Manager, Payor Contracting

Job Description

About SonderMind

At SonderMind, we know that therapy works. SonderMind provides accessible, personalized mental healthcare that produces high-quality outcomes for patients. SonderMind’s individualized approach to care starts with using innovative technology to help people not just find a therapist, but find the right, in-network therapist for them, should they choose to use their insurance. From there, SonderMind’s clinicians are committed to delivering best-in-class care to all patients by focusing on high-quality clinical outcomes. To enable our clinicians to thrive, SonderMind defines care expectations while providing tools such as clinical note-taking, secure telehealth capabilities, outcome measurement, messaging, and direct booking. To follow the latest SonderMind news, get to know our clients, and learn about what it’s like to work at SonderMind, you can follow us on Instagram, Linkedin, and Twitter. 

About the Role

As a dynamic and relationship-driven manager, you will develop, strengthen, and enhance SonderMind’s payor relationships nationwide.  Using your commercial and government payor relationships and your broad knowledge of payor contracting, you will lead negotiations with payors and health plans, resulting in favorable reimbursement and contractual language terms.  You will proactively develop contract negotiation strategies that align with the financial objectives of SonderMind.  As a key management team member, you will use your innovation, critical thinking, and analytical skills to secure favorable outcomes contributing to the company’s overall success.  You are a creative problem-solver and out-of-the-box thinker who is passionate about improving access and outcomes in mental health. 

What you will do

• Strategically determine where SonderMind could strengthen its in-network participation with payors and engage with new payors to secure in-network agreements. 
• Develop and analyze complex data sets for use with rate modeling, proposal preparation, and negotiations. 
• Lead, develop and identify negotiation strategies for fee for service, value based, and alternative payment models to optimize partnership opportunities with key payors, while working collaboratively with internal stakeholders to execute and manage such arrangements.   
• Cultivate relationships, build partnerships and maintain strong communication with payors.
• Review and analyze contract language and reimbursement terms in existing and potential payor agreements. Recommend modifications that support the business objectives and benefit the company. 
• Collaborate with and support internal cross functional teams, such as Revenue Cycle, Credentialing, Finance and Legal. Identify areas requiring cross function problem solving and initiate solutions.  
• Investigate and understand payor market dynamics in different states (payor mix changes, reimbursement issues, product offerings and state regulatory statutes)  that will enable you to develop clear value propositions to enhance partnerships with payors. 
• Own the end to end negotiation and renegotiation process to include application process to initiate new agreements to operationalizing new agreements and/or amendments. This includes loading data into the contract management system and preparing contract summaries of financial and administrative terms. 
• Other responsibilities and ad-hoc projects based on business needs.

What does success look like?

Working under the direction of the VP of Payor Strategy, you will work both independently and with the team to proactively identify and execute against strategic initiatives. You are highly motivated and can overcome complex challenges and roadblocks. You thrive under pressure and are comfortable working in a fast-paced, changing environment. You will be assertive and authoritative to deliver exceptional outcomes. 

Who You Are 

Skills, experience, and education that is needed for this person to be able to succeed in this role 

• Minimum BA/BS in Business Administration, Healthcare Administration or related degree
• Minimum five years experience negotiating payor and/or provider agreements 
• Experience managing relationships and agreements
• Knowledge of managed care regulations and laws related to health care, preferably in behavioral health
• Experience with alternative payment models, such as Value Based Programs, Risk Arrangements, and Case Rates
• Ability to work remotely and to travel to the corporate office and to payor visits or conferences occasionally 
• Strong negotiation and interpersonal skills: written, verbal, analytical
• Motivated and influential – proactive with the ability to adhere to deadlines; work to “get the job done” in a fast-paced environment. 
• Self-starter with the ability to multitask. 

Our Benefits 

The anticipated salary rate for this role is between $130,000-140,000 per year.

As a leader in redesigning behavioral health, we are walking the walk with our employee benefits. We want the experience of working at SonderMind to accelerate people’s careers and enrich their lives, so we focus on meeting SonderMinders wherever they are and supporting them in all facets of their life and work.

Our benefits include:

• A commitment to fostering flexible hybrid work
• A generous PTO policy with a minimum of three weeks off per year
• Free therapy coverage benefits to ensure our employees have access to the care they need (must be enrolled in our medical plans to participate)
• Competitive Medical, Dental, and Vision coverage with plans to meet every need, including HSA ($1,100 company contribution) and FSA options
• Employer-paid short-term, long-term disability, life & AD&D to cover life’s unexpected events. Not only that, we also cover the difference in salary for up to seven (7) weeks of short-term disability leave (after the required waiting period) should you need to use it.
• Eight weeks of paid Parental Leave (if the parent also qualifies for STD, this benefit is in addition which allows between 8-16 weeks of paid leave)
• 401K retirement plan with 100% matching which immediately vests on up to 4% of base salary
• Travel to Denver 1x a year for annual Shift gathering
• Fourteen (14) company holidays
• Company Shutdown between Christmas and New Years
• Supplemental life insurance, pet insurance coverage, commuter benefits and more!

Application Deadline

This position will be an ongoing recruitment process and will be open until filled.

Equal Opportunity 
SonderMind does not discriminate in employment opportunities or practices based on race, color, creed, sex, gender, gender identity or expression, pregnancy, childbirth or related medical conditions, religion, veteran and military status, marital status, registered domestic partner status, age, national origin or ancestry, physical or mental disability, medical condition (including genetic information or characteristics), sexual orientation, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local laws.