Senior Director, Payer Innovation and Strategy - Remote

UnitedHealth Group; Eden Prairie (MN); Remote; USD 159,000 - 273,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Comprehensive benefits package

Equity stock purchase program

401k contribution

Job summary

UnitedHealth Group is seeking a Senior Director of Innovation and Strategy - Payer to lead AI-enabled consulting engagements for health plans. You will build executive relationships, shape opportunities, and deliver measurable outcomes across discovery to implementation.

The role emphasizes client leadership, complex pursuit management, and cross-functional delivery across health plan domains. Remote work is possible within the U.S., with in-office requirements in Minneapolis or DC four days a

Qualifications

• 10+ years in management consulting or professional services
• 10+ years of payer-industry expertise across claims, enrollment, utilization, prior authorization, risk, quality, or member services
• 8+ years as an executive engagement leader for complex programs
• 7+ years in client proposals, SOWs, pricing, staffing, and contracts over $1M annually
• 5+ years deploying analytics, ML, generative AI, or automation in healthcare
• 5+ years working with commercial, Medicare, Medicaid, or employer payer organizations
• Proven track record of executive relationships with C-suite and senior health plan leaders
• Willingness to travel up to 40% domestically

Responsibilities

• Build trusted relationships with health plan executives and senior leaders; identify and develop AI opportunities
• Lead discovery sessions, executive interviews, and workshops to define problems and value hypotheses
• Lead opportunities from qualification through close; coordinate proposals, RFPs, pricing and negotiations
• Define engagement outcomes, scope, workplans, staffing, governance, pricing, and risk profiles
• Serve as accountable senior partner; align stakeholders and lead steering committees
• Mobilize cross-functional teams spanning business, clinical, data science, engineering and delivery
• Manage pipeline, bookings, revenue, margin, and delivery risk with corrective actions
• Convert market feedback into repeatable consulting offerings, playbooks, and reference architectures

Skills

Executive leadership

Payer industry expertise

Consulting leadership

AI/ML in healthcare

Proposals & SOWs

Commercial negotiation

Cross-functional leadership

Travel readiness

Education

Master's degree or MBA

Job description

OptumInsightis improving the flow of health data and information to create a more connected system. We remove friction and drive alignment between care providers and payers, andultimately consumers. Our deepexpertisein the industry and innovative technology empower us to help organizations reduce costs while improving risk management,qualityand revenue growth. Ready to help us deliver results that improve lives?Join us to start Caring. Connecting. Growing together.

The Senior Director, Innovation and Strategy - Payer is a senior client partner and consulting engagement leader for Optum AI payer consulting services. This leader builds executive relationships, identifies and shapes high-value AI opportunities, leads complex pursuits, and converts client needs into well-scoped, commercially sound consulting engagements.

From discovery through implementation, the Senior Director mobilizes capabilities across Optum and remains accountable for delivery quality, financial performance, client satisfaction, and measurable member, clinical, operational, and financial outcomes. Success will be measured through pipeline and bookings, engagement revenue and margin, billable utilization, account growth, and client value realization.

You'llenjoy the flexibility to work remotely * from anywhere within the U.S. as you take on some tough challenges. For all hires in the Minneapolis or Washington, D.C. area, you will be required to work in the office a minimum of four days per week.

Primary Responsibilities:

