The startups we back grow fast.

Our Talent team is constantly connecting passionate doers with the ambitious, impressive, action-oriented teams in our portfolio. Find your fit in the postings below, or fill out this form to connect with our team.

VP, Carrier Relations

Spark Advisors

Spark Advisors

Remote
Posted on Wednesday, May 29, 2024

About Spark Advisors

We’re Spark, a mission-driven company helping independent Medicare brokers build the insurance business of their dreams. The vast majority of beneficiaries select benefits with the help of an independent broker, but technology and support for brokers is woefully antiquated. We provide workflows and services to help brokers achieve transformative growth.

In just three years, we’ve partnered with over 3,000 brokers and enrolled over 60,000 beneficiaries, making us the fastest-growing Medicare brokerage in the country. Brokers love us: during this period of intense growth, we’ve maintained an NPS of 91, a client retention rate of 93%, and we’ve helped brokers grow on average >100% since partnering with us.

It’s an exciting time to be at Spark. Our diverse, remote-first team comes from leading technology, healthcare, and insurance companies, and has grown from 40 to 60 in the last year. Most recently, we’ve raised a Series B from leading investors who share our ambition.

Join us: we’re always on the lookout for sharp, talented, empathetic teammates.

Summary

Spark is hiring a Vice President of Carrier Relations to own and drive forward our most important carrier partnerships as we continue to scale our modern brokerage platform.

We believe local independent brokers deliver the best service to Medicare beneficiaries but have been woefully underserved in technology and service. In three years, Spark has grown from 0 to over 4,500 broker partners by addressing that gap with our proprietary technology and service platform.

The magic of our business happens when we can serve all of our stakeholders – brokers, clients, and carriers – in alignment. While the majority of our team is focused on serving brokers and clients, nearly all of our revenues and all of the insurance products we offer ultimately come from our carrier partners, making Carrier Relations among the most important functions at Spark.

Reporting to the CEO, you’ll own our key carrier relationships, negotiate existing and new partnerships, and strategize and drive forward new partnership models leveraging our rapidly-growing, platform-enabled field broker network.

What you’ll do

  • Define the Carrier Relations strategy for Spark, setting the vision and roadmap for how we expand existing carrier partnerships and add new carriers to the portfolio
  • Negotiate and secure access to a competitive product portfolio and competitive contract terms. Monitor contract performance to ensure compliance with contractual obligations
  • Drive new partnerships and service models with our carrier partners
  • Build and maintain strong, collaborative relationships with carriers, acting as the primary point of contact for carrier communication and negotiations
  • Define clear objectives and success metrics for our carrier partnerships. Run business reviews with carriers and internal teams and ensure Spark and partners are upholding our commitments
  • Act as subject matter expert on industry trends, market dynamics, and competitive activities to identify growth opportunities, potential risks, and areas for improvement in carrier relations
  • Contribute to the development of the Carrier Relations team (processes, culture, hiring) at Spark, advocating for and hiring and managing a team as we grow

What we’re looking for

  • 5+ years of progressive experience in carrier relationship management, preferably in health insurance distribution
  • Deep understanding of Medicare insurance products and market dynamics
  • Proven track record of successfully cultivating and managing carrier relationships
  • Excellent negotiation, communication, and interpersonal skills
  • Experience collaborating cross-functionally with senior internal stakeholders
  • Strategic thinker with the ability to construct win-win partnerships and forward-thinking ability to set Spark’s carrier relations roadmap
  • Willingness to travel as required

Compensation

The base salary range is posted below with an ability to earn $50,000+ yearly commission.

Our salary ranges are based on paying competitively for our company’s size and industry, and are one part of the total compensation package that also includes equity, benefits, and other opportunities at Spark. In accordance with New York City, Colorado, California, and other applicable laws, Spark is required to provide a reasonable estimate of the compensation range for this role. Individual pay decisions are ultimately based on a number of factors, including qualifications for the role, experience level, skillset, geography, and balancing internal equity. A reasonable estimate of the current salary range is listed below. We expect most candidates to fall in the middle of the range. We also believe that your personal needs and preferences should be taken into consideration, so we allow some choice between equity and cash.

Base Salary
$175,000$200,000 USD

Benefits

We work hard, but we also know you have a family, friends, hobbies, and a life outside the office. We're a remote-first company that values flexibility while hitting ambitious goals.

Paid holidays

Everyone needs a healthy, happy, and productive life. This means you'll need time to rest & recover without restrictive holiday limits. Last of the year is paid time off to spend with family and friend, recharge.

Flexible, remote working

We want you to work when and where you're most productive, whether you’re an early bird or a night owl.

Medical & dental benefits

Enjoy the best medical, dental and optical coverage money can buy. We've got you and your family covered for all eventualities.

Meaningful equity

You’ll be contributing to the team's success, so you deserve to share in it. Everyone in our team gets a meaningful equity allocation.

Top of the line equipment

We’ll set you up with the right tools to do your best work—starting with a MacBook Pro, 4K monitors, & the right software to get the job done.

A team that cares

You’ll be joining a team of smart, capable, helpful people that want you to win, our clients to be wowed, and our business to grow.

Remote work stipend

$100 Monthly Remote Work Stipend (help cover costs of home-office needs)