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.
Shields Health Solutions is committed to providing an inclusive hiring experience; if you need assistance or accommodation during the application or interview process, please email talentacquisition@shieldsrx.com.
