AVP, Vendor Strategy & Cost Management

Thank you for considering a career at Ensemble!

Ensemble is a leading provider of technology-enabled revenue cycle management solutions for health systems, including hospitals and affiliated physician groups. They offer end-to-end revenue cycle solutions as well as a comprehensive suite of point solutions to clients across the country.

Ensemble keeps communities healthy by keeping hospitals healthy. We recognize that healthcare requires a human touch, and we believe that every touch should be meaningful. This is why our people are the most important part of who we are. By empowering them to challenge the status quo, we know they will be the difference!

O.N.E Purpose:

- Customer Obsession:  Consistently provide exceptional experiences for our clients, patients, and colleagues by understanding their needs and exceeding their expectations.
- Embracing New Ideas:  Continuously innovate by embracing emerging technology and fostering a culture of creativity and experimentation.
- Striving for Excellence:  Execute at a high level by demonstrating our “Best in KLAS” Ensemble Difference Principles and consistently delivering outstanding results.

The Opportunity:

By embodying our core purpose of customer obsession, driving innovation, and delivering excellence, you will help ensure that every touchpoint is meaningful and contributes to our mission of redefining the possible in healthcare. The Assistant Vice President (AVP), Vendor Strategy & Cost Management serves as the enterprise leader responsible for optimizing vendor-related financial performance across the organization through advanced spend analytics, utilization management, strategic sourcing, and contract negotiations.

This role functions as the organization's “cost czar,” providing deep analytical oversight of vendor spend, utilization trends, pricing structures, and commercial performance. The AVP partners closely with Finance, Operations, Revenue Cycle, Information Technology, Legal, Risk, and executive leadership to ensure vendor investments are strategically aligned, economically justified, and delivering measurable value.

The AVP leads the organization's most complex sourcing events and negotiations, establishes financial accountability for vendor spend, and challenges business stakeholders to validate utilization, demand, and purchasing decisions. Through fact-based analysis and executive influence, this leader drives cost optimization, margin improvement, and enterprise value realization while maintaining strong business partnerships.

Job Responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

Enterprise Spend Governance

·         Serve as the primary leader responsible for enterprise vendor spend transparency and optimization.

·         Analyze vendor expenditures across all categories to identify savings opportunities, utilization trends, contract leakage, and margin improvement opportunities.

·         Establish enterprise standards for spend reporting, utilization reviews, and sourcing governance.

·         Develop executive-level dashboards and reporting that provide visibility into vendor financial performance and emerging trends.

·         Partner with Finance and FP&A to validate savings opportunities, financial assumptions, and realized value.

Utilization & Demand Management

·         Conduct comprehensive price and quantity analysis across vendor portfolios.

·         Challenge business assumptions and utilization trends to ensure spending decisions are justified and aligned with business priorities.

·         Review consumption patterns, transaction volumes, staffing models, and operational demand drivers to identify optimization opportunities.

·         Facilitate discussions with business stakeholders regarding utilization variances, budget impacts, and spend management strategies.

·         Establish governance processes that promote responsible consumption and cost accountability.

Strategic Sourcing & Contract Negotiations

·         Serve as lead negotiator for the organization's most significant vendor agreements and sourcing initiatives.

·         Develop negotiation strategies that balance financial, operational, service, and risk objectives.

·         Lead complex RFPs, RFIs, supplier evaluations, and vendor selection processes.

·         Partner with Legal, Finance, Risk, and business leaders to structure favorable commercial and contractual outcomes.

·         Ensure negotiated value is measurable, trackable, and realized throughout the contract lifecycle.

Revenue Cycle Vendor Strategy

·         Maintain an understanding of healthcare revenue cycle operations, technology, and vendor landscapes.

·         Evaluate vendor performance, pricing models, and market competitiveness across Revenue Cycle Management services.

·         Identify opportunities to improve vendor performance while reducing operational costs and enhancing financial outcomes.

·         Provide strategic recommendations regarding vendor consolidation, insourcing, outsourcing, automation, and technology investments.

Financial Partnership & Value Realization

·         Maintain a strong partnership with Finance through a formal dotted-line reporting relationship.

·         Participate in budgeting, forecasting, and long-range financial planning activities related to vendor spend.

·         Validate and track realized cost savings, cost avoidance, and margin improvement opportunities.

