EAP Operations Manager

UnitedHealth Group; Dublin; Hybrid; EUR 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid work model

Development opportunities

Job summary

UnitedHealth Group's Optum division seeks an EAP Operations Manager in Ireland for a 2-year fixed-term contract. The role leads a large team of counsellors and wellbeing professionals, ensuring contractual commitments, KPIs, SLAs and client outcomes are met.

You will oversee workforce planning, governance, and continuous improvement while partnering with client stakeholders to drive service growth and retention.

Qualifications

• Degree in Counselling, Psychology, Social Work, Business Management, Healthcare Management, or related discipline.
• Proven significant people leadership experience managing large teams.
• Demonstrated experience leading Team Leads, counsellors, or professional service teams.
• Proven experience managing operational performance against KPIs, SLAs, and contractual requirements.
• Proven experience in workforce planning, staffing models, capacity management, and resource optimization.
• Proven experience managing client relationships within service delivery environments.

Responsibilities

• Lead, coach, develop, and performance manage a large team of counsellors and wellbeing professionals.
• Ensure delivery of all contractual commitments, KPIs, SLAs, and client performance expectations.
• Monitor service delivery metrics and address performance gaps proactively.
• Oversee resource planning, scheduling, and capacity planning activities.
• Drive employee engagement, retention, wellbeing, and professional development across the team.
• Lead governance reviews, operational reviews, and performance reporting activities.
• Create a high-performance culture focused on accountability, quality, employee experience, and client outcomes.

Skills

People leadership

KPIs & SLAs

Workforce planning

Stakeholder management

Data analytics

Change management

Education

Counselling / Psychology / Social Work / Healthcare Mgmt or related

Job description

Optum is a global organization that delivers care, aided by technology to help millions of people live healthier lives. The work you do with our team will directly improve health outcomes by connecting people with the care, pharmacy benefits, data and resources they need to feel their best. Here, you will find a culture guided by diversity and inclusion, talented peers, comprehensive benefits and career development opportunities. Come make an impact on the communities we serve as you help us advance health equity on a global scale. Join us to start Caring. Connecting. Growing together.

The EAP Operations Manager is responsible for leading a team of counsellors and wellbeing professionals delivering services across Optum's onsite EAP portfolio. The role provides operational leadership, performance management, client engagement, workforce planning, and service delivery oversight to ensure all contractual obligations, service level agreements (SLAs), quality standards, and client expectations are consistently achieved.

The role will oversee a large team supporting the Trust and Safety Wellbeing business and will be accountable for team performance, employee engagement, operational effectiveness, governance, and continuous improvement. The manager will act as the primary escalation point for operational issues and will partner with client stakeholders to ensure service excellence while supporting retention and growth of the existing wellbeing portfolio.

Please note: This position is a 2-year fixed-term contract.

Careers with Optum offer flexible work arrangements and individuals who live and work in the Republic of Ireland will have the opportunity to split their monthly work hours between our Dublin or Letterkenny office and telecommuting from a home-based office in a hybrid work model.

What you'll do:

• Lead, coach, develop, and performance manage a large team of counsellors and wellbeing professionals
• Ensure delivery of all contractual commitments, KPIs, SLAs, and client performance expectations
• Monitor service delivery metrics and take proactive action to address performance gaps
• Oversee resource planning, workforce management, scheduling, and capacity planning activities
• Drive employee engagement, retention, wellbeing, and professional development across the team
• Manage performance reviews, development plans, succession planning, and talent management
• Act as the primary operational escalation point for client issues and service delivery concerns
• Build and maintain solid working relationships with client leadership, HR teams, and operational stakeholders
• Lead governance reviews, operational reviews, and performance reporting activities
• Ensure quality standards, compliance requirements, and regulatory obligations are met
• Lead continuous improvement initiatives to enhance service quality, efficiency, and client satisfaction
• Support implementation of new wellbeing programs and service enhancements
• Manage operational risks and ensure corrective action plans are implemented where required
• Partner with senior leadership on strategic planning and service growth opportunities
• Create a high-performance culture focused on accountability, quality, employee experience, and client outcomes

You will be rewarded and recognized for your performance in an environment that will challenge you and give you clear direction on what it takes to succeed in your role, as well as providing development for other roles you may be interested in.

What you will bring:

If you don't meet every single requirement, don't let that hold you back - we're just as excited about potential as we are about qualifications and experience, and you could be exactly who we're looking for.

• Degree in Counselling, Psychology, Social Work, Business Management, Healthcare Management, or a related discipline
• Proven significant people leadership experience managing large teams
• Demonstrated experience leading Team Leads, counsellors, or professional service teams
• Proven solid experience managing operational performance against KPIs, SLAs, and contractual requirements
• Proven experience in workforce planning, staffing models, capacity management, and resource optimization
• Proven experience managing client relationships within service delivery environments
• Demonstrated solid coaching, performance management, employee engagement, and conflict resolution skills
• Proven experience managing geographically dispersed or multi-site teams
• Demonstrated solid analytical skills, including experience utilizing data and performance metrics to drive operational decision-making
• Demonstrated solid stakeholder management and communication skills
• Proven ability to lead within fast-paced and complex operational environments

Other useful skills and experience include:

• Lean Six Sigma, Project Management, Operational Excellence, or related certification or experience
• Proven experience managing Employee Assistance Program (EAP), wellbeing, behavioural health, or employee support services
• Proven experience supporting large enterprise clients
• Proven experience within Trust & Safety or Content Moderation service environments
• Proven experience managing large-scale service operations with complex SLA requirements
• Proven experience participating in executive governance forums and client business reviews
• Proven experience supporting business growth, client retention, and service expansion initiatives
• Demonstrated success building and leading high-performing teams

Please note you must currently be eligible to work and remain indefinitely without any restrictions in the country to which you are making an application. Proof will be required to support your application.

At UnitedHealth Group, our mission is to help people live healthier lives and make the health system work better for everyone. We believe everyone-of every race, gender, sexuality, age, location and income-deserves the opportunity to live their healthiest life. Today, however, there are still far too many barriers to good health which are disproportionately experienced by people of color, historically marginalized groups and those with lower incomes. We are committed to mitigating our impact on the environment and enabling and delivering equitable care that addresses health disparities and improves health outcomes - an enterprise priority reflected in our mission. Diversity creates a healthier atmosphere: Optum is an Equal Employment Opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to gender, civil status, family status, sexual orientation, disability, religion, age, race, and membership of the Traveller community, or any other characteristic protected by law. Optum is a drug-free workplace. © 2026 Optum Services (Ireland) Limited. All rights reserved.

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