• Client and Account Development: Build trusted relationships with health plan executives and senior leaders; identify, qualify, and develop AI consulting opportunities aligned to business, clinical, operational, technology, and member-experience needs
• Consultative Discovery: Lead discovery sessions, executive interviews, and working workshops to define client problems, assess current-state workflows and capabilities, establish value hypotheses, and determine where AI produces practical and measurable impact
• Sales and Pursuit Leadership: Lead opportunities from qualification through close, coordinating proposals, RFP responses, executive presentations, statements of work, pricing, and commercial negotiations in partnership with sales, account, finance, legal, and delivery teams
• Engagement Shaping and Commercial Design: Define engagement outcomes, scope, workplans, staffing models, governance, deliverables, pricing, and risk profiles to ensure differentiated, executable solutions that achieve client value and financial performance
• Executive Engagement Leadership: Serve as the accountable senior partner and trusted advisor for assigned engagements, align executive stakeholders, lead steering committees, manage expectations, and maintain accountability for outcomes
• End-to-End Delivery Accountability & Resource Orchestration: Mobilize and lead cross-functional teams spanning business, clinical, data science, engineering, change management, compliance, and delivery; ensure delivery quality, timeliness, adoption, and value realization
• Financial and Performance Management: Manage assigned pipeline, bookings, revenue, billable utilization, margin, forecasting, scope control, and delivery risk, taking corrective actions when performance is off plan
• Practice, Offering & Talent Development: Convert market feedback into repeatable consulting offerings, playbooks, accelerators, and reference architectures while coaching multi-disciplinary teams and ensuring responsible AI standards

You'llbe 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 asprovidedevelopment for other roles you may be interested in.

Required Qualifications:

• 10+ years of experience in management consulting, professional services, business development, healthcare transformation, or AI-enabled solution delivery
• 10+ years of payer-industry expertise across operational domains such as claims, enrollment, utilization management, prior authorization, care management, risk adjustment, quality, or member services
• 8+ years of experience serving as an executive engagement leader for complex, multi-workstream programs with direct accountability for client satisfaction, delivery quality, and financial outcomes
• 7+ years of experience developing and leading client proposals and commercial engagements, including creation of statements of work (SOWs), business cases, pricing models, staffing plans, value propositions, and contract terms for engagements exceeding $1M in annual contract value.
• 5+ years of experience deploying advanced analytics, machine learning, generative AI, or automation solutions within healthcare environments
• 5+ years of experience working with commercial, Medicare, Medicaid, employer-sponsored, or related payer organizations
• Demonstrated success originating, shaping, and closing complex consulting, technology, analytics, or AI services engagements with health plan clients
• Proven track record establishing and maintaining executive relationships with C-suite and senior health plan leaders, including leading high-stakes presentations and commercial negotiations
• Ability to travel up to 40% domestically to support client engagements, executive meetings, and business development activities

Preferred Qualifications:

• Master's degree, MBA, MPH, MHA, or related advanced degree
• Experience managing a billable professional services portfolio supporting annual revenue targets of $5M+ or contract values exceeding $1M per engagement
• Experience leading cross-functional, matrixed teams of 20+ professionals spanning business, operations, clinical, data science, engineering, product, finance, legal, compliance, and delivery functions
• Working knowledge of healthcare privacy, security, and regulatory requirements, including HIPAA, healthcare data governance, and model-risk management practices
• Practical knowledge of responsible AI principles, explainability, bias mitigation, and ethical AI deployment in healthcare workflows

*All employees working remotely will be required to adhere to UnitedHealth Group's Telecommuter Policy

Pay is based on several factors including but not limited to local labor markets, education, work experience, certifications, etc. In addition to your salary, we offer benefits such as, a comprehensive benefits package, incentive and recognition programs, equity stock purchase and 401k contribution (all benefits are subject to eligibility requirements). No matter where or when you begin a career with us, you'll find a far-reaching choice of benefits and incentives. The salary for this role will range from $159,300 - $273,200 annually based on full-time employment. We comply with all minimum wage laws as applicable.

Application Deadline: This will be posted for a minimum of 2 business days or until a sufficient candidate pool has been collected. Job posting may come down early due to volume of applicants.

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,locationand 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 marginalizedgroupsand those with lower incomes. We are committed to mitigating our impact on the environment and enabling and deliveringequitablecare that addresses health disparities and improves health outcomes - an enterprise priority reflected in our mission.

UnitedHealth Group is an Equal Employment Opportunity employer under applicable law and qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, national origin, religion, age, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, or protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by local, state, or federal laws, rules, or regulations.

UnitedHealth Group is adrug -free workplace. Candidatesare required topass a drug test before beginning employment. #OptumInsightPJ