·         Develop business cases supporting sourcing decisions and investment recommendations.

·         Ensure sourcing initiatives align with organizational financial goals and performance targets.

Leadership & Collaboration

·         Influence cross-functional teams through data, insights, and executive communication.

·         Build strong partnerships across Operations, Finance, Accounting, FP&A, Information Technology, Legal, Compliance, and Executive Leadership.

·         Foster a culture of accountability, analytical rigor, and continuous improvement.

·         Mentor sourcing professionals, analysts, and contract managers in financial analysis and negotiation strategies.

·         Serve as a trusted advisor to organizational leadership on vendor-related financial decisions.

Required Experience:

·         Bachelor's degree in Business, Finance, Accounting, Supply Chain, Healthcare Administration, or related field.

·         10+ years of experience in strategic sourcing, vendor management, finance, consulting, procurement, or healthcare operations.

·         5+ years of leadership experience managing teams, programs, or enterprise initiatives.

·         Demonstrated success leading complex negotiations with national and enterprise suppliers.

·         Advanced analytical and financial modeling capabilities.

·         Experience building executive-level business cases and financial recommendations.

·         Strong understanding of contract management principles and vendor governance.

·         Demonstrated advanced usage of AI, success in translating AI into Business outcomes, and the ability to move teams from experimentation to scale.

Preferred Experience:

·         Healthcare Revenue Cycle Management experience.

·         Experience supporting FP&A, corporate finance, consulting, or value realization functions.

·         CPSM, CIPS, CRCR, Lean, Six Sigma, MBA, or equivalent advanced certification or degree.

·         Experience utilizing Power BI, Tableau, Workday, and advanced analytics platforms.

·         Experience managing large-scale enterprise vendor portfolios.

**This is a remote position; however, candidates must be willing and able to travel to and work onsite at client, temporary, or corporate office locations as business needs dictate.**

** This position pays between $163,600 - $220,400 based on pay area and experience, and is eligible for annual incentives.**

Join an award-winning company

Five-time winner of “Best in KLAS” 2020-2022, 2024-2025

Black Book Research's Top Revenue Cycle Management Outsourcing Solution 2021-2024

22 Healthcare Financial Management Association (HFMA) MAP Awards for High Performance in Revenue Cycle 2019-2024

Leader in Everest Group's RCM Operations PEAK Matrix Assessment 2024

Clarivate Healthcare Business Insights (HBI) Revenue Cycle Awards for strong performance 2020, 2022-2023

Energage Top Workplaces USA 2022-2024

Fortune Media Best Workplaces in Healthcare 2024

Monster Top Workplace for Remote Work 2024

Great Place to Work certified 2023-2024

- Innovation
- Work-Life Flexibility
- Leadership
- Purpose + Values

Bottom line, we believe in empowering people and giving them the tools and resources needed to thrive. A few of those include:

- Associate Benefits –   We offer a comprehensive benefits package designed to support the physical, emotional, and financial health of you and your family, including healthcare, time off, retirement, and well-being programs.
- Our Culture – Ensemble is a place where associates can do their best work and be their best selves. We put people first, last and always. Our culture is rooted in collaboration, growth, and innovation.
- Growth – We invest in your professional development. Each associate will earn a professional certification relevant to their field and can obtain tuition reimbursement.
- Recognition – We offer quarterly and annual incentive programs for all employees who go beyond and keep raising the bar for themselves and the company.

Ensemble is an equal employment opportunity employer. It is our policy not to discriminate against any applicant or employee based on race, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, religion, national origin, age, disability, military or veteran status, genetic information or any other basis protected by applicable federal, state, or local laws.  Ensemble also prohibits harassment of applicants or employees based on any of these protected categories.

Due to business, operational, payroll, and regulatory requirements, this position is limited to individuals who reside and are authorized to work within the United States. Applications generated from outside the United States will not be considered.  Individuals may reapply when located within the United States.

Ensemble provides reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act and applicable state and local law. If you require accommodation in the application process, please contact [email protected] .

This posting addresses state specific requirements to provide pay transparency.  Compensation decisions consider many job-related factors, including but not limited to geographic location; knowledge; skills; relevant experience; education; licensure; internal equity; time in position.  A candidate entry rate of pay does not typically fall at the minimum or maximum of the role’s range.

Employment Disclaimers – Ensemble