Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey empowers our members to achieve their best health. For over 90 years, we have been New Jersey’s health solutions leader driving innovations that improve health care quality, affordability, and member experience. Our members are our neighbors, our friends, and our families. It is this understanding that drives us to better serve and care for the 3.5 million people who place their trust in us. We pride ourselves on our best-in-class employees and strive to maintain an innovative and inclusive environment that allows them to thrive. When our employees bring their best and succeed, the Company succeeds.
About the Role
The Manager, Strategic Initiatives II plays a key role in driving high-impact strategy projects in support of the Horizon BCBSNJ leadership team. In this role, you’ll act as a strategic thought partner to senior leaders, leading consulting-style initiatives that shape business direction and inform critical decisions.You’ll combine structured problem solving, analytics, and executive storytelling to deliver actionable insights while leading cross-functional teams in a fast-paced, highly visible environment.
What You'll Do
- Lead multiple complex strategy projects simultaneously
- Serve as a trusted advisor to VP- and SVP-level stakeholders
- Facilitate executive discussions and guide strategic decision-making
- Define project scope, develop charters, and establish clear deliverables
- Design and execute research and complex analytical frameworks
- Build business cases to support strategic investments and priorities
- Translate data into clear, actionable insights and recommendations
- Ensure solutions align with internal goals and external market dynamics
- Develop structured workplans and drive projects to completion
- Manage cross-functional teams, including matrixed resources
- Oversee 2–3 analysts and/or team members across the organization
- Ensure timely delivery of high-quality, impactful outcomes
- Provide day-to-day guidance, coaching, and direction to team members
- Mentor, evaluate, and support the development of junior staff
- Foster a collaborative, high-performance team environment
- Create polished, client-ready presentations and documents
- Communicate findings and recommendations to senior stakeholders
- Drive alignment and executive buy-in on key initiatives
- Ensure deliverables reflect strong understanding of internal and external context
What You Bring
- Bachelor’s degree in business, health policy, or a related field or relevant experience in lieu of degree
- 3–4 years of experience at a top-tier strategy consulting firm
OR 5+ years of equivalent industry experience - At least 1.5 years in a lead role (e.g., Senior Associate, Engagement Lead), including: leading projects; managing junior team members, and interfacing directly with clients/stakeholders
- Strong understanding of the healthcare industry, especially payors
- Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Office (Excel, PowerPoint, Word)
- Master’s degree (MBA or equivalent) from a top-tier program
- Experience within healthcare strategy, payer organizations, or transformation initiatives
- Demonstrated experience working with senior executives on strategic initiatives
Why Horizon?
At Horizon, you’ll do meaningful work that directly improves lives—while being supported by a mission‑driven organization that values expertise, collaboration, and growth. We believe that when our people thrive, our communities do too. If you are passionate about making an impact, we’d love to hear from you!
Salary Range:
$138,000 - $188,370This compensation range is specific to the job level and takes into account the wide range of factors that are considered in making compensation decisions, including but not limited to: education, experience, licensure, certifications, geographic location, and internal equity. This range has been created in good faith based on information known to Horizon at the time of posting. Compensation decisions are dependent on the circumstances of each case. Horizon also provides a comprehensive compensation and benefits package which includes:
Comprehensive health benefits (Medical/Dental/Vision)
Retirement Plans
Generous PTO
Incentive Plans
Wellness Programs
Paid Volunteer Time Off
Tuition Reimbursement
Disclaimer:
Horizon BCBSNJ employees must live in New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Connecticut or Delaware. This job summary has been designed to indicate the general nature and level of work performed by colleagues within this classification. It is not designed to contain or be interpreted as a comprehensive inventory of all duties, responsibilities, and qualifications required of colleagues assigned to this job.
Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, protected veteran status or status as an individual with a disability and any other protected class as required by federal, state or local law. Horizon will consider reasonable accommodation requests as part of the recruiting and hiring process.
Skills Required
- Bachelor's degree in business, health policy, or related field or relevant experience in lieu of degree
- 3-4 years at a top-tier strategy consulting firm OR 5+ years equivalent industry experience
- At least 1.5 years in a lead role (e.g., Senior Associate, Engagement Lead), including leading projects and managing junior team members
- Strong understanding of the healthcare industry, especially payors
- Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Office (Excel, PowerPoint, Word)
- Experience leading multiple complex strategy projects and serving as a trusted advisor to VP-/SVP-level stakeholders
- Experience managing and overseeing 2-3 analysts or team members
- Master's degree (MBA or equivalent) from a top-tier program
- Experience within healthcare strategy, payer organizations, or transformation initiatives
- Demonstrated experience working with senior executives on strategic initiatives
Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey Compensation & Benefits Highlights
The following summarizes recurring compensation and benefits themes identified from responses generated by popular LLMs to common candidate questions about Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey and has not been reviewed or approved by Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey.
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Leave & Time Off Breadth — PTO is characterized as generous, with ample days off and holidays enhancing the overall package. This breadth of time away supports a favorable view of total rewards.
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Flexible Benefits — Remote and hybrid options are available in multiple functions and are cited as a meaningful perk. Flexibility in where work is performed contributes to overall satisfaction with rewards.
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Retirement Support — The 401(k) match is considered decent to good. Retirement offerings are viewed as a solid component of the total package.
Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey Insights
What We Do
Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey- the state’s largest and oldest health insurer - is a subsidiary of Horizon Mutual Holdings, Inc., a not-for-profit mutual holding company. Together with its affiliates, Horizon provides a wide array of medical, dental, vision and prescription insurance products and services. As New Jersey’ health solutions leader, Horizon is transforming healthcare by working with doctors and hospitals to deliver innovative, patient-centered programs that improve quality and lower costs. It is headquartered in Newark, NJ with offices in Wall and Hopewell, NJ. Horizon serves 3.7 million members including more than 1 million who rely on Medicaid for their health coverage.
