Health Innovation Product Strategy Manager, Principal

Your Role

The role supports Stellarus and related activities within the Ascendiun Family of Companies, as appropriate. The Health Innovation Technology team is the technology innovation, research and development organization responsible for identifying, developing and market testing new capabilities, products, and services for Stellarus/Blue Shield. The Health Innovation Product Strategist, Principal will report to the Director, Health Innovation Product Strategy. In this role, you will drive strategic product and capability ideation and development across the full innovation lifecycle—from concept to pilot. You will be responsible for sensing and responding to user needs and market signals with urgency to identify transformative opportunities; shaping business, product and technology strategies; and guiding cross-functional teams to deliver high-impact solutions.

This role requires deep expertise in digital health, a strong entrepreneurial mindset, and the ability to influence executive stakeholders. You will serve as a thought leader and trusted advisor, helping to build new capabilities and contributing to the development of Stellarus’ strategic vision.

To be successful in this role, you will need to partner with leaders across the company to identify and deliver on innovation, research and development initiatives. You will work closely with a cross-functional pod of UX designers, user researchers and Forward Engineers taking innovations from concept to implementation.

Stellarus’ leadership model is about developing great leaders at all levels and creating opportunities for our people to grow – personally, professionally, and financially. We are looking for leaders that are energized by creative and critical thinking, building and sustaining high-performing teams, getting results the right way, and fostering continuous learning. 

Your Work

In This Role, You Will:

• Lead innovation, research and development opportunities in alignment with the product and software development lifecycles including early-stage product ideation, definition, and delivery of proofs of concept, prototypes, and execution of pilots 
• Apply design thinking, lean startup, Agile and related methodologies to develop and validate new product and capability concepts
• Collaborate with peers to perform primary and secondary user, market and competitive research to identify innovative opportunities and shape new capabilities, products, and services 
• Critically assess opportunities and drive business case development, ROI analyses, and feasibility studies to support recommendations
• Develop close partnerships with peers and mid-to-senior-level executives to collaborate on defining strategy, requirements, and use cases for new capabilities
• Develop close partnerships with Product and Platform teams across the enterprise to define, design, test and deliver new solutions 
• Communicate and pitch new product strategies to senior leadership, aligning with Stellarus’ mission and long-term goals
• Keep a pulse on emerging and evolving technologies and healthcare market trends and share insights to inform and shape opportunities for new solutions to meet user and customer needs
• Guide cross-functional teams—including designers, engineers, and researchers—to deliver proofs-of-concept, proofs-of-technology and high-fidelity functional prototypes 
• Operationalize and continuously improve Innovation Lifecycle and other Processes 
• Influence enterprise-wide new product development governance and contribute to strategic planning and product development processes
• Demonstrably use artificial intelligence tools in your day-to-day work
• Foster a culture of innovation across the organization, mentoring others and promoting best practices in innovation, research and development

Your Knowledge and Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Finance, Economics, Public Health, Health Care Administration, Information Technology or related field required.
• Graduate degree (e.g. MBA or other Master’s) is desired.
• Requires at least 10 years of relevant experience
• 12-14 years of progressive experience in Product Management, Management Consulting, Technology Strategy or Entrepreneurship highly desired
• Experienced with product development/ownership and guiding the product lifecycle from requirements to prototyping and impact measurement in the healthcare industry with a preference for health tech/digital health domain
• Demonstrated experience in translating business and user needs into functional definition of new products and services 
• Demonstrated experience in using Generative AI tools for research, definition and rapid prototyping
• Demonstrated experience in developing and launching B2B products and services
• Experience in performing qualitative and quantitative analyses
• Excellent communication and collaboration skills with a track record of cross-functional partnerships and executive-level engagement.
• Deep understanding of the technology landscape and emerging digital health trends.
• Critical and strategic thinker who can translate complex concepts into actionable plans.
• Healthcare industry experience strongly desired
• Familiarity with Agile practices a must