Health Innovation Product Strategy Manager, Principal

Job Description

Your Role

The role supports Stellarus and related activities within the Ascendiun Family of Companies, as appropriate. The Health Innovation Technology team is the technology innovation, research and development organization responsible for identifying, developing and market testing new capabilities, products, and services for Stellarus / Blue Shield. The Health Innovation Product Strategist, Principal will report to the Director, Health Innovation Product Strategy. In this role, you will drive strategic product and capability ideation and development across the full innovation lifecycle-from concept to pilot. You will be responsible for sensing and responding to user needs and market signals with urgency to identify transformative opportunities; shaping business, product and technology strategies; and guiding cross-functional teams to deliver high-impact solutions.

This role requires deep expertise in digital health, a strong entrepreneurial mindset, and the ability to influence executive stakeholders. You will serve as a thought leader and trusted advisor, helping to build new capabilities and contributing to the development of Stellarus' strategic vision.

To be successful in this role, you will need to partner with leaders across the company to identify and deliver on innovation, research and development initiatives. You will work closely with a cross-functional pod of UX designers, user researchers and Forward Engineers taking innovations from concept to implementation.

Stellarus' leadership model is about developing great leaders at all levels and creating opportunities for our people to grow - personally, professionally, and financially. We are looking for leaders that are energized by creative and critical thinking, building and sustaining high-performing teams, getting results the right way, and fostering continuous learning.

Responsibilities

Your Work

In this role, you will :

• Lead innovation, research and development opportunities in alignment with the product and software development lifecycles including early-stage product ideation, definition, and delivery of proofs of concept, prototypes, and execution of pilots
• Apply design thinking, lean startup, Agile and related methodologies to develop and validate new product and capability concepts
• Collaborate with peers to perform primary and secondary user, market and competitive research to identify innovative opportunities and shape new capabilities, products, and services
• Critically assess opportunities and drive business case development, ROI analyses, and feasibility studies to support recommendations
• Develop close partnerships with peers and mid-to-senior-level executives to collaborate on defining strategy, requirements, and use cases for new capabilities
• Develop close partnerships with Product and Platform teams across the enterprise to define, design, test and deliver new solutions
• Communicate and pitch new product strategies to senior leadership, aligning with Stellarus' mission and long-term goals
• Keep a pulse on emerging and evolving technologies and healthcare market trends and share insights to inform and shape opportunities for new solutions to meet user and customer needs
• Guide cross-functional teams-including designers, engineers, and researchers-to deliver proofs-of-concept, proofs-of-technology and high-fidelity functional prototypes
• Operationalize and continuously improve Innovation Lifecycle and other Processes
• Influence enterprise-wide new product development governance and contribute to strategic planning and product development processes
• Demonstrably use artificial intelligence tools in your day-to-day work
• Foster a culture of innovation across the organization, mentoring others and promoting best practices in innovation, research and development

Qualifications

Your Knowledge and Experience

About the Team

About Stellarus and the Ascendiun Family of Companies

Stellarus, launched in January 2025, is designed to scale innovative healthcare solutions that support customers in creating a health care experience deserving of their family, friends, and neighbors.

Stellarus is part of a family of organizations that is overseen by a nonprofit corporate entity named Ascendiun. The Ascendiun Family of Companies also includes Blue Shield of California and its subsidiary, Blue Shield of California Promise Health Plan and Altais, a clinical services company.

Stellarus' vision is to empower its customers to create a healthcare experience that is worthy of their family, friends, and neighbors. Stellarus' objective is to offer innovative, modern, scalable solutions that challenge the health care status quo. This very closely aligns with Blue Shield of California's vision by using innovation to improve quality, affordability, and experience for members.

To achieve our mission, we foster an environment where all employees can thrive and contribute fully to address the needs of the various communities we serve. We are committed to creating and maintaining a supportive workplace that upholds our values and advances our goals.

Our Values :

At Stellarus, our core values of agility, trust, drive, courage and service shape our approach to developing innovative product offerings.

Our Workplace Model :

At Stellarus and the Ascendiun Family of Companies, we believe in fostering a workplace environment that balances purposeful in-person collaboration with flexibility. As we continue to evolve our workplace model, our focus remains on creating spaces where our people can connect with purpose - whether working in the office or through a hybrid approach - by providing clear expectations while respecting the diverse needs of our workforce.

Two Ways of Working :

o Member-facing and approved out-of-state roles remain remote.

o Employees living more than 50 miles from their assigned offices are expected to work with their managers on a plan for periodic office visits.

o For employees with medical conditions that may impact their ability to work in-office, we are committed to engaging in an interactive process and providing reasonable accommodations to ensure their work environment is conducive to their success and well-being.

Physical Requirements :

Office Environment - roles involving part to full time schedule in Office Environment. Based in our physical offices and work from home office / deskwork - Activity level : Sedentary, frequency most of work day.

Please click here for further physical requirement detail.

Equal Employment Opportunity :

External hires must pass a background check / drug screen. Qualified applicants with arrest records and / or conviction records will be considered for employment in a manner consistent with Federal, State and local laws, including but not limited to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regards to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, protected veteran status or disability status and any other classification protected by Federal, State and local laws.