Strategic Account Director
Sales & Business Development
Illinois, USA · Remote
USD 105k-231,132 / year
We’re building a world of health around every individual — shaping a more connected, convenient and compassionate health experience. At CVS Health®, you’ll be surrounded by passionate colleagues who care deeply, innovate with purpose, hold ourselves accountable and prioritize safety and quality in everything we do. Join us and be part of something bigger – helping to simplify health care one person, one family and one community at a time.
The Strategic Account Director (SAD) is a senior people leader responsible for leading teams of Account Executives (AE) and Strategic Account Executives (SAE) who support large, complex employer Pharmacy Benefit Management (PBM) clients. The role is accountable for revenue growth, client retention, profitability, and long‑term partnership success across a portfolio of strategically important accounts.
As a leader of experienced account professionals, the SAD sets strategic direction, establishes priorities, and drives consistent, high‑quality execution across renewals, expansions, and ongoing client engagement. The SAD serves as a senior escalation point and trusted executive partner for clients and works closely with CVS Health leadership to influence outcomes, align resources, and deliver sustainable value. The role uses data, analytics, and emerging AI‑enabled insights to forecast risk, evaluate financial tradeoffs, guide renewal and expansion strategies, and scale best practices across the portfolio.
Key Responsibilities
People Leadership & Team Performance
- Lead, coach, and develop teams of Account Executives and Strategic Account Executives, setting clear expectations aligned to revenue, retention, and client satisfaction goals
- Establish direction, priorities, and operating expectations for AE and SAE roles, ensuring strong role clarity, accountability, and consistent execution
- Foster a high‑performance culture through ongoing feedback, talent development, and succession planning
Strategic Account Oversight
- Provide executive accountability and senior‑level oversight for large, complex PBM clients, demonstrating sound judgment in balancing client needs, financial outcomes, and enterprise priorities
- Serve as the escalation point for complex client situations and senior‑level engagements, reinforcing strong multi‑level client relationships
Revenue Growth, Renewals & Expansion
- Own aggregate revenue growth, retention, and profitability for the assigned portfolio through effective leadership of renewal and expansion strategies
- Renewal strategy execution is owned by Strategic Account Executives, with the SAD providing strategic guidance, governance, and escalation leadership as account complexity, risk, or enterprise involvement increases
- Guide teams in identifying and advancing solution expansion opportunities using a consultative, value‑based approach
Financial Leadership & Executive Insight
- Provide portfolio‑level visibility into financial performance, including drug trend, pricing strategies, guarantees, and overall account economics using advanced analytics and AI-enabled modeling
- Partner with finance, underwriting, and senior leaders to shape renewal scenarios, evaluate margin and value opportunities, and support executive‑level client discussions
Cross‑Functional & Enterprise Leadership
- Lead and influence cross‑functional partners across account management, clinical, product, operations, underwriting, analytics, and implementation to ensure aligned, data-driven execution
- Engage senior enterprise leaders to align resources, remove barriers, and advance complex client and business objectives
- Demonstrate the ability to lead through influence in a highly matrixed environment, aligning cross‑functional partners and senior stakeholders around shared outcomes
RFP, Renewal & Market Leadership
- Provide leadership oversight for complex RFPs and renewals, ensuring disciplined strategy, high‑quality responses, and effective execution
- Maintain awareness of pharmacy benefit management, managed care, and healthcare market, legislative, and regulatory trends to inform client strategy and positioning
Success Measures
Success in this role is demonstrated by:
- Sustained revenue growth, retention, and profitability across the portfolio
- Strong client satisfaction and senior‑level relationships
- High team engagement, capability development, and performance outcomes
- Effective leadership in a complex, matrixed environment
- Consistent execution of financially sound, client‑aligned solutions
Ideal candidates are enterprise‑minded leaders who combine strong commercial instincts with analytical rigor, executive presence, and the ability to lead experienced teams through complexity, ambiguity, and change.
Location & Travel
- Role may be performed from any U.S. location, with flexibility to work remotely or from a corporate hub
- Ability to travel up to 40%, including overnight and short‑notice travel; travel may increase during peak renewal, RFP, or executive engagement periods
Required Qualifications
- 10+ years of experience in healthcare, account management, or related client‑facing roles
- Prior people leadership experience, including coaching, performance management, and talent development
- Demonstrated success managing large, complex employer or health plan accounts through teams
- Demonstrated executive presence and strategic mat, including leading senior‑level client discussions, presenting complex financial and PBM concepts clearly to non‑technical audiences, and navigating high‑stakes or escalated situations with confidence and credibility
- Strong digital and AI fluency and inclusive leadership aligned with transformation agenda
- Valid driver’s license and reliable, insured personal vehicle
Preferred Qualifications
- Experience leading teams responsible for large employer or health plan accounts
- Experience in a pharmacy benefit manager sales or service executive role
- Demonstrated accountability for revenue, retention, and profitability within a PBM portfolio
- Experience operating in regulated or policy‑influenced healthcare environments
- Strong comfort using data and analytics, including AI-enabled insights, to assess renewal risk, evaluate account economics, inform pricing and guarantee strategies, and improve portfolio performance
Education
- Bachelor’s degree, advanced degree, or equivalent experience
Anticipated Weekly Hours
40Time Type
Full timePay Range
The typical pay range for this role is:
$105,000.00 - $231,132.00This pay range represents the base hourly rate or base annual full-time salary for all positions in the job grade within which this position falls. The actual base salary offer will depend on a variety of factors including experience, education, geography and other relevant factors.
Our people fuel our future. Our teams reflect the customers, patients, members and communities we serve and we are committed to fostering a workplace where every colleague feels valued and that they belong.
Great benefits for great people
We take pride in offering a comprehensive and competitive mix of pay and benefits that reflects our commitment to our colleagues and their families.
Additional details about available benefits are provided during the application process and on Benefits Moments.
Qualified applicants with arrest or conviction records will be considered for employment in accordance with all federal, state and local laws.