Principal Consultant- Provider Affiliation and Optimization
POSITION SUMMARY
Develop and lead multiple consulting engagements for SullivanCotter , overseeing all aspects of project delivery while cultivating strong client relationships and ensuring highly responsive, high-quality service. This role provides the opportunity to specialize in SullivanCotter ’s Provider Affiliation and Optimization (PAO) service line, which focuses on strengthening physician and advanced practice provider (APP) performance, developing and optimizing affiliation models, enhancing provider engagement, and driving both operational and financial efficiencies across health systems.
The PAO service line integrates three core areas of expertise:
1. Affiliation Services – Supporting organizations in assessing, designing, and implementing effective provider affiliation strategies and arrangements.
2. Optimization Services – Assessing and improving the financial and operational performance of medical groups and specialty service lines to maximize efficiency and value.
3. Value-Based Care Services – Aligning value-based performance incentives with organizational objectives to strengthen reimbursement and advance strategic goals.
Through a structured, data-driven approach, consultants in this specialty help clients unlock the full potential of their provider networks, improve system-wide performance, and achieve sustainable long-term results.
PRIMARY ACCOUNTABILITIES
- Provide exceptional leadership and foster a culture of high engagement, accountability, and client service.
- Develop and nurture client relationships and strategies for generating new revenue and expanding the client portfolio in the health care market.
- Strong business development acumen to access new clients on behalf of SullivanCotter .
- Serve as the Client Relationship Manager for large, complex engagements.
- Bring subject matter expertise and experience with physician-hospital affiliation strategy and design, medical group and service line strategy, operations and finance, and compensation consulting methodologies for staff physician and APP projects.
- Participate in and contribute to successful marketing activities to build brand awareness and develop content for targeted markets. Speak at conferences and association meetings, author articles, and white papers.
- Manage the work of team members across client engagements and project teams to ensure effective planning, organizing, and management of strategic engagements.
- Contribute to all aspects of client engagements and are responsible for leading multiple diverse consulting projects.
- Develop and maintain strong client retention and high client satisfaction levels.
- Identify new opportunities to engage with clients, develop leads, write project proposals and statements of work.
- Assess and advise on the design and administration of various physician-hospital affiliation strategies to achieve business goals and effectively manage the workforce.
- Synthesizing complex data and information into actionable results and recommendations.
- Design, structure, and deliver reports, presentations, and other client deliverables.
- Provide leadership, analytical guidance, and creativity for technical work which is critical to the success of our client engagement teams and our practice.
- Manage complex projects within established budgets and monitor the success of the client experience.
- Lead with a spirit of collaboration.
- Influence colleagues at all levels by understanding and adhering to the firm’s standards, procedures, and approaches.
KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES
We find people who generally fit this profile have a high degree of success in this role:
- Have a Bachelor’s degree or Master’s degree in a business-related field or equivalent combination of education and experience.
- Fifteen years or more of physician-hospital affiliation, and medical group/service line performance improvement, operational and consulting experience.
- Passion for serving organi