Strategic Account Operations Manager – Medical Prior Authorization

McKesson is an impact-driven, Fortune 10 company that touches virtually every aspect of healthcare. We are known for delivering insights, products, and services that make quality care more accessible and affordable. Here, we focus on the health, happiness, and well-being of you and those we serve – we care.What you do at McKesson matters. We foster a culture where you can grow, make an impact, and are empowered to bring new ideas. Together, we thrive as we shape the future of health for patients, our communities, and our people. If you want to be part of tomorrow’s health today, we want to hear from you.Role OverviewReporting to the Director, Account Operations, the Strategic Account Operations Manager (Medical Prior Authorization) is responsible for overseeing complex customer relationships, programs, and initiatives focused on medical benefit prior authorization and front-end access services.We are seeking an experienced account operations leader with deep medical PA expertise and strong client-facing operational experience to support strategic programs critical to CoverMyMeds’ evolving access strategy. This role will help build and mature CMM’s medical PA capabilities while ensuring high-quality, scalable execution for assigned customers.This position owns a portfolio of highly complex, strategic programs and serves as a trusted operational advisor to customers, internal stakeholders, and cross-functional partners. The ideal candidate is comfortable operating in ambiguity, understands payer–provider–vendor dynamics, and can translate medical PA complexity into repeatable, operationally sound solutions.Key ResponsibilitiesServes as the primary point of contact for day-to-day oversight and management of multiple, complex, and strategic medical prior authorization and front end access programs, ensuring strong customer engagement, satisfaction, and retentionOwns operational delivery of medical PA and front end access–related contract deliverables, ensuring adherence to contractual terms, service-level expectations, and regulatory requirementsActs as the initial escalation point for complex program issues, independently researching, resolving, and communicating corrective actions; escalates appropriately and partners with internal teams as neededDevelops, documents, and maintains program plans for medical PA and access services, tracking progress against goals, identifying operational risks, and implementing mitigation strategiesLeverages medical benefit, payer policy, and prior authorization workflow knowledge to proactively identify trends, risks, and improvement opportunities across assigned programsProactively utilizes data and reporting (payer metrics, authorization outcomes, turnaround times, denial trends, volume forecasts) to inform recommendations and operational decisionsDrives a culture of continuous improvement and operational excellence, leading process optimization efforts related to medical PA workflows, front-end services, and scaled support modelsServes as a subject-matter resource for medical PA within the Account Operations organization, advising peers and mentoring less-experienced team membersPartners cross-functionally with Product, Network Services, Implementation, Support, Legal, Compliance, and Sales to ensure alignment between customer needs, product capabilities, and operational deliveryParticipates in and/or leads strategic initiatives tied to the evolution of CMM’s medical PA, access, and front-end service offeringsRepresents Account Operations in customer-facing discussions, including operational reviews, issue resolution meetings, and planning sessionsTravel to client sites and industry events as needed (approximately 10–15%)About YouYou are a seasoned account operations professional with hands-on medical prior authorization experience who thrives in complex, fast-paced environments. You are comfortable balancing operational rigor with relationship management and are energized by helping teams and customers navigate change. You bring a strong mix of analytical thinking, strategic problem-solving, and collaborative leadership.You are trusted by customers and internal partners alike as someone who understands how medical PA really works—and how to make it better.Basic QualificationsBachelor’s degree or equivalent experience7+ years of experience in account management, operations, or program leadership roles within healthcareDirect experience supporting medical prior authorization workflows, ideally within medical benefit (not pharmacy-only) programsStrong understanding of payer policies, provider workflows, and prior authorization lifecycle conceptsDemonstrated success managing complex, multi-stakeholder programs and customer relationshipsProven ability to lead through ambiguity, particularly during product evolution or operational changeExcellent communication skills, with the ability to communicate effectively with operational, technical, clinical, and executive stakeholdersCritical Skills & ExperienceExpertise in medical PA operations, including pre-authorizations, determinations, appeals, and payer-provider workflowsStrong operational and account leadership skills, including SLA oversight, risk mitigation, and service optimizationAbility to analyze and interpret operational data to drive insights and recommendationsSkilled in problem-solving complex customer and operational issues under pressureTrack record of building trust and credibility across internal teams and external partnersStrong project and process management capabilities in cross-functional environmentsExperience working with healthcare technology platforms, EHR-integrated workflows, or access solutions strongly preferredPACS certification preferredWorking knowledge of Salesforce (SFDC) or similar CRM tools preferredWe are proud to offer a competitive compensation package at McKesson as part of our Total Rewards. This is determined by several factors, including performance, experience and skill