Manager Big Room Planning and Support
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Kansas

Are you ready to make a difference? Choose to work for one of the most trusted companies in Kansas.

You Belong At Blue

Why Join Us?

• Make a Positive Impact: Your work will directly contribute to the health and well-being of Kansans.
• Family Comes First: Total rewards package that promotes the idea of family first for all employees. Paid vacation and sick leave with paid maternity and paternity available immediately upon hire
• Professional Growth Opportunities: Advance your career with ongoing training and development programs.
• Dynamic Work Environment: Collaborate with a team of passionate and driven individuals in a work environment that promotes flexibility.
• Trust and Stability: Work for one of the most trusted companies in Kansas with over 80 years of commitment, compassion and community.
• Inclusive Work Environment: We pride ourselves on fostering a workplace where everyone is valued and respected.

Benefits & Perks

• Base compensation is only one component of your competitive Total Rewards package
  • Incentive pay program (EPIP)
  • Health/Vision/Dental insurance
  • 6 weeks paid parental leave for new mothers and fathers
  • Fertility/Adoption assistance
  • 2 weeks paid caregiver leave
  • 401(k) plan matching up to 5%
  • Tuition reimbursement
  • Health & fitness benefits, discounts and resources

Job Summary

The Big Room Planning (BRP) & Support Manager oversees the coordination and facilitation of large-scale collaborative planning sessions (Big Room Planning) to align teams, resources, and priorities effectively, along with facilitation and data collection throughout the 12-week execution cycles. This position ensures seamless execution of planning events by providing comprehensive support, driving stakeholder engagement, and managing logistics to deliver strategic business outcomes. The Big Room Planning & Support Manager reports to the Chief Transformation Officer.

"This position is eligible to work hybrid or onsite in accordance with our Telecommuting Policy. Applicants must reside in Kansas or Missouri or be willing to relocate as a condition of employment."

What you'll do

• Lead, mentor, and develop a team, fostering a culture of collaboration, accountability, and continuous improvement.
• Responsible for performance monitoring, policy enforcement, hiring, disciplinary actions, terminations, compliance, and team development, while ensuring accurate documentation of all related employment actions.
• Lead the planning and execution of Big Room Planning events including logistics, budget, materials and technology.
• Lead and organize Big Room Planning Prep Sessions to drive effective communication and collaboration.
• Develop tools, training, and documentation to enable stakeholders to quickly embrace an agile mindset and actively support Big Room Planning processes.
• Partners closely with PMO, EP&A, and ECM to align enterprise planning, execution, and adoption, ensuring Big Room Planning drives coordinated delivery against organizational priorities with a continuous 12-week planning and execution cycle
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams and relevant stakeholders to ensure alignment, leading to successful outcomes.
• Develop and implement strategies to improve Big Room Planning efficiency and effectiveness, including the identification of potential obstacles, risks and challenges, aiming to address before they become issues.
• Develops and maintains reporting tools with drill-down capabilities to track and communicate progress at both the enterprise and team levels.
• Evaluate Big Room Planning performance and implement recommendations for process improvement or changes.
• Create, maintain, and analyze relevant metrics to measure the success of Big Room Planning.
• Contribute to enterprise capacity initiatives through Big Room Planning data analysis, process improvement, and cross-departmental collaboration within the Transformation team.
• Provide regular updates to executive leadership and stakeholders on Big Room Planning progress and outcomes.

What you need

Education and Experience:

• High school diploma or equivalent required. Bachelor's degree in technology or a business-related field preferred. In lieu of degree, an additional 3 years' progressive, relevant work experience required.
• Minimum of 6 years' experience in enterprise execution processes, including project life cycle (Initiate, Plan, Execute, Close, and Monitor/Control), with at least 5 years' experience focused on agile or scrum methodologies in a leadership capacity, required.
• Experience with similar enterprise collaborative planning preferred (e.g. Scaled Agile Framework - SAFe).
• Minimum of 1 year of experience leading teams preferred.
• Agile Scrum Master or SAFe RTE certification preferred.

Knowledge/Skills/Abilities

• Knowledge of effective leadership principles and team dynamics, including how to build trust and promote accountability while ensuring team members are engaged and working toward shared objectives.
• In-depth knowledge of sprint-based planning processes, including task sizing, velocity tracking, and assessing team capacity.
• Demonstrated understanding of enterprise priorities and effective use of the Big Room Planning Process to provide clarity on benefits, scope, timelines, and interdependencies.
• Strong working knowledge of facilitation techniques for multi-stakeholder collaboration.
• Strong leadership, teamwork, and collaboration skills, working effectively with individuals at all levels of the organization to drive alignment and shared outcomes.
• Adept at balancing planning practices with team-specific needs to ensure effective communication and collaboration across cross-functional teams.
• Inspires and motivates stakeholders to stay aligned with the vision and objectives of Big Room Planning, reinforcing its strategic value in the organization.
• Ability to manage complex planning environments with multiple dependencies and contributors.
• Demonstrated ability to apply problem-solving skills to complex, varied tasks, leveraging a full range of knowledge, creativity and resources to drive resolution and continuous improvement.
• Capable of challenging the status quo by focusing on root causes over symptoms, encouraging open, honest dialogue and cultivating a safe environment where constructive conflict and debate are welcome.
• Experienced in facilitating structured conversations and scenario planning to proactively identify potential challenges or resistance, fostering insight and preparedness through meaningful stakeholder engagement.
• Demonstrates excellent presentation, verbal, and written communication skills, with the ability to engage confidently and professionally with executives, leaders, and subject matter experts from diverse backgrounds.
• Experience utilizing Microsoft applications (e.g., Word, Excel, and Project).

Compensation

$125,600 - $157,000Exempt Grade IT&S 18

• Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas offers excellent competitive compensation with the goal of retaining and growing talented team members. The compensation range for this role is a good faith estimate, it is estimated based on what a successful candidate might be paid. All offers presented to candidates are carefully reviewed to ensure fair, equitable pay by offering competitive wages that align with the individual's skills, education, experience, and training. The range may vary above or below the stated amounts.

Our Commitment to Connection and Belonging

At Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas, we are committed to fostering a culture of connection and belonging, where mutual respect is at the foundation of our workplace. We provide equal employment opportunities to all individuals, regardless of race, color, religion, belief, sex, pregnancy (including childbirth, lactation, and related medical conditions), national origin, age, physical or mental disability, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, genetic information (including characteristics and testing), military or veteran status, family or parental status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.

Our Commitment to Connection and Belonging

At Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas, we are committed to fostering a culture of connection and belonging, where mutual respect is at the foundation of our workplace. We provide equal employment opportunities to all individuals, regardless of race, color, religion, belief, sex, pregnancy (including childbirth, lactation, and related medical conditions), national origin, age, physical or mental disability, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, genetic information (including characteristics and testing), military or veteran status, family or parental status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas conducts pre-employment drug screening, criminal conviction check, employment verifications and education as part of a conditional offer of employment.

---