Senior Manager, Client Service and Operations - Remote - Cigna Healthcare (Finance)

Candidates who reside within 50 miles of the following locations may be asked to work in person: Bloomfield, CT, Chattanooga, TN, and St Louis, MO.

Position Summary:

The Senior Manager for the US Employer's Over 500 (O500) segment is responsible for managing client implementation outcomes and experiences across our regional support model. This role involves leading and developing a team of Implementation Managers (IMs) within Client & Service Operations, ensuring the successful onboarding of new and renewing clients in our O500 (Middle Market) segment. Key responsibilities include building bench strength, growing talent, and driving a high-performing team through effective project management, risk mitigation, and continuous improvement. The Senior Manager will develop and maintain productive relationships with sales leaders, brokers, and clients, while aligning with regional and market-level strategies. They will foster a culture of inclusion, trust, and accountability, promoting growth and innovation. Additionally, the role requires strategic oversight of resource management, including evolving the workforce capacity model to meet business needs. The Senior Manager will contribute to organizational initiatives, ensuring alignment with broader CS&O goals and delivering exceptional client implementationexperiences.

Responsibilities, Scope and Contributions

Leadership and Team Management:

• Lead and manage a team of O500 Implementation Managers (IMs) by utilizing tools such as Management Operating System, Verint, Vista, and Tableau to monitor progress, make regular adjustments, and maximize productivity.
• Establish clear goals and expectations for IMs with measurable metrics, actively monitor and review to ensure overall success.
• Hold and document regular one-on-ones to engage in high-quality conversations about outcomes, available data, goals, capacity, work satisfaction, and career growth.
• Actively coach and develop higher-level IMs to support other IMs in complex issue resolution and escalation.
• Seek opportunities to observe IMs in action, providing specific timely feedback to foster continued growth.
• Implement continuous feedback mechanisms to promote ongoing improvement and development within the team.

Project Management and Optimization:

• Facilitate regular inventory review meetings (stand-ups) and escalated account reviews to ensure the best possible outcomes and maintain organized reporting and summaries for sales leadership.
• Ensure workload is appropriately assigned and balanced across resources based on strengths, skillsets, and positions.
• Deeply understand aligned sales market strategy and anticipated market activity, developing strategies to address unique needs and volumes.
• Implement risk mitigation strategies to proactively address potential issues and ensure seamless client onboarding experiences.
• Evolve metrics to drive performance improvement and optimize team productivity.
• Continuously improve project management processes to enhance efficiency and effectiveness.

Strategic Partnerships and Alignment:

• Develop and maintain close, productive, collaborative relationships with sales leaders and support external relationship-building efforts with key brokers and clients.
• Maintain close partnership and frequent communication with sales leadership to keep them informed of local implementation strategy, status, risk assessment and mitigation plans, and ongoing initiatives.
• Work with the team and partner with managers of other matrix partner teams on escalated issues and issue resolution, utilizing reporting and analysis to understand root causes and prevent repeat occurrences.

Cultural Leadership:

• Facilitate ongoing conversations and activities with the team focused on establishing and enhancing a diverse culture of inclusion, accountability, growth, and empowerment.
• Drive a strong culture of inclusion, trust, accountability, and collaboration that fosters growth and successful innovation and adaptation to change.

Organizational Contributions:

• Stay informed on organizational initiatives and share with the team, illustrating the connection to the O500K team broadly as well as to their team members' roles.
• Meet with clients and/or brokers to assist in resolving any escalated issues relative to the Implementation Process, including executive communications and project reporting.
• Utilize tools used within Client & Service Operations (CS&O) to provide sales and implementation leadership with status updates on team deliverables, client escalations, and process opportunities.

