Vice president of business development – provider partnerships

About the role: Leads the strategy, execution, and growth of the organization's provider referral network. Builds and manages relationships with referring physicians, psychiatrists, primary care providers, hospitals, health systems, and community clinics to drive a consistent, high-quality pipeline of patient referrals. Develops the go-to-market strategy for provider outreach, oversees a team of business development and liaison staff, and partners closely with clinical, operations, and marketing leadership to ensure referral sources understand the organization's services, outcomes, and referral pathways. Identifies new referral channels and partnership opportunities to expand market share and support access and revenue goals.

Responsibilities:

• Develop and execute the overall provider referral business development strategy, including target segments (PCPs, psychiatrists, therapists, hospitals, health systems, EAPs, community mental health centers), geographic priorities, and growth targets.
• Build and lead a team of business development representatives and provider liaisons responsible for field outreach, referral relationship management, and pipeline reporting.
• Cultivate and maintain a network of referring providers; conduct regular in-person and virtual outreach to build trust, educate on services (e.g., TMS, Spravato/esketamine, and other interventional or specialty treatment lines), and streamline the referral process.
• Design and implement referral workflows and tools (e.g., referral forms, provider portals, EHR-based referral pathways) in partnership with operations and IT/clinical informatics to reduce friction for referring providers.
• Track and analyze referral volume, conversion, and retention metrics by provider, region, and specialty; use data to prioritize outreach and identify underperforming or high-potential relationships.
• Collaborate with marketing to develop provider-facing collateral, case studies, and campaigns that support referral growth.
• Partner with clinical leadership to ensure referral partners receive appropriate follow-up communication (e.g., treatment updates, outcomes) consistent with care coordination best practices and applicable privacy requirements.
• Negotiate and manage formal referral partnerships, co-marketing agreements, and, where applicable, payer-adjacent or health-system collaboration agreements, in coordination with legal and compliance.
• Represent the organization at medical conferences, provider association events, and community health forums to build brand awareness and generate new referral relationships.
• Monitor the competitive landscape and market trends in referral-based patient acquisition to inform strategy.
• Report on referral pipeline performance, team productivity, and market development progress to executive leadership and the board.

Managerial Responsibilities:

• Staffing
• Pay Decisions
• Training & Development
• Performance Evaluation
• Supervision
• Budget Ownership
• Process & Policy Development

Competencies / Skills:

• Business Acumen
• Provider Relationship Management
• Referral Network Development
• Business Development
• Channel Development
• Healthcare Market Analysis
• Competitor Analysis
• Financial Analysis
• Negotiation
• Tactical & Territory Planning
• Organizational Goal Setting
• Sales Strategy
• Team Leadership
• CRM Software
• Familiarity with Referral/EHR Workflows
• Working Knowledge of Healthcare Compliance (HIPAA, Anti-Kickback/Stark considerations for referral arrangements)

Provider Referral Qualifications:

• Minimum of 7 years in sales management, including at least 3 years directly managing a business development, sales, or provider outreach team.
• Demonstrated success building and scaling a physician/provider referral network in a healthcare, behavioral health, or specialty care setting.
• Working knowledge of referral pathways between primary care, psychiatry, and specialty/interventional treatment providers.
• Understanding of relevant compliance boundaries around referral relationships (e.g., anti-kickback and fee-splitting considerations) sufficient to work effectively with legal/compliance counsel — not a substitute for legal review.
• Experience with CRM and referral-tracking systems; comfort using data to manage a territory-based team.
• Existing relationships with regional health systems, psychiatric practices, or primary care networks are a plus.
• Willingness to travel regularly for in-person provider outreach.