The Contract / Payer Development Manager is responsible for supporting and advancing payer contracting initiatives while maintaining ownership of assigned payer relationships. This role manages contract life cycle process, implements leadership strategy, tracks & reports on team metrics, and oversees contract implementation processes to ensure payer agreements are financially optimized and operationally executable.
The Manager serves as a bridge between department leadership and payer account execution, translating strategic objectives into actionable contracting initiatives. This role also supervises the Contract Implementation Specialist / Analyst to ensure contract terms, fee schedules, and payer resources are accurately implemented and maintained across the organization.
In addition to contracting leadership, the Manager directly manages select payer relationships, supporting negotiations, performance analysis, and relationship development in alignment with departmental objectives.
· Support execution of payer contract strategy across assigned markets and payer portfolios.
· Lead or support contract negotiations, amendments, and renewals in coordination with the Director of Payer Development.
· Prepare negotiation strategies using financial and operational data, including reimbursement performance, drug margin analysis, utilization trends, and operational impact assessments.
· Identify opportunities to improve contract value through rate renegotiations, biosimilar carve-outs, drug reimbursement improvements, site-of-care initiatives, and contract language optimization.
· Coordinate internal contract approval and signature processes while managing payer communications throughout negotiations.
· Serve as the primary relationship owner for assigned payer accounts.
· Manage the full lifecycle of payer relationships including contract negotiations, amendments, renewals, performance monitoring, and relationship development.
· Maintain strong, professional partnerships with payer representatives and ensure consistent engagement across assigned accounts.
· Identify opportunities to strengthen payer relationships and expand market access, reimbursement performance, or utilization.
· Support Account Managers by providing guidance on negotiation strategy, contract analysis, and payer engagement approaches.
· Oversee contract implementation activities to ensure payer agreements are accurately operationalized across internal teams.
· Directly manage the Contract Implementation Specialist / Analyst responsible for contract tagging, fee schedule management, and contract resource development.
· Ensure contract updates, fee schedule changes, and policy modifications are accurately re