Senior Director, National Payer Accounts

Position Overview

The Senior Director, National Payer Accounts plays a pivotal role in positioning Adaptive as a trusted partner to payers advancing precision and value-based care. This leader will develop and execute coverage and contracting strategies with national and regional payers—including regional Blues, regional Independents, HTAs, and Laboratory Benefits Managers—to expand patient access to clonoSEQ and future diagnostic tests across the United States. The role also drives initiatives to embed Adaptive’s technologies within payer value-based care pathways nationwide. This is a highly visible position within Adaptive, responsible for identifying, developing and managing strategic relationships with payers and organizations that influence payer decision-making.

The ideal candidate brings a proven record of securing favorable medical policy and driving adoption with U.S. commercial payers for innovative diagnostics, medical devices, or therapies. Success in this role requires a balanced blend of business acumen, payer negotiation expertise, and clinical aptitude—including understanding oncology diseases and treatment pathways and the role of personalized medicine in patient care.

We’re seeking a leader with strong analytical and quantitative skills, exceptional critical thinking, and the ability to translate complex data into clear, compelling narratives for both technical and non-technical audiences. As a leader, you’ll model Adaptive’s Core Values and Leadership Principles—setting and aligning goals, providing thoughtful mentorship and consistent feedback, fostering accountability, and creating an environment of belonging, respect, and open communication that enables the Market Access team to thrive and deliver results.

Leaders at Adaptive demonstrate behaviors consistent with Adaptive’s Core Values and Leadership Principles. Critical functions of your role include helping establish individual team member goals, aligning those individual goals with broader team objectives, and ensuring those objectives drive the achievement of company goals. Providing thoughtful coaching and consistent feedback to your team members will drive performance excellence and accountability, as well as support your team members’ growth and development. Leaders at Adaptive create an environment of belonging, respect, and open and honest communication every day.

Key Responsibilities and Essential Functions

• Set the payer strategy and vision for identified national and regional payer accounts; lead medical policy, coverage, and contracting approaches to expand access to clonoSEQ and future diagnostic tests developed by Adaptive.
• Own the contract lifecycle with identified national and regional payers: negotiate, close, implement, and drive pull through-with clear operational handoffs and KPIs.
• Integrate Adaptive solutions into payer value based care programs and clinical pathways; design pilots with payers and scale proven models across geographies and lines of business.
• Build and deepen multilevel payer relationships (medical policy, contracting, clinical programs, HTAs/LBMs) and with organizations that influence payer decisions.
• Develop account strategies for assigned payer targets; coach and direct the team to maximize coverage, pricing, and utilization outcomes.
• Create contracting plans and forecasts; perform rate/volume/ROI modeling that reflects regulatory requirements and reimbursement risk scenarios.
• Lead cross functional initiatives with Medical Affairs, Value & Access, Reimbursement Operations, Legal & Compliance, Sales and Strategic Accounts, Marketing, Regulatory/Quality, Data Analytics, and Account Operations.
• Serve as executive point of contact for complex negotiations, aligning multiple decision makers and senior leadership to accelerate time to close.
• Provide voice of payer insights to internal teams on policy trends, contract performance, denials drivers, and service levels; initiate corrective actions and content updates.
• Partner with Field Sales/Strategic Accounts to align regional plans, deliver reimbursement training, identify KoL advocates for payer policy support, and enable adoption within assigned integrated healthcare systems.
• Plan and host payer engagements (executive briefings, lab/site visits, advisory sessions); represent Adaptive at industry meetings, trade shows, and scientific forums.
• Monitor industry, regulatory, scientific, and competitive developments and incorporate learnings into strategy, pricing, and external positioning.
• Resolve payer account issues, mobilizing internal experts to remove barriers to coverage, pricing, and adjudication; escalate systemic issues with action plans.
• Cultivate strategic external relationships (payer trade associations, professional societies, disease management organizations, employer/broker channels) to shape policy and pathway adoption.
• Track and report performance (policy wins, contracts executed, covered lives, ASP/denial trends, cycle times) and adjust tactics based on results.
• All other duties as assigned.

Position Requirements (Education, Experience, Other)

Required

• Bachelors in a scientific or business discipline + 17 years of related experience, or
• Masters + 14 years of related experience, or
• PhD + 10 years of related experience
• 15+ years in the healthcare or laboratory industry, with deep expertise in market access, payer strategy, or managed care.
• 5+ years of people management experience, including leading teams and developing talent.
• Proven record of securing coverage policies and executing contracts with national and regional payers, including successful pull‑through.
• Demonstrated experience with innovative molecular diagnostics, specialty oncology therapeutics (medical benefit), and/or medical device markets.
• Established, influential relationships with key payer decision‑makers and industry stakeholders.
• Consistent achievement of or exceeding defined goals; success in complex payer negotiations (e.g., disruptive innovation adoption, reversing contract terminations, improving rates, contracting for previously excluded services).
• Ability to lead and work effectively across Medical Affairs, HEOR, Legal, Reimbursement, and Commercial teams in a fast‑paced, matrixed environment.
• Strong project management, financial analysis, and communication skills; consultative selling expertise and relevant technical training.

Preferred

• Relevant advanced degrees and/or healthcare certifications
• Experience and a proven track record with personalized medicine products or services
• Experience with government payers, ACO contracting, coverage policy, oncology specialty pharmacy, employer group contracting, health system contracting, health economics.

#LI-Remote

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Compensation

Salary Range: $229,500 - $344,300

Other compensation elements include:

• equity grant
• bonus eligible
• Travel Requirement (25%)