Executive Search Case Study: VP, Chief Risk and Compliance Officer for a Not-for-Profit Health Plan

Client Need: VP, Chief Risk and Compliance Officer

The client is an inclusive, dynamic leader in health insurance that consistently aims to be audit ready and compliant. After promoting the outgoing Vice President, the client sought a new Vice President, Chief Risk and Compliance Officer. The client needed a thought leader to manage the corporate integrity and risk management program.

The client requested an enthusiastic compliance and risk professional with experience leading a compliance department in a similarly sized or larger organization where the professional had a broad scope of responsibilities. Additionally, the client stressed the importance of the individual’s intangibles, including leadership skills and the ability to provide reassurance when needed. Because the position oversees a team of senior functional leaders, the ideal candidate needed to trust, empower, and allow the senior leaders to work autonomously. Lastly, the new Chief Risk and Compliance Officer needed to relocate to the state the client serves.

The search criteria included:

• J.D. from an accredited law school.
• At least seven years of experience in corporate compliance, with at least five of those years in a management role responsible for staff and a budget.
• Strong competency in corporate compliance on the payor or health plan side.
• Experience in enterprise risk management.
• Experience in and knowledge of healthcare laws and regulations, privacy, Medicare, and Medicaid.
• A passion for compliance and ethics.
• A strategic thinker with results-oriented implementation skills.

Recruiting Solution

BarkerGilmore conducted a nationwide search for candidates. BarkerGilmore compiled a select group of candidates who served in a broad role that could scale to the client’s needs, had the required functional competencies and soft skills to lead the compliance and risk staff, and were willing to relocate to the state where the client served.

The finalist was a Vice President of Compliance in her previous organization, which was similarly sized and highly matrixed like the client. As VP of Compliance, she oversaw compliance for the organization’s medical group and health plan sides and forged strong relationships with regulators. In addition to leading the compliance function, the finalist served as a thought partner to senior leadership as they made key business decisions and implemented strategic objectives. Her risk experience included chairing the risk and compliance committee at a non-profit and participating in multiple annual and end-to-end risk assessments. Plus, the finalist was in the same region as the client and was willing to relocate for the position.

The finalist’s executive presence and substantive experience were evident upon meeting her. Through her responses to questions and a review of her work history, she clearly modeled all the leadership behaviors the client wanted for this highly sensitive position. The finalist’s promotion within the organization demonstrated she had won the trust and respect of the organization. Crucially, the finalist also exhibited the requisite enthusiasm for compliance and ethics, providing examples of how she sought to resolve challenges with urgency and compassion.

BarkerGilmore noted that the finalist was quite impressive, and uniquely qualified, and the client agreed. The new VP, Chief Risk and Compliance Officer accepted a competitive offer. The client concluded that the new Chief Risk and Compliance Officer is “a very valued addition to the organization.” After accepting the position, the new Chief Risk and Compliance Officer reflected on her time working with BarkerGilmore. She expressed her gratitude and recounted that the search consultant “was a wonderful ally, thought partner, and resource.”