Senior Director, Technology Strategy & Innovation

UnitedHealth Group; Dublin; Hybrid; EUR 180,000 - 280,000; Full time

Job summary

Optum Insight Ireland seeks a Senior Director, Technology to lead high-value technology initiatives and innovation, partnering with business and product leaders to deliver measurable value. The role emphasizes AI-first delivery and strategic alignment within Ireland's tech ecosystem.

The successful candidate will drive cross-functional collaboration across Product, Engineering, Data and AI, leveraging a federated delivery model to accelerate impact and value realization in Optum Insight Ireland.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent professional experience.
• Proven significant leadership experience in product development and technology delivery.
• Demonstrated experience applying an AI-first approach to product development and delivery.
• Experience translating strategy and growth opportunities into product roadmaps and measurable outcomes.

Responsibilities

• Identify, shape and prioritise new technology-enabled products and initiatives aligned to strategic priorities.
• Lead delivery of a portfolio of high-value product and innovation initiatives with clear roadmaps and success measures.
• Apply an AI-first mindset to increase product value, speed and scalability.
• Move opportunities through the AI Delivery Lifecycle from discovery to deployment and adoption.
• Collaborate with Product, Engineering, Data, AI and Technology teams to design and deliver solutions.

Skills

Leadership

AI-first mindset

Product leadership

Technology delivery

Stakeholder management

Strategic thinking

Education

Bachelor's degree in Technology, Engineering, or related discipline

Tools

AI Delivery Lifecycle

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.

About the role:

The Senior Director, Technology - Optum Insight Ireland will be a senior technology leadership role focused on partnering with Optum Insight (OI) business, product and technology leaders to identify, shape, develop and deliver additional technology-enabled products, capabilities and innovation initiatives that advance business strategy and deliver measurable value. The role will place particular emphasis on creating new deliverables and accelerating innovation in Ireland, while leveraging the advantages of Ireland's technology and innovation ecosystem, including relevant regional incentives and differentiators.

Based in Dublin or Letterkenny and reporting to the CIO - Ireland, the role will serve as a strategic technology partner for Optum Insight in Ireland, developing a deep understanding of OI's business priorities, challenges and opportunities and connecting these with technology capabilities and expertise across Optum Insight and the broader enterprise.

The successful candidate will work proactively with business and product leaders to develop and deliver high-value technology and innovation initiatives, applying an AI-first mindset from opportunity definition through product development, delivery, adoption and value realisation. Over time, as the individual builds deeper business and product knowledge, the role will also identify opportunities to simplify, automate and improve operations, in partnership with existing pillar leaders and the broader federated delivery model.

A key aspect of the role will be turning business opportunities into tangible product and technology outcomes. The Sr. Director will bring together business leaders and the appropriate Product, Engineering, Data, AI and Technology capabilities to define product opportunities, establish roadmaps, apply the AI Delivery Lifecycle, test and iterate solutions, and accelerate the most valuable initiatives from concept through delivery, adoption and scaled business outcomes.

Operating within a highly matrixed global organisation, the role requires solid business acumen, technology fluency, curiosity and executive-level influencing skills. The individual will be expected to challenge conventional thinking, bring an outside-in technology perspective to business discussions and help leaders understand how technology can enable new and better ways of achieving their strategic objectives.

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.

Primary Responsibilities:

• Partner with Optum Insight business and product leaders to identify, shape and prioritise new technology-enabled products, capabilities and innovation initiatives aligned to strategic priorities, customer needs and growth opportunities
• Lead the development and delivery of a portfolio of high-value product and innovation initiatives, establishing clear outcomes, roadmaps, delivery plans, measures of success and accountability for value realisation
• Apply an AI-first mindset to product development and delivery, proactively assessing how AI can improve the product, experience, economics, speed or scalability of each opportunity rather than treating AI as a downstream enhancement
• Use and champion the AI Delivery Lifecycle to move opportunities from problem definition and discovery through experimentation, engineering, responsible deployment, adoption, measurement and continuous improvement
• Translate business strategies, customer needs and market opportunities into product concepts, business cases, experiments, minimum viable products and scalable delivery roadmaps
• Bring together the appropriate capabilities across Product, Engineering, Data, AI and Technology to design, build and deliver solutions, removing barriers and accelerating progress from concept to implementation and scale
• Leverage Ireland's technology and innovation ecosystem, including applicable incentives, research partnerships and other regional differentiators to increase the capacity, pace and economic value of product development and innovation initiatives
• Develop and maintain a prioritised portfolio of product development and innovation opportunities based on strategic alignment, customer and business value, feasibility, funding leverage and potential impact
• Bring an outside-in perspective by maintaining awareness of emerging technologies, AI developments, healthcare trends and market shifts and translating these into differentiated product and innovation opportunities for Optum Insight
• Build deep Optum Insight business, product and healthcare domain knowledge to strengthen product decisions, identify meaningful innovation opportunities and accelerate effective delivery
• As business and product knowledge matures, partner with existing pillar leaders to identify opportunities for automation and operational improvement, while supporting the federated approach to incremental cost and productivity savings
• Lead and develop technology talent, creating a culture of AI-first thinking, product orientation, curiosity, collaboration, innovation, disciplined delivery and accountability for outcomes
• Influence effectively across a highly matrixed global organisation and partner closely with the CIO - Ireland and broader Ireland technology leadership, representing Optum Insight Ireland priorities in relevant Ireland, regional and global forums and connecting local opportunities with enterprise capabilities

