Deliver these five beats in order — practice until they sound natural, not rehearsed
1Anchor on the Illinois MarketMy entire 24-year managed care career has been rooted in Greater Chicago — four years in provider-side managed care at UI Health, then two full decades at Aetna in Chicago-based network leadership roles. I don't need a ramp-up period to understand Molina's Illinois provider landscape. I already know it.
2The Dual PerspectiveI started on the provider side at UI Health, then spent 20 years on the payer side at Aetna. I've negotiated the contract and lived with the contract. That's rare, and it's exactly what a VP negotiating APMs, VBP, and capitated arrangements with IPAs and hospitals needs.
3The MatchEnterprise-scale network leadership — $53M budget, 400+ colleagues, network expansion to 175+ counties, ancillary contracting and PM teams of 20+. I've done the scope of this role before, just wearing a different badge.
4Why NowI want to be back inside a managed care organization driving network strategy day to day, in the market I know best. Molina's Medicaid mission and Illinois footprint are exactly the right fit for where I want to build next.
5The CloseI'd welcome the chance to hear more about where Illinois Health Plan's network strategy stands today — network adequacy, APM adoption, and where the incoming VP can make the fastest impact.
QNXTContract Config System
$186–363KPosted Base Range
| What the Role Owns | What This Means For You |
|---|
| Network operations & contracting leadership | Executive strategy and leadership for the team responsible for network operations and contracting activities across the Illinois Health Plan. |
| Complex contract negotiation | APMs, value-based payment (VBP) contracts, capitated payments for hospitals, IPAs, and complex behavioral health arrangements — directly maps to your Aetna VBC/APM strategy work. |
| Network adequacy & performance | Supports network strategy with respect to adequacy, financial performance, and operational performance — the same accountability lens as your $53M budget stewardship. |
| Provider data & contract configuration | Oversees provider information management, fee schedule management, and ensures contracts configure correctly in Molina's QNXT system — a direct line to your Provider Data Integrity build. |
| Delegation oversight & JOC leadership | Coordinates with provider associations and Joint Operating Committee (JOC) leadership, and owns delegation oversight for the plan — mirrors your multi-stakeholder relationship management at Aetna. |
| Regulatory compliance | Ensures compliance with contractual and regulatory requirements alongside legal and corporate teams — your NSA compliance leadership is a direct proof point here. |
Illinois is not a market you're learning — it's a market you already own. Four years growing managed care at UI Health in Chicago (1999–2003, including relationships with the State of Illinois and Chicago Public Schools), then two decades at Aetna in Chicago-based network leadership — 24 years total in this exact market. That's a home-field advantage almost no other candidate can claim.
VP, Healthcare Services
Bernadine Stetz
Leads Healthcare Services for Molina Illinois. Likely a close cross-functional partner to the VP Network Management role on care management / network alignment.
Say This"I'd want network strategy tightly aligned with Healthcare Services from day one — network adequacy only matters if it translates into member access to the right care."
AVP, Network & Provider Services
Melissa Dannenberg
Likely a direct report or close peer inside the Network Management org — probably the person who knows where the current network gaps and pain points actually are.
Say This"What are the two or three provider relationships that keep you up at night right now?" — shows you want operational truth, not just strategy talk.
Dir., Network Management Operations
Angela Barbee
Title suggests she may be a direct report into the VP Network Management role, or a key operational lead you'd inherit.
Say ThisAsk how the Director-level team is structured today and where she sees the biggest capability gap — signals you're thinking about her success, not just yours.
Dir., Healthcare Services
Grace Martos
Another Healthcare Services leader — reinforces that Molina IL runs network and care management as tightly linked functions.
Say ThisReference the linkage between network adequacy and care management outcomes — it signals you already understand how Molina IL is organized.
These names come from Molina's published Illinois plan contact list — verify current titles before the interview, org charts shift. Use them to demonstrate you did your homework, not to name-drop.
Q1"Tell me about your experience negotiating alternative payment models and value-based contracts."
Situation
As Senior Director, Network Strategy and Operations at Aetna (2009–2015), national enterprise VBC strategy needed to move beyond fee-for-service toward risk-based arrangements across diverse markets.
