Head of Payor Partnerships

Duet is proving that nurse-practitioner-led care isn't just more accessible, it's better. We help NPs build and scale independent practices in communities too often overlooked by the health system: rural towns, immigrant populations, LGBTQ+ patients, and more. Backed by AI-driven tools that give independent NPs the backing of a much bigger system, our network of 100+ practices covering 400,000 annual visits has driven a 30% increase in preventative visits and a 35% drop in hospitalizations, the clearest sign yet that localized NP-led care means better outcomes.

We're a well-funded, early-stage company led by seasoned entrepreneurs and nurse practitioners, and backed by investors including Lerer Hippeau and Kairos.

Independent primary care is disappearing, swallowed by hospital systems and private equity roll-ups, often pulling out of the communities that need it most. But 31 states now support autonomous NP practice, and the results back up what we've long believed. We built the first value-based care contracts for NPs with major payors, taking on real financial risk for outcomes. In our anchor market in New Hampshire, our network outperformed the state on total cost of care by 19%, proof that a solo NP in an underserved area can outperform a system ten times their size and get rewarded for it.

Role Overview:

Duet is looking for a dynamic, strategic, and execution-oriented Head of Payor Partnerships to lead our health plan and payor relationships. This is a rare opportunity to join a high-growth company and shape the future of our go-to-market and reimbursement strategy. Reporting directly to the CEO, you’ll play a pivotal role in defining how Duet engages with payors and scales value-based partnerships across the country.

You’ll lead everything from market strategy and outreach to contract negotiation and implementation—building partnerships that enable NP-owned practices to thrive. This is a high-impact, highly visible role ideal for someone who knows how to navigate health plans and thrives in an entrepreneurial environment. This role will be hybrid out of NYC and report into Duet’s CEO.

Key Responsibilities:

• Lead identification, negotiation, and implementation of strategic partnerships with commercial and government payors.

• Develop and maintain strong, collaborative relationships with payor stakeholders.

• Build and execute a comprehensive prospecting strategy—including outreach, referrals, events, and networking.

• Deeply understand Duet’s capabilities and align them with the strategic goals of potential partners to identify high-value opportunities.

• Own the contracting pipeline: manage payor scoping, negotiations, contract review, implementation, and go-live.

• Provide feedback loops on Duet’s performance and value-add to internal and external stakeholders.

• Create and maintain market-specific payor models—analyzing revenue, utilization, provider types, product lines, and payment methodologies.

• Prepare and execute negotiation strategies, including term sheet creation and financial modeling.

• Lead review and redlining of contract language through to execution.

• Use CRM (e.g., Salesforce, Hubspot, etc.) to track activity, market insights, and progress across deals.

• Define and track KPIs to measure the impact and performance of partnerships.

• Represent Duet at industry events, conferences, and networking forums.

Qualifications:

• 5–7 years of experience in healthcare, ideally in an external-facing role with a focus on payor relations, business development, or health plan or provider network management.

• Demonstrated experience with value-based care contracting—either direct or in a strong supporting role—is required.

• Proven ability to lead negotiations, draft proposals, and present complex partnership strategies to C-level audiences.

• Strong project management skills and ability to lead cross-functional initiatives to completion.

• Proficiency in data modeling, contract performance analysis, and market intelligence gathering is strongly preferred.

• Highly organized, detail-oriented, and adept at juggling multiple workstreams and deadlines.

• Self-starter with a bias toward action; thrives in a fast-paced, entrepreneurial environment.

• Willingness to travel monthly for conferences and partner meetings.