[Hiring] Senior Manager, Operations Strategy & Innovation @CVS Health

Role Description

Aetna Mental Well-being is seeking a strategic, results-oriented leader to drive technology-enabled transformation across Operations. The Senior Manager, Operations Innovation will identify high-value opportunities to improve member experience, operational performance, quality, and scalability through technology, automation, AI, and process innovation.

The Manager, Operations Strategy & Innovation serves as a strategic partner to Mental Well-being Operations leadership, identifying opportunities to improve operational performance, member experience, scalability, and efficiency through process transformation, technology, automation, and AI. This role is responsible for both developing strategy and leading execution of high-impact initiatives from concept through implementation, adoption, and value realization.

This role sits at the intersection of Operations, Technology, Strategy, Data, and Product and is responsible for shaping the roadmap, building business cases, leading cross-functional execution, and delivering measurable business outcomes. The ideal candidate combines strong analytical and strategic thinking with hands-on execution and thrives in complex, matrixed environments.

Key Responsibilities

• Strategy & Innovation
  • Identify opportunities to improve operational performance, member experience, scalability, and efficiency through technology, automation, and AI.
  • Evaluate emerging technologies and develop strategies to enhance member engagement and self-service capabilities.
  • Serve as a strategic partner to Mental Well-being Operations leadership by providing structured problem-solving, data-driven insights, and clear, decision-oriented recommendations.
• Business Case Development & Solution Assessment
  • Lead opportunity assessments, feasibility analysis, and solution evaluation.
  • Develop executive-ready business cases, ROI analyses, financial models, and investment recommendations.
  • Partner across Operations, Product, Technology, Finance, Strategy, Clinical, and Analytics teams to validate concepts and prioritize investments.
• Solution Delivery & Execution
  • Lead a portfolio of technology-enabled initiatives from concept through implementation and scale.
  • Translate business needs into requirements, workflows, operating models, and user experiences.
  • Drive launch readiness, testing, adoption, change management, and value realization.
  • Partner with Technology and Product teams to ensure solutions are scalable, usable, and aligned with business needs.
  • Develop and manage execution plans, milestones, dependencies, risks, and success metrics.
  • Provide concise, transparent communication to stakeholders and leadership regarding progress, risks, and outcomes.
• Performance Measurement & Continuous Improvement
  • Define KPIs and performance frameworks to measure adoption, operational impact, financial outcomes, and member experience.
  • Analyze business, workforce, operational, and member data to identify trends, opportunities, and improvement actions.
  • Establish reporting and governance processes to monitor performance and optimize results over time.

Qualifications

• 7+ years of experience in healthcare strategy, operations strategy, business transformation, innovation, management consulting, product management, analytics, technology, or a related field.
• Demonstrated success identifying business opportunities, developing strategic recommendations, and leading implementation efforts that improve operational performance, member experience, scalability, and financial outcomes.
• Proven experience leading complex, cross-functional initiatives from strategy development through execution and value realization in highly matrixed environments.
• Strong strategic thinking and structured problem-solving skills, with the ability to evaluate opportunities, assess tradeoffs, prioritize investments, and develop actionable recommendations.
• Experience developing business cases, ROI analyses, financial models, investment recommendations, and executive-level presentations to support decision-making and prioritization.
• Demonstrated ability to translate strategic objectives into execution plans, operating models, business requirements, roadmaps, and measurable outcomes.
• Strong analytical capabilities with experience leveraging quantitative and qualitative data to identify opportunities, support strategic decisions, monitor performance, and drive continuous improvement.
• Experience leading technology-enabled transformation initiatives, including process improvement, automation, AI, digital solutions, workflow optimization, or operational change programs.
• Exceptional stakeholder management and influencing skills, with the ability to build alignment and drive action across Operations, Product, Technology, Clinical, Analytics, Finance, and Executive Leadership teams.
• Excellent executive communication and presentation skills, including the ability to synthesize complex information into clear recommendations, implementation plans, and business outcomes.
• Strong program and portfolio management capabilities, including prioritization, dependency management, risk mitigation, change management, implementation oversight, and value realization.
• Proven ability to navigate ambiguity, establish direction, gain stakeholder buy-in, and drive initiatives through successful implementation.
• Strong ownership, accountability, attention to detail, and results orientation, with the ability to balance long-term strategic goals and near-term operational execution.
• Strong analytical and quantitative skills, including advanced Excel proficiency, experience with SQL, Tableau, Power BI, Looker, or similar tools.
• Demonstrated experience moving initiatives from opportunity identification and business case development through implementation, adoption, and measurable operational impact.
• Bachelor's degree required.

Preferred Qualifications

• Hiring preference given to those who live in EST or CST.
• Knowledge of health plan operations and healthcare technology environments.
• Experience with behavioral health, Employee Assistance Programs (EAP), or related healthcare services.
• Experience implementing AI, automation, digital engagement, or self-service capabilities (e.g., conversational AI, chat, SMS, or in-app messaging).
• Advanced degree or equivalent experience to be considered.

Travel

• Up to 10–15%.

Pay Range

The typical pay range for this role is: $67,900.00 - $199,144.00. This 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. This position is eligible for a CVS Health bonus, commission or short-term incentive program in addition to the base pay range listed above. This position also includes an award target in the company’s equity award program.

Benefits

• Comprehensive benefits package designed to support the physical, emotional, and financial well-being of colleagues and their families.
• Medical, dental, and vision coverage.
• Paid time off.
• Retirement savings options.
• Wellness programs and other resources, based on eligibility.

Application Information

We anticipate the application window for this opening will close on: 09/21/2026. Qualified applicants with arrest or conviction records will be considered for employment in accordance with all federal, state and local laws.