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Senior Data Analyst – Payor Relations

Are you an experienced data professional who enjoys turning complex healthcare data into actionable insights? Heartland Dental is seeking a Senior Data Analyst with expertise in Google Cloud Platform (GCP), advanced analytics, and data science to support insurance fee negotiations and optimize payor strategies across the nation’s largest Dental Service Organization (DSO). In this role, you will transform raw claims and payor data into scalable analytical solutions that drive strategic decision-making and maximize value for supported dentists.

Heartland Dental is the nation's largest dental support organization, providing non-clinical administrative support services to more than 3,000 supported doctors across 39 states and the District of Columbia in 1,900+ dental offices. Each Heartland Dental supported office is unique to the community and the patients they serve. Supported doctors are the clinical leaders of their practice, retain full clinical autonomy, and establish their own care philosophies. All Heartland Dental supported doctors are united by a common goal: delivering the highest quality dental care and patient experiences.

This role reports to the Director Of Payor Relations Analytics and works with Payor Analytics Specialists, Payor Relations Representatives and Leadership, data and IT teams, and other corporate stakeholders.

Below is an overview of the duties and responsibilities you would take on in this role:

Advanced Analytics

• Perform in-depth analysis of insurance performance, including volume and utilization trends, fee schedule comparisons, revenue, pricing, and market share analysis
• Support insurance contract negotiations through data-driven insights and recommendations
• Develop benchmarking frameworks to compare fee schedules across regions, offices, and competitors

GCP Data & Analytics Development

• Build, query, and optimize datasets in Google BigQuery
• Develop scalable data models and transformation logic for payor analytics use cases
• Support ingestion and processing of large healthcare datasets such as claims, 835/ERA files, and fee schedules
• Partner with data engineering teams to enhance data pipelines and data accessibility
• Ensure data integrity, quality, and performance across cloud-based datasets

Data Science & Modeling

• Develop statistical and predictive models to support payor negotiation strategy, revenue optimization, and forecasting
• Apply techniques such as regression analysis, time series forecasting, clustering, and segmentation
• Explore machine learning approaches to identify patterns and opportunities within large, complex datasets

Business Strategy & Enablement

• Translate complex analyses into clear, actionable insights for leadership
• Prepare negotiation materials, financial breakdowns, and executive presentations
• Support internal stakeholders ranging from individual practices to corporate leadership
• Contribute to the development and execution of the Payor Analytics roadmap

Collaboration & Communication

• Work cross-functionally with analytics, IT, and business teams
• Communicate complex technical findings to non-technical audiences
• Partner with stakeholders to identify opportunities for analytics, automation, and process improvements

Minimum Requirements

• Bachelor’s Degree in Data Science, Computer Science, Engineering, Math, Finance, or a related field
• 5+ years of experience in data analytics, data science, or analytics engineering
• Advanced proficiency in SQL and Python
• Experience with data modeling, transformation, and working with large datasets
• Strong foundation in statistical analysis and data science methodologies
• Experience building models for forecasting, segmentation, or optimization
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Strong attention to detail and commitment to data quality

• The position will have access to minimum PHI necessary for performing job-related functions; regular HIPAA training, aligning with the specific role and responsibilities, will be required; and the individual will need to protect PHI and maintain data safeguards.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with Google Cloud Platform, including BigQuery preferred
• Experience with healthcare, dental, or insurance data such as claims, 835/ERA files, and fee schedules
• Familiarity with SAP HANA, SAC, or other enterprise data systems
• Experience with machine learning frameworks or tools
• Proficiency in R or other statistical programming languages
• Experience with Power BI or similar data visualization tools
• Knowledge of data pipeline architecture and cloud-based workflows
• Master’s Degree in Data Science, Statistics, Engineering, or a related field
• Reside in the Indianapolis, St Louis or Effingham IL Area
• Full remote will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

Physical Requirements

• Ability to perform essential duties satisfactorily with or without reasonable accommodation.
• Prolonged periods sitting at a desk and working on a computer.
• Must be able to lift up to 15 pounds at times

We put our people first at Heartland Dental, and that shows in our generous benefits package.

Company retains the sole discretion to change the duties of the position at any time.

We provide all employees and applicants for employment the protections of federal, state, and local laws affording equal opportunity in employment.