with electronic health record (EHR) integration challenges in behavioral health.
• Knowledge of specific payer contracting models and revenue cycle management.
• Experience with healthcare data standards such as HL7 or FHIR.
• Background in academic research or teaching.

Practical notes

• You will be required to travel occasionally for conferences and client meetings.
• This role is based on or near the East Coast of the United States.
• Full time employment is expected.
• New start dates are flexible based on business needs.