Principal Product Manager, Financial Systems

Speridian Technologies is recruiting for a Senior Product Manager for our State of California Client, the Department of Healthcare Services, Behavioral Health. This person will be part of a long-term, fully budgeted, state-of-the-art, extremely vast technical modernization project. 

This is a remote role; however, there will be meetings in the Sacramento area several times a year.  Candidates are expected to work business hours, Monday-Friday, Pacific Time Zone.

Join DHCS’s Behavioral Health Transformation: Where Purpose Meets Innovation
Location: Remote
Department: Department of Healthcare Services (DHCS), Behavioral Health Transformation (BHT)
Commitment: Full-Time Consultant (W2 employee of Speridian or 1099/IC for Speridian) 

Why DHCS?
At DHCS we are leading a transformative journey in Behavioral Health, reshaping systems and services to ensure better outcomes for communities across California. Our Behavioral Health transformation initiative is more than a project—it’s a movement to make California a leader in accessible, high-quality health services. We’re setting the stage for a new era of government services built on agile methodologies, cutting-edge technology, continuous improvement, and a relentless commitment to serving the public good.
At DHCS, we’re looking for innovators who are passionate about purposeful work and excited by the opportunity to drive lasting change through innovative solutions.

Our core values are what make us successful and define the impact we have on the DHCS program and California’s citizens. 

• Partnership:  Respect Other, Practice Empathy, Earn Trust
• Ownership:   Take Accountability, Show Reliability, Act with Integrity
• Grit:  Bring Passion, Exhibit Perseverance, Demonstrate Resilience
• Value:  Drive Outcomes, Maximize Impact, Keep Improving

The California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) is seeking a mission-driven, technically fluent, and outcomes-oriented Principal Product Manager to lead the modernization of financial administration and reporting systems that support Medi-Cal, behavioral health services, and infrastructure grants and bonds. 
This role is critical to integrating and transforming DHCS’s financial platforms to enhance fiscal transparency, accountability, and oversight—ultimately enabling a clearer understanding of the total cost of care for delivering behavioral healthcare services across California. 
This is a high-impact role at the intersection of financial systems, compliance, and public health funding. You will lead efforts to modernize legacy infrastructure, automate critical workflows, and ensure the platform supports both Medi-Cal operations and new financial instruments. If you thrive in complex environments, can drive clarity through ambiguity, and are passionate about building systems that support public good, this role is for you.
You are a systems thinker who sees both the forest and the trees—able to operate strategically while diving deep into technical problem-solving with engineers. You are driven by outcomes, not activity. You thrive in complex, ambiguous environments where clarity must be created—not waited for. You know how to earn trust, create structure, and deliver high-quality results without compromising speed. Above all, you are passionate about building technology that empowers people, improves lives, and drives lasting public impact.
We find intrinsic motivation—beyond compensation, consulting mindset, interest in technology, work-life balance, or typical corporate mindset—to be a critical factor distinguishing successful candidates in this role. Candidates who lack intrinsic motivation rarely thrive here; we push ourselves hard, consistently. We seek leaders who genuinely care, are driven by deeper motivations, and who value the opportunity to deliver meaningful, lasting impact. This role isn't for everyone, and that's okay—but if you're looking for this kind of challenge and meaningful change, it might be the perfect fit for you.

Key Responsibilities 
Product Ownership & Strategy 

• Own the product vision, roadmap, and execution strategy all behavioral healthcare financial operations and reporting.
• Identify opportunities and align platform capabilities with evolving financial, compliance, and reporting needs—including bond management and CheckWrite modernization. 

• Ensure product strategies account for legacy / new initiatives with scalability and resilience. 

Financial Systems Leadership 

• Integrate modernize and seamlessly integrate BH financial operations into broader healthcare financial operations.

• Ensure compliance with federal and state financial regulations, including new CheckWrite format requirements. 

• Partner with finance, compliance, and legal teams to ensure platform outputs meet internal and external audit standards. 

Platform Modernization & Automation 

• Drive the transition from manual, siloed processes to automated, integrated workflows. 

• Address technical debt and performance bottlenecks to improve reporting speed, data accuracy, and system stability. 

• Champion integration with external systems like FI$CAL and SCO to reduce redundancy and improve data flow. 

Cross-Functional Collaboration 

• Lead two agile teams focused on parallel priorities: CheckWrite compliance and bond enablement. 

• Collaborate with engineering, QA, finance, and executive stakeholders to ensure alignment and delivery. 

• Facilitate tradeoff discussions when resource constraints arise, ensuring alignment with FMD’s strategic goals. 

Change Leadership & Executive Presence

• Lead organizational change with confidence and clarity, translating strategic goals into actionable product plans that drive measurable outcomes. 

• Demonstrate strong executive presence by effectively engaging senior leadership, influencing cross-functional decisions, and communicating complex ideas with authority. 

• Inspire trust and alignment across technical, financial, and policy teams—even in high-pressure, high-ambiguity environments. 

• Maintain composure and focus while navigating competing priorities, tight deadlines, and resistance to change. 

Minimum Qualifications 

• 7+ years of product management experience, including: 

• 3+ years managing financial systems or platforms in regulated environments 

• Experience with public sector finance, Medi-Cal, or healthcare delivery infrastructure 

• Proven success modernizing legacy systems and driving automation 

• Strong understanding of financial compliance, audit requirements, and reporting workflows 

• Experience leading cross-functional teams in high-stakes, deadline-driven environments 

• Excellent communication skills with both technical and non-technical audiences 

• Strong ownership mindset and ability to lead through ambiguity 

Preferred Qualifications 

• Experience with bond administration, federal draw processes, or CheckWrite systems 

• Familiarity with FI$CAL, SCO, or other California state financial systems 

• Knowledge of Medi-Cal funding structures and DHCS financial operations 

• Background in data governance, internal controls, or financial audit readiness 

 

Statement for Speridian Technology

Speridian Technology is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. Reasonable accommodations are available for qualified individuals with disabilities during the application process.