Director, Research & Development – Commercial Growth Initiatives

Vizient, Inc

Director of Research & Development managing early-stage innovation opportunities for Vizient's healthcare solutions. Collaborating with stakeholders to identify meaningful healthcare needs and product strategies.

Posted 7/29/2026full-timeChicago • Colorado, Illinois • 🇺🇸 United StatesLead💰 $102,400 - $179,000 per yearWebsite

Core Competencies

Role fit

Core Competencies

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Demonstrates expertise in healthcare-focused venture analysis and product strategy, with a strong ability to translate market research and stakeholder insights into actionable recommendations. Proven experience in evaluating early-stage ideas and navigating complex healthcare environments to drive growth opportunities.

Highest-signal resume keywords

Healthcare-Focused Venture AnalysisProduct Strategy in Health TechMarket Research and Customer DiscoveryInvestment RecommendationsStakeholder Engagement

ATS Keywords

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Applicant Tracking System Keywords

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Hard Skills

Market AnalysisValue ModelsCompetitive AssessmentsProblem StatementsDecision MemosInvestment CasesCustomer Discovery SummariesOperational Reality EvaluationEconomic LogicEmerging Markets Evaluation

Soft Skills

Collaborative ApproachPractical JudgmentIntellectual HonestyCustomer-Centered MindsetAbility to Navigate Ambiguity

Certifications & Qualifications

MBA or Equivalent Graduate Business Training

Industry Keywords

Healthcare ConsultingHealth System OperationsHealth TechFintechAdTechHealthcare AnalyticsEarly-Stage Ideas EvaluationGrowth StrategyMarket DynamicsStakeholder Input

About the role

Key responsibilities & impact

Support early-stage growth work by deeply understanding healthcare problems and helping shape solutions that take advantage of Vizient's unique assets, relationships, data, and market position.
Develop product and business theses by connecting customer pain, market dynamics, operational reality, economic value, and Vizient's strategic position.
Bring an external market perspective to early-stage ideas, including how health systems make decisions, what buyers value, where budgets may sit, and how alternatives compete.
Conduct research, interviews, and working sessions with internal stakeholders, health system leaders, operators, subject matter experts, and external market participants.
Build the evidence base for whether an opportunity is meaningful, fundable, differentiated, and credible enough for Vizient R&D to pursue further.
Identify the core assumptions, risks, and open questions that should determine whether an opportunity advances, changes direction, or stops.
Translate research, interviews, market analysis, and internal expertise into concise problem statements, opportunity narratives, and recommendation materials.
Maintain meticulous documentation of evidence, assumptions, stakeholder input, decisions, and open questions so recommendations can be reviewed, challenged, and handed off cleanly.
Work across internal and external partners to keep assessment work grounded, practical, and moving.
Help improve how the team evaluates, communicates, and prioritizes early-stage commercial growth opportunities as the function scales.

Requirements

What you’ll need

Relevant degree preferred.
MBA or equivalent graduate business training is a plus.
7 or more years of experience required.
Experience in healthcare-focused venture analysis or management consulting, or extensive health system operations highly preferred.
Experience in product or growth strategy in health tech, fintech, or AdTech is a plus.
Healthcare fluency from provider operations, healthcare consulting, health tech, payer/provider strategy, or healthcare analytics.
Experience evaluating early-stage ideas, new offerings, emerging markets, customer problems, or investment cases before formal build or delivery.
Ability to distinguish a compelling problem from an interesting idea and define the evidence that makes it a defensible opportunity.
Skill in turning ambiguous ideas into structured questions, research plans, and analysis.
Experience building market maps, value models, customer discovery summaries, problem statements, competitive assessments, decision memos, and investment recommendations.
Comfort moving between market research, customer discovery, economic logic, operational reality, and executive synthesis.
Customer-centered mindset.
Practical judgment, intellectual honesty, and a collaborative approach to navigating ambiguity and differing perspectives.
Initiative to anticipate issues and keep work moving without perfect direction.
Willingness to travel.

Benefits

Comp & perks

comprehensive benefits plan