The Sr. Manager, Authorization Management (ICM) leads strategic initiatives primarily focused on expanding athenahealth's Authorization Management service product, unlocking new opportunities and enhancing customer value across emerging markets. With a deep understanding of the healthcare space and strong commitment to customer obsession, this role drives value-based ROI and facilitates growth into new areas. Through close collaboration with Product teams, the Sr. Manager develops and executes roadmaps, implements new and innovative workflows, and ensures adaptability to shifting priorities, while also overseeing projects, mentoring teams, and serving as an externally facing expert to optimize service delivery and boost customer NPS.

About the Team:

The Authorization Management team at athenahealth is dedicated to simplifying healthcare processes by focusing on reducing the burden of obtaining prior authorizations for care. The primary mission is to unburden practices from cumbersome workflows, enabling timely patient care through reliable and efficient services. By delivering on promises to minimize client work, ensuring quick resolution of authorization requests, and leveraging scale, network knowledge, and technology for accurate determinations, the team plays a crucial role in enhancing operational efficiency and supporting providers in delivering essential care.

The team is responsible for optimizing time-consuming authorization tasks, fostering faster care delivery, and driving accurate outcomes that align with athenahealth's broader goal of curing complexity in healthcare. This involves collaborating across the organization to implement scalable solutions that improve customer satisfaction and contribute to business growth.

Essential Job Responsibilities

Strategic Oversight and Project Management (60%):
- Lead and manage a portfolio of projects to reduce customer work and improve operational efficacy, incorporating market forces, customer requirements, and user needs across teams and geographies.
- Drive communications with stakeholders, including senior leadership, to ensure alignment and deliver superior service by integrating client feedback and identifying automation or process improvements.
- Translate complex issues and data into clear user stories, metrics, and recommendations, while managing project timelines, deliverables, and conflict resolution to meet deadlines.
Product Partnership and Consultative Guidance (25%):
- Leverage performance metrics, client feedback, and data insights to influence the product roadmap and assist in prioritization with Product Management/R&D teams.
- Act as an externally facing expert, assisting with customer escalations, analyzing data for opportunities, and providing coaching on best practices to maximize client performance.
- Support business development, strategic planning, and high-touch client interactions, ensuring solutions align with organizational objectives and foster a customer success mindset.
Talent Development and Mentoring (15%):
- As an individual contributor, focus on mentoring and coaching colleagues across the organization to support professional growth and development.
- Participate in hiring processes, onboarding, and training initiatives to ensure effective team building and knowledge transfer.
- Foster a culture of continuous improvement by providing feedback, guidance, and development opportunities, while contributing to resource planning and long-term project prioritization.
- Promote a collaborative environment that encourages learning and innovation without direct supervisory responsibilities.

Expected Education, Experience, & Skills Required:

BA or BS degree preferred.
10+ years of experience working with stakeholders in a business environment, including cross-functional teams and healthcare/health IT settings.
Strong project management skills, with experience leading complex initiatives and driving results independently.
Proficiency in data management tools, quantitative analysis, and metrics development for operational and analytical purposes.
Demonstrated ability to manage and influence teams, solve problems, and meet deadlines in a fast-paced environment.
Excellent oral and written communication skills, with expertise in negotiation, conflict resolution, and stakeholder engagement.

Behaviors & Abilities Required:

Passion for improving healthcare and empathy for users, with the ability to align execution to organizational vision through prioritization and multitasking.
Self-starter who thrives in ambiguity, adapts quickly, and takes pride in detailed, high-quality work.
Strong influencing skills, both internally and externally, with a proactive approach to problem-solving and providing feedback.
Ability to manage multiple projects transparently, articulate findings clearly, and build positive team morale while maintaining composure in challenging situations.
Commitment to continuous learning, innovation, and fostering a collaborative culture that supports growth and scalability.

Expected Compensation

$123,000 - $209,000

The base salary range shown reflects the full range for this role from minimum to maximum. At athenahealth, base pay depends on multiple factors, including job-related experience, relevant knowledge and skills, how your qualifications compare to others in similar roles, and geographical market rates. Base pay is only one part of our competitive Total Rewards package - depending on role eligibility, we offer both short and long-term incentives by way of an annual discretionary bonus plan, variable compensation plan, and equity plans.

About athenahealth

Our vision: In an industry that becomes more complex by the day, we stand for simplicity. We offer IT solutions and expert services that eliminate the daily hurdles preventing healthcare providers from focusing entirely on their patients — powered by our vision to create a thriving ecosystem that delivers accessible, high-quality, and sustainable healthcare for all.

Our company culture: Our talented employees — or athenistas, as we call ourselves — spark the innovation and passion needed to accomplish our vision. We are a diverse group of dreamers and do-ers with unique knowledge, expertise, backgrounds, and perspectives. We unite as mission-driven problem-solvers with a deep desire to achieve our vision and make our time here count. Our award-winning culture is built around shared values of inclusiveness, accountability, and support.

Our DEI commitment: Our vision of accessible, high-quality, and sustainable healthcare for all requires addressing the inequities that stand in the way. That's one reason we prioritize diversity, equity, and inclusion in every aspect of our business, from attracting and sustaining a diverse workforce to maintaining an inclusive environment for athenistas, our partners, customers and the communities where we work and serve.

What we can do for you:

Along with health and financial benefits, athenistas enjoy perks specific to each location, including commuter support, employee assistance programs, tuition assistance, employee resource groups, and collaborative workspaces — some offices even welcome dogs.

We also encourage a better work-life balance for athenistas with our flexibility. While we know in-office collaboration is critical to our vision, we recognize that not all work needs to be done within an office environment, full-time. With consistent communication and digital collaboration tools, athenahealth enables employees to find a balance that feels fulfilling and productive for each individual situation.

In addition to our traditional benefits and perks, we sponsor events throughout the year, including book clubs, external speakers, and hackathons. We provide athenistas with a company culture based on learning, the support of an engaged team, and an inclusive environment where all employees are valued.