VP of Commercial Partnerships
Summary
Leads enterprise sales and partnerships with U.S. non-profit health systems, building financial models and stakeholder buy-in to expand a specialty pharmacy services provider.
VP, Commercial Partnerships (remote with 50% travel)
Shields Health Solutions | Strategic Sales Leadership
ROLE OVERVIEW
Shields Health Solutions is seeking a VP of Commercial Partnerships who combines the consultative instincts of a trusted advisor with the analytical rigor of a seasoned strategist. This is a complex, multi-stakeholder enterprise sale into some of the most sophisticated non-profit health systems in the country. Success requires the ability to diagnose each health system's operational, financial, and clinical challenges, model the impact of a Shields partnership with precision, and build conviction across C-Suite and pharmacy leadership simultaneously.
The successful candidate will navigate mission-driven governance structures, capital stewardship expectations, and board-level accountability that define non-profit health system decision-making and will translate those dynamics into a compelling, evidence-based case for partnership.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
Analytically-Driven Sales Strategy
- Conduct deep-dive analysis of each target health system including payer mix, specialty pharmacy volume, 340B program status, revenue cycle performance, and competitive positioning to build a hypothesis-driven point of view before the first conversation.
- Build institution-specific financial models and pro formas that quantify the operational and economic impact of a Shields partnership, tailored to the CFO, Chief Strategy Officer, or VP of Finance as the primary decision audience.
- Translate complex pharmacy and financial data into clear, board-ready narratives that align Shields' capabilities to the health system's strategic and mission priorities.
- Leverage Salesforce to maintain a rigorous pipeline, forecast with discipline, and track deal velocity and stakeholder engagement across multi-quarter sales cycles.
Executive Stakeholder Navigation
- Engage C-Suite leaders CEO, CFO, Chief Strategy Officer, and CMO with a command of both the strategic and financial dimensions of specialty pharmacy, positioning Shields as a long-term operating and revenue partner rather than a vendor.
- Anticipate and systematically address executive-level objections common in non-profit systems: governance concerns, IT integration risk, mission alignment, community benefit obligations, and capital allocation constraints.
- Build multi-threaded relationships across the enterprise to ensure no single champion dependency aligning both clinical and administrative stakeholders through a structured engagement strategy.
- Partner with the CCO to develop territory-level strategic plans that reflect each system's operating environment and readiness for partnership.
Pharmacy Stakeholder Expertise
- Engage VP of Pharmacy, Director of Pharmacy, and clinical pharmacy leaders with substantive knowledge of specialty pharmacy operations, accreditation requirements (URAC, ACHC), formulary dynamics, and clinical program design.
- Demonstrate fluency in pharmacy-specific challenges including hub services, limited distribution drugs (LDDs), specialty drug economics, payer contracting, and the intersection of 340B with specialty pharmacy margin.
- Navigate pharmacy stakeholder skepticism often rooted in concerns about autonomy, staff integration, and clinical model changes with evidence-based reassurance grounded in comparable health system outcomes.
- Serve as the internal voice of the pharmacy and clinical stakeholder throughout the deal cycle, ensuring operational credibility is maintained from first call through contract execution.
Non-Profit Health System Expertise
- Bring a genuine understanding of the non-profit health system operating environment: mission-driven culture, community health obligations, governance through boards of trustees, thin operating margins, and heightened scrutiny on strategic partnerships.
- Frame the Shields partnership in terms that resonate with non-profit priorities community access to specialty care, patient outcomes, workforce alignment, and revenue optimization.
- Navigate the extended decision-making cycles, multi-committee approval processes, and consensus-building dynamics that characterize non-profit health system procurement.
- Manage legal, compliance, and contracting processes in partnership with health system and Shields counsel, with sensitivity to regulatory and mission-related constraints unique to non-profit entities.
Market Intelligence & Thought Leadership
- Stay current on specialty pharmacy policy developments, CMS reimbursement trends, 340B regulatory activity, and health system M&A dynamics that affect the competitive landscape.
- Provide structured competitive intelligence back to Shields leadership, identifying emerging objections, alternative solutions prospects are evaluating, and market shifts that warrant strategic response.
- Facilitate a disciplined handoff of closed partnerships to operational leadership, maintaining relationship continuity through implementation.
QUALIFICATIONS
- 10+ years of enterprise sales experience, with a demonstrated track record closing complex, multi-stakeholder deals in healthcare ideally in specialty pharmacy, revenue cycle, or health system services.
- Direct experience selling into non-profit health systems required; comfort navigating mission-driven governance, board accountability, and community benefit obligations is essential.
- Strong analytical foundation: ability to build and present financial models, ROI analyses, and operational pro formas tailored to CFO and finance committee audiences.