Task
Develop and execute enterprise Value-Based Contracting strategy while leading a team of 20+ across regional and national scope.
Action
Built enterprise VBC strategy, managed Medicare Advantage network expansion and CMS network-adequacy compliance across 175+ counties, and led the Texas Medicare network build that won the Texas Retirement System (TRS) bid.
Result
Enterprise VBC strategy established and positioned Aetna for value-based models nationally. Directly transferable to Molina's APM/VBP/capitated hospital and IPA contracting needs.
Lead with the words "APM" and "VBP" explicitly — they appear in the Molina posting almost verbatim. Name any specific models (MSSP, ACO, bundled payments) if you co-developed them.
Q2"How have you built and led a provider data / contract configuration function?"
Situation
As Senior Director, Provider Data Integrity at Aetna (2016–2020), provider data quality was under 60% — creating compliance risk and downstream contract configuration errors.
Task
Build a Provider Data Integrity function from scratch and ensure provider, contract, and fee schedule data flowed correctly downstream.
Action
Established data governance, ownership policies, and quality standards. Built cross-functional accountability with IT, claims, credentialing, network, and compliance teams.
Result
Directory accuracy improved from under 60% to 90%+, then to over 99% by 2023. Directly maps to Molina's need for accurate QNXT configuration and fee schedule management.
Molina's posting specifically calls out ensuring contracts "can be configured in the QNXT system" — this story shows you've solved exactly that upstream data problem before, at scale.
Q3"Describe how you've managed a large, multi-stakeholder provider network."
Situation
Across 20 years at Aetna in the Greater Chicago Area — from Network Manager (2003) through Director, Network Management (2004–2009) — you built and sustained relationships across diverse health systems, physician groups, and ancillary providers in this exact Illinois market.
Task
Negotiate and sustain complex multi-party contracts while maintaining network stability and financial performance.
Action
Cultivated trusted executive-level relationships across health systems, physician groups, and ancillary providers. Progressed from frontline network operations into regional network leadership, then into Senior Director-level enterprise strategy.
Result
Strong network stability sustained across the Illinois market for two decades — relationships that carried across multiple contract cycles. Many of these same systems are still in Molina's Illinois network today.
This is your single strongest differentiator: you're not describing generic network management experience, you're describing this specific market, for two decades. Name Illinois health systems you worked with if you can recall specifics.
Q4"How have you balanced financial stewardship with network adequacy and quality?"
Situation
As Executive Director, Network and Provider Data Services at Aetna (2020–2023), managing a $53M budget and organization of 400 colleagues supporting 1.8M+ providers, while accountable for network performance metrics.
Task
Deliver financial results without sacrificing network quality or member access.
Action
Delivered $3.5M favorable variance to the 2022 budget through disciplined stewardship. Reduced average transaction turnaround from 16.5 to 9.5 days across 18M+ annual transactions.
Result
$3.5M+ favorable variance, >99% directory accuracy (2022), transaction turnaround nearly cut in half, 88% colleague engagement (91% survey response rate) — all simultaneously. Molina will care deeply about this balance given Medicaid margin pressure.
Medicaid managed care runs on thin margins. Showing you can hit financial targets without sacrificing network adequacy is a top concern for any Molina hiring panel.
Q5"Tell me about navigating a complex regulatory or compliance challenge in network operations."
Situation
The No Surprises Act was enacted with aggressive implementation timelines across an organization handling 18M+ annual transactions.
Task
Lead enterprise-wide NSA compliance response, with provider directory data quality as the foundation.
Action
Partnered with regulatory, legal, and operational teams. Leveraged existing >99% directory accuracy as a compliance head start.
Result
Successfully led the organization through NSA implementation with zero material regulatory violations — Medicaid managed care in Illinois carries its own dense state-specific compliance layer on top of NSA.
Molina operates under HFS (Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services) oversight in addition to federal rules. You don't need to know every state rule cold, but you should signal fluency in navigating layered regulatory environments.
Q6"How have you built genuine payer-provider partnerships rather than adversarial dynamics?"
