Head of Customer and Commercial Operations

This is a fully remote position, open to applicants in New York, +2 more states.

📋 Description

• Manage the client relationship from the initial introduction through long-term performance, encompassing the initial VBC readiness assessment, business development support, onboarding, performance enablement, and retention.

• Collaborate closely with Market Presidents, who oversee growth and manage the P&L, to facilitate a seamless transition into post-sale onboarding, performance management, and long-term client success.

• Create and maintain the operating model that links pre-sale intelligence directly to post-sale transformation activities, thereby eliminating handoff gaps between growth and customer success.

• Ensure that insights obtained during initial client engagement inform program deployment, and that learnings from post-sale activities contribute to growth strategy and pipeline qualification.

• Oversee a cohesive commercial operations function that encompasses Growth Ops and Customer Success, including pipeline systems, playbooks, tools, and post-sale transformation infrastructure.

• Lead the transition from manual, relationship-dependent workflows to codified, scalable systems, incorporating tools, playbooks, and automation to minimize operational risk and enhance institutional knowledge.

• Develop and manage the feedback loop: convert issues, escalations, and performance patterns into lasting rules that the team consistently adheres to.

• Provide strategic leadership for the integration and evolution of Growth Ops and CS Ops into a singular, high-performing commercial engine.

• Manage day-to-day client relationships, creating and implementing engagement and remediation plans in either a high-touch or scaled manner as appropriate, while activating the broader organization in a coordinated effort.

• Establish and maintain a clear operating philosophy: performance in value-based care is essential for client satisfaction, rather than a trade-off with it.

• Collaborate with the Performance function leadership team on programmatic design, and oversee the team and operational infrastructure that implements those programs at the account level. This position is focused on building, not mere coordination.

• Act as the primary liaison between clients and the Performance vertical, managing the feedback loop that shapes program development, operational priorities, and outcome measurement.

• Treat NPS as a lagging indicator of performance and engagement quality, rather than an isolated primary objective, and create feedback mechanisms that capture insights across the entire client base.

• Function as the most senior relationship manager on the team, establishing credibility with C-suite and clinical leaders at enterprise accounts, serving as a player-coach or directly managing key relationships.

• Recruit and develop the right team to execute performance improvement programs, taking ownership of both talent acquisition and the execution model.

• Lead and cultivate a team of CS and Growth Ops professionals and leaders, providing strategic context and prioritization guidance that translates execution into outcomes.

• Work closely with Market Presidents and their teams on key clients, portfolio strategy, renewals, and cross-sell opportunities within a matrixed commercial framework.

• Serve as an escalation point for intricate client challenges, partnership disputes, and renewal negotiations.

• Take ownership of the annual retention target, which includes executing renewal contracts, escalating strategies, and enabling negotiations.

• Collaborate with Performance, Finance, Markets, and Product teams to align performance improvement plans with contractual outcomes.

• Foster cross-sell and expansion efforts within the existing portfolio in coordination with Market Presidents.

• Oversee the complete strategy and execution for the digital-first client segment, developing a scalable, lower-touch model that utilizes automation and product-led engagement.

• Establish segment-specific processes, service standards, and metrics that are distinct from enterprise relationship management.

⛳️ Requirements

• 10+ years of experience in a high-performing healthcare customer success, market, or provider-facing leadership role.

• Strong understanding of value-based care, Medicare programs (MSSP, ACO REACH), and the clinical and financial factors that influence performance in risk-based contracts.

• Preference for candidates with experience at an ACO, health system, or healthcare technology company engaged in the value-based care sector.

• Proven ability to scale a team and function while upholding service quality and enhancing operational efficiency.

• Experience utilizing data and internal dashboards to formulate strategies, identify performance risks, and promote accountability.

• Demonstrated capability to present to and influence clinical and executive-level leadership.

• Comfortable operating in a matrixed environment where influence is as crucial as authority.

• Willingness to travel for in-person client engagements (up to 25%).

🏝️ Benefits

• Competitive benefits package. Details available at pearlhealth.com/careers