- Deep knowledge of specialty pharmacy including 340B program mechanics, payer contracting, specialty drug economics, clinical program design, and pharmacy operations sufficient to earn credibility with VP/Director-level pharmacy leaders.
- Demonstrated ability to manage multi-threaded, multi-quarter sales cycles with discipline: structured pipeline management, consistent CRM hygiene (Salesforce), and accurate forecasting.
- Expert consultative seller: skilled at uncovering underlying organizational concerns, reframing objections with data, and guiding consensus across clinical, operational, and financial stakeholders.
- Bachelor's degree required; MBA or graduate degree in health administration, public health, or a related field strongly preferred.
- Ability and willingness to travel up to 50% of the time.
Shields Health Solutions partners with 80+ health systems across the country to build and grow best-in-class specialty pharmacy programs. We bring the operational expertise, clinical infrastructure, and financial rigor that health systems need to compete — and win — in specialty pharmacy.
California residents employed by or applying for work at Shields have certain privacy rights. Please review our: California Workforce Privacy Notice and Privacy Policy.
By providing your mobile number, you agree to receive text messages from Shields Health Solutions related to job opportunities, interview scheduling, and recruiting updates. Message and data rates may apply. You may opt out at any time by replying 'STOP.' Consent is not a condition of employment.
Solid computer skills are required, including proficiency in Microsoft Office tools (Outlook, Teams, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint) for communication, documentation, and data management, as well as, navigating the internet and web-based platforms. Data entry and computer skills will be evaluated through an assessment as part of the pre-employment process.
Shields Health Solutions provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.
As published by greenhouse
First Name, Last Name, Email, Phone, Resume/CV, Cover Letter, Location
- Preferred First Name optional
- Are you authorized to work in the United States? choose one
- How did you hear about Shields? choose one
- Do you now or in the future require sponsorship to continue to be eligible to work in the United States? (Including transfers) or Are you an F-1 non immigrant whose eligibility to work is based on optional practical training (OPT) and you require company cooperation in completing a Form I-983 training plan for STEM-OPT employment? choose one
- WOTC Applicant Survey: Shields Heath Solutions is participating in the Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC) program. This program is designed by the federal government to help companies with federal incentives for hiring and retaining individuals from certain targeted groups into the workforce. Your preliminary response to the IRS Form 8850 questions below will help determine if Shields Health Solutions qualifies for this program. Any information you provide will be kept confidential and will not negatively affect your job, wages, or taxes. Thank you in advance for your time and participation. In order to determine if Shields Health Solutions potentially qualifies for this program, please check the box, at your discretion, if any of the statements below apply to you. ► I received a conditional certification from the state workforce agency (SWA) or a participating local agency for the work opportunity credit. ► If any of the following statements apply to you. ► I am a member of a family that has received assistance from Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) for any 9 months during the past 18 months. ► I am a veteran and a member of a family that received Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits (food stamps) for at least a 3-month period during the past 15 months. ► I was referred here by a rehabilitation agency approved by the state, an employment network under the Ticket to Work program, or the Department of Veteran Affairs. ► I am at least age 18 but not age 40 or older and I am a member of a family that: a. Received SNAP benefits (food stamps) for the past 6 months, or b. Received SNAP benefits (food stamps) for at least 3 of the past 5 months, but is no longer eligible to receive them. ► I received supplement security income (SSI) benefits for any month ending during the past 60 days. ► I am a veteran and I was unemployed for a period or periods totaling at least 4 weeks but less than 6 months during the past year. ► I am a veteran and was unemployed for a period or periods totaling at least 6 months during the past year. ► I am a veteran entitled to compensation for a service-connected disability and I was discharged or released from active duty in the U.S. Armed Forces during the past year. ► I am a veteran entitled to compensation for a service-connected disability and I was unemployed for a period or periods totaling at least 6 months during the past year. ► I am a member of a family that: ► Received TANF payments for at least the past 18 months, or ► Received TANF payments for any 18 months beginning after August 5, 1997, and the earliest 18-month period beginning after August 5, 1997, ended during the past 2 years, or ► Stopped being eligible for TANF payments during the past 2 years because federal or state law limited the maximum time those payments could be made. ► I have been unemployed at least 27 consecutive weeks and for all or part of that period I received unemployment compensation. choose one · optional
- Do you have 10+ years of enterprise sales experience, with a demonstrated track record closing complex, multi-stakeholder deals in healthcare? choose one
- Do you have direct experience selling into non-profit health systems? choose one
- Are you able and willing to travel up to 50% of the time? choose one
- Do you have a Bachelor's degree? choose one