Critical Success Factors:

• Product and delivery-oriented mindset with the ability to understand Optum Insight's strategy, customers, products, healthcare context and business model and translate that understanding into differentiated technology-enabled products and measurable outcomes
• Demonstrated ability to take product and innovation opportunities from strategy and discovery through development, delivery, adoption and value realisation, with solid accountability for execution and outcomes
• AI-first mindset and demonstrated experience applying AI to product development, business capabilities and customer or employee experiences, including practical experience working across the AI Delivery Lifecycle
• Solid healthcare and healthcare technology acumen, with the ability to quickly build fluency in Optum Insight products, customers, data, regulatory considerations and operating context
• Solid product management and technology delivery capabilities, including opportunity framing, roadmap development, experimentation, prioritisation, cross-functional execution and scaling successful solutions
• Solid curiosity and innovation mindset, with the ability to identify possibilities, challenge established approaches and translate emerging technology into practical product and business opportunities
• Solid influencing, executive communication and collaboration capabilities with demonstrated success operating across complex, matrixed and global organisations
• Solid commercial and value orientation, including the ability to prioritise investments, demonstrate measurable value and leverage Ireland-based incentives, grants or funding opportunities where appropriate

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in Technology, Engineering, Business, or a related discipline, or equivalent professional experience
• Proven significant leadership experience in product development and technology delivery, including leading complex technology-enabled products, platforms, or innovation initiatives from concept through scaled implementation within large organizations
• Demonstrated experience applying an AI-first approach to product development and delivery, with practical knowledge of the AI Delivery Lifecycle and the disciplines required to move AI-enabled solutions into production and adoption
• Demonstrated experience partnering directly with senior business and product leaders to translate strategy, customer needs, and growth opportunities into product roadmaps, delivery initiatives, and measurable business outcomes
• Demonstrated solid understanding of modern technology capabilities and their application to product development and business transformation, including AI, data, digital platforms, cloud technologies, automation, and enterprise solutions
• Demonstrated ability to lead multidisciplinary Product, Engineering, Data, AI, and Technology teams through influence and matrixed organizational structures, driving alignment and accountability for delivery outcomes
• Proven experience developing and leading teams, including coaching, capability development, and fostering high-performing, collaborative, and product-oriented cultures
• Demonstrated solid strategic thinking, product judgment, communication, facilitation, stakeholder management, problem-solving, and value realization capabilities

Preferred Qualifications:

• Proven experience developing or delivering healthcare products, platforms, or technology-enabled capabilities within complex, highly regulated environments
• Proven practical experience applying AI and the AI Delivery Lifecycle to product opportunities, including experimentation, responsible deployment, adoption, and measurement of business outcomes
• Proven experience taking product and innovation opportunities from discovery and experimentation through enterprise adoption, scale, and measurable business outcomes
• Proven experience leveraging Ireland-based research and development incentives, academic partnerships, or similar mechanisms to support technology development and innovation
• Demonstrated knowledge of Optum, UnitedHealth Group, or similarly complex global enterprise technology environments and operating models
• Demonstrated qualifications or experience in product management, innovation, strategy, design thinking, or technology leadership

Working Environment:

This role is based in Dublin or Letterkenny, Ireland and will involve close collaboration with local, regional and global teams. The position will operate across multiple stakeholder groups and may require flexibility to engage with partners across different time zones. The role will be central to the delivery of key technology programmes and projects in Ireland and will support the continued growth of technology capability across the region.

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.

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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