The Advantage
Most candidates bring payer OR provider experience. You bring both, in sequence — four years at UI Health in Chicago (1999–2003), then 20 years at Aetna.
Task
Build partnerships that serve organizational and community health goals from both sides of the table.
Action
At UI Health, grew managed care revenue and built relationships with the State of Illinois, Chicago Public Schools, and regional health systems — as a provider negotiating with plans like Molina.
Result
38% managed care per-day revenue growth over two years at UI Health, plus 8% annual patient volume growth. You've literally sat across the table from Molina and plans like it — as the provider, before you ever worked payer-side.
This is the line: "I've been on the other side of the Molina contract — I know what a good-faith network partner looks like from the provider's chair, and I'll bring that instinct to how I build Molina's Illinois network."
Theme 01
I Already Live In This Market
Four years at UI Health, then 20 years at Aetna — 24 years total, all in the Greater Chicago Area. Illinois provider relationships, State of Illinois dynamics, and Chicago Public Schools are not things I'll learn — they're things I've done.
Theme 02
Payer + Provider, Not Payer Or Provider
I've negotiated the contract from both chairs. That means I build networks that hold up in practice, not just on paper — fewer surprises, faster JOC alignment, less adversarial friction.
Theme 03
I've Already Solved Your Data Problem
Built a Provider Data Integrity function from a compliance liability into a >99% accuracy strategic asset (2016–2023). QNXT configuration accuracy starts with clean upstream data — I've done exactly that build before.
Theme 04
Medicaid Margin Discipline With a Mission Lens
$3.5M favorable to the 2022 budget while improving quality and access metrics simultaneously. In a Medicaid managed care environment where margin is thin and mission matters, that combination — financial discipline without sacrificing network adequacy — is exactly what Molina needs from this seat.
Your Numbers — Decide These Now. Don't Negotiate In the Moment.
$250KComfortable Landing Zone
$225KYour Floor — Do Not Go Below
| Scenario | Your Response |
|---|
| They ask your target | "Based on my enterprise network leadership experience — $53M budget, 400+ colleagues, and direct Illinois market history — I'm targeting $275K base, reflecting the scope and the home-market value I bring on day one." Then stop talking. |
| They push back on budget | "I appreciate you sharing that. What range were you targeting?" Then: "I can work with $250K if we revisit after the first review cycle based on performance." |
| Non-salary items | Sign-on bonus, annual incentive target %, relocation (if applicable — likely minimal given Chicago-area residence), executive benefits, title clarity. |
| Ask This | Why It Works |
|---|
| "Where does Illinois Health Plan stand today on APM adoption relative to Molina's other state plans?" | Shows enterprise awareness — you're thinking about how Illinois compares, not just what's in front of you. |
| "What does success look like for this VP role at 12 months?" | Classic closing question — defines the actual mandate you'd be hired against. |
| "How does the team currently engage with JOC leadership and provider associations — is it consultative or directive?" | Signals you understand the political texture of the role, not just the org chart. |
| "What's the biggest network adequacy gap in the Illinois market right now?" | Positions you as ready to solve problems from week one, not just learn the role. |
The single most important thing you will say in this interview
"I want to be direct — Illinois is the market I know best, on both sides of the table, and I'm ready to bring that to Molina immediately. Is there anything that would prevent you from extending an offer?"
Then stop. Let them answer. This surfaces any remaining objection while you're still in the room to address it.
The Night Before
- Review key numbers: $53M budget, 400 colleagues / 1.8M+ providers, 175+ MA counties, $3.5M favorable to 2022 budget, >99% accuracy, 16.5→9.5 day turnaround
- Review the 4 anchor themes — practice the Illinois home-market opener out loud
- Practice the salary script and the closing question until natural
- Print 3–4 clean resumes
- Lock in your salary numbers — $275K anchor, $225K floor
Within 2 Hours After
- Send individual thank-you emails to each interviewer — reference something specific they said
- Send LinkedIn connection requests with a personal note
- Log any new intel (interviewer names, org structure, open concerns) for your next-round prep
- If verbal offer: "I'm very excited. Can I have 24 hours to review the written offer?" Don't negotiate verbally.
No matches found in this brief.