Senior Account Manager (California)

at Zócalo Health

Remote (Full Time)

Compensation: $130,000-$140,000 (per year)

About Us

Zócalo Health is a tech-enabled, community-oriented primary care organization serving people who have historically been underserved by the one-size-fits-all healthcare system. We partner with health plans, providers, and community organizations to deliver culturally competent primary care, behavioral health, and social care.

Our model is built for populations with high medical and social complexity, where fragmented care drives poor outcomes and unnecessary cost. We combine local, community-based teams with virtual care and modern technology to deliver coordinated, whole-person care where members live and receive support.

Founded in 2021, Zócalo Health is backed by leading healthcare and mission-aligned investors and is scaling rapidly across states and populations. We are building a durable care platform designed to perform in constrained healthcare environments and to lead the shift toward accountable, value-based care.

Role Description

The Senior Account Manager will join Zócalo Health during a period of rapid growth and increasing operational complexity. This role exists to help scale and execute a community-oriented primary care model that delivers measurable outcomes for high-need members and health plan partners.

As part of a fast-growing team, you will be responsible for leading high-complexity California health plan partnerships across Medicaid and related lines of business, including CalAIM services, special programs/pilots, and emerging products such as Medicare/D-SNP. This role is responsible for executive-level relationship ownership, performance leadership across multiple service lines, and driving renewal, expansion, and strategic growth across assigned plans.

This is a senior, externally facing role expected to operate as a primary point of contact for health plan Directors, VPs, and operational leaders, while partnering cross-functionally to ensure Zócalo delivers measurable impact and a best-in-class payer partnership experience.

This position will initially report to the Senior Director of Payer Contracting & Strategy.

The Senior Account Manager will contribute in the following ways:

Executive Health Plan Partnership Ownership

• Serve as the senior relationship owner for a portfolio of complex managed care health plan partners, including multi-county and high-volume Medicaid programs.
• Build and maintain trusted executive relationships across payer leadership in operations, quality, care management, network, finance, and Medicaid lines of business.
• Lead strategic partnership planning, defining quarterly priorities, expansion roadmaps, and long-term relationship health.

Contract Growth, Renewal & Expansion Leadership

• Own renewal readiness and proactively identify expansion opportunities across counties, populations, services, and reimbursement models.
• Partner with internal contracting and strategy teams to support amendments, new product launches, and growth initiatives within existing payer relationships.
• Lead payer value storytelling by clearly articulating performance outcomes, member impact, and operational readiness to drive continued growth.

Performance, Reporting & Operational Accountability

• Maintain deep expertise in plan-specific contract requirements, performance measures, and operational expectations across multiple lines of business.
• Identify performance risks early and lead cross-functional action plans to improve outcomes, service delivery, and partner satisfaction.
• Ensure reporting, metrics, and operational execution align with both payer expectations and Zócalo Health’s strategic goals.

Cross-Functional Leadership & Escalation Management

• Orchestrate complex cross-functional collaboration across Implementation, Operations, Clinical, Revenue Cycle, and Product/Technology teams to deliver on payer commitments.
• Serve as the senior escalation owner for high-stakes payer issues, driving timely resolution with clear accountability and communication.
• Own executive ready communications, including QBRs and strategic account reviews, translating data into actionable insights for prayer and internal leadership

Qualifications

• 7+ years of experience in payer/provider partnerships, strategic account management, healthcare operations, or managed care roles
• Strong experience working with Medicaid managed care plans (Medi-Cal experience strongly preferred)
• Demonstrated success owning complex, senior stakeholder relationships and driving measurable partnership growth
• Proven ability to lead cross-functional teams through ambiguity, escalation management, and operational improvement initiatives
• Strong business acumen with understanding of healthcare economics and value-based care models
• Excellent communication skills, executive presence, and ability to influence across clinical and operational teams
• Highly organized, systems-oriented, and comfortable building structure in a fast-scaling environment

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with California programs such as ECM / Community Supports / CalAIM
• Exposure to D-SNP / Medicare-adjacent models, pilots, or delegated arrangements
• Experience managing high-complexity, multi-county payer partnerships

What you can expect from Zócalo Health

• Equity compensation package
• Comprehensive benefits including medical, dental, and vision
• 401k
• Flexible PTO policy - take the time you need to recharge
• $1,000 home office stipend
• We provide the equipment needed for this role.
• Opportunity for rapid career progression with plenty of room for personal growth.

You must be authorized to work in the United States. Remote Work can be done from anywhere in the U.S.

At Zócalo Health Inc., we see diversity and inclusion as a source of strength in transforming healthcare. We believe building trust and innovation are best achieved through diverse perspectives. To us, acceptance and respect are rooted in an understanding that people do not experience things in the same way, including our healthcare system. Individuals seeking employment at Zócalo Health are considered without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status.

Those seeking employment at Zócalo Health are considered without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status or disability status.