Resource Management:

• Ensure the availability of staff to accommodate business needs, addressing backfills and training timely, managing vacation calendars, and maintaining flexible working hours.
• Evolve the workforce capacity model to ensure optimal staffing levels and resource allocation based on current and projected business needs.
• Closely coordinate with other senior managers to ensure the overall team remains aligned on organizational vision, direction, and communications.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree, advanced degree preferred; PMP certification highly preferred.
• 5+ years relevant experience with client implementation, project management, account management or operations management highly preferred.
• 3+ years of experience in leadership management with client-facing responsibilities and cross-functional matrix team enablement (sales, case installation, customer call center, provider, etc.) within a health plan, the PBM, PMO or healthcare industry is highly preferred.
• Proven ability to successfully lead high performing teams in a high-volume, high-pressure environment while meeting/exceeding client satisfaction and internal goals.
• Demonstrated experience in building and maintaining strategic partnerships with sales leaders, brokers, and clients with the ability to maintain close partnerships and frequent communication with sales leadership and other matrix partner teams with strong interpersonal skills to build and maintain productive relationships.
• Strong leadership skills with a focus on developing and mentoring team members with proven ability to build bench strength and grow talent within the team driving a strong culture of inclusion, trust, accountability, and collaboration.
• Expertise in project management methodologies, competencies and capabilities and tools.
• Ability to implement risk mitigation strategies and continuously improve processes to enhance efficiency and effectiveness and develop, execute strategies to achieve top results based on the needs of aligned markets and regions.
• Strong organizational and time management skills, with the ability to manage multiple priorities and projects simultaneously.
• Proficiency in utilizing reporting and analysis tools to drive performance improvement with strong analytical skills to understand root causes of issues and prevent repeat occurrences.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to engage effectively with clients, brokers, sales leaders, and team members.
• Ability to evolve the workforce capacity model in partnership with our enabling partners to ensure optimal staffing levels and resource allocation.
• Ability to adapt to change and drive successful innovation within the team and organization with proactive approach to identifying opportunities for improvement, implementing solutions and facilitating the execution of change management strategies.
• Requires 25% travel as needed.

If you will be working at home occasionally or permanently, the internet connection must be obtained through a cable broadband or fiber optic internet service provider with speeds of at least 10Mbps download/5Mbps upload.

For this position, we anticipate offering an annual salary of 108,200 - 180,400 USD / yearly, depending on relevant factors, including experience and geographic location.

This role is also anticipated to be eligible to participate in an annual bonus plan.

We want you to be healthy, balanced, and feel secure. That's why you'll enjoy a comprehensive range of benefits, with a focus on supporting your whole health. Starting on day one of your employment, you'll be offered several health-related benefits including medical, vision, dental, and well-being and behavioral health programs. We also offer 401(k) with company match, company paid life insurance, tuition reimbursement, a minimum of 18 days of paid time off per year and paid holidays. For more details on our employee benefits programs, visit Life at Cigna Group .

About The Cigna Group

Doing something meaningful starts with a simple decision, a commitment to changing lives. At The Cigna Group, we're dedicated to improving the health and vitality of those we serve. Through our divisions Cigna Healthcare and Evernorth Health Services, we are committed to enhancing the lives of our clients, customers and patients. Join us in driving growth and improving lives.

Qualified applicants will be considered without regard to race, color, age, disability, sex, childbirth (including pregnancy) or related medical conditions including but not limited to lactation, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, veteran or military status, religion, national origin, ancestry, marital or familial status, genetic information, status with regard to public assistance, citizenship status or any other characteristic protected by applicable equal employment opportunity laws.

If you require reasonable accommodation in completing the online application process, please email: SeeYourself@cigna.com for support. Do not email SeeYourself@cigna.com for an update on your application or to provide your resume as you will not receive a response.

The Cigna Group has a tobacco-free policy and reserves the right not to hire tobacco/nicotine users in states where that is legally permissible. Candidates in such states who use tobacco/nicotine will not be considered for employment unless they enter a qualifying smoking cessation program prior to the start of their employment. These states include: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Nebraska, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, Utah, Vermont, and Washington State.

Qualified applicants with criminal histories will be considered for employment in a manner consistent with all federal, state and local ordinances.