Director, Transformation and Strategy, Optum AI - Remote

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 Optum AI Transformation and Strategy team is UnitedHealth Group’s enterprise AI transformation team, leading the development of our enterprise AI strategy and modernization agenda. As the Director of Planning and Strategy, you will support and work hand-in-hand with our Chief AI Transformation and Strategy Officer, developing content, working with businesses, and delivering analyses that will advance our mission through AI. This small but highly empowered team will own our AI portfolio focused on high-impact AI initiatives that deliver significant value to our business and those we serve. You will partner with business and technology stakeholders to develop AI/ML strategies for the highest impact opportunities across UnitedHealth Group businesses, including UnitedHealthcare, Optum Financial, Optum Health, Optum Insight, and Optum Rx.

You’ll enjoy the flexibility to work remotely * from anywhere within the U.S. as you take on some tough challenges.

Primary Responsibilities:

• Enterprise strategy
  
  • Partner with internal business and technology stakeholders to define and execute an enterprise-wide AI strategy that aligns with UnitedHealth Group’s business goals, regulatory requirements, and healthcare industry trends
  • Analyze market trends, the competitive landscape, and emerging AI technologies to identify opportunities for improved healthcare quality and outcomes, commercialization, and operations / efficiency 
  • Generate analyses to quantify the business case and expected value for any AI engagement
  • Guide strategic investment decisions and execution strategies for AI initiatives, ensuring alignment with UHG’s business and quality objectives
  • Foster a culture of AI literacy across the organization, enabling business leaders to leverage AI for strategic decision-making
  • Ensure consistency in internal and external communications used to describe AI applications at UHG, establishing UHG as a leader in ethical healthcare AI
• Product strategy
  
  • Partner with UHG’s AI, product, and engineering teams to define the vision, roadmap, and execution strategy for AI-powered products and solutions within UHG.
  • Establish best practices for AI use case identification, model development, and output validation, ensuring compliance with healthcare regulations (HIPAA, CMS, etc.)
  • Develop frameworks for measuring AI value and ROI, ensuring alignment with business KPIs, quality standards, and key timelines
  • Support culture of responsible AI practices, including bias mitigation, transparency, and fairness in AI builds and implementations
• Corporate Development and Partnerships
  
  • Lead AI-related corporate development strategy, identifying and evaluating acquisition and partnership targets that enhance UHG’s ability to operate at the highest standards
  • Structure strategic partnerships and implementations with AI technology providers, startups, research institutions, and industry partners to drive innovation and accelerate AI’s impact within UHG
  • Create integration plans for acquired AI technologies, ensuring seamless alignment with existing platforms and business units
• Implementation and Execution
  
  • Drive stakeholder alignment across business, operations, and technology to ensure AI engagements are set up to deliver measurable outcomes, receive cross-functional support, and minimize business disruption
  • Define and track KPIs of AI implementations to measure success of implementation and delivery of expected value across operational efficiencies, cost reduction, and/or member outcomes

You’ll 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 provide development for other roles you may be interested in. #OptumtechPJ

Required Qualifications:

• 6 years of strategy experience with prior experience working with highly complex initiatives 
• 6 years of leadership experience   
• Demonstrated experience leading initiatives, partnering with senior stakeholders, and driving impact at scale 

Preferred Qualifications:

• MBA
• 5 years of post-graduate degree experience in consulting, investment banking or analogous corporate experience
• 5 years of healthcare industry experience  
• Demonstrated expertise in healthcare, especially the payor or provider space
• Experience managing P&L and/or budget responsibilities
• Experience with AI/ML strategy, product, and/or technical experience
• Working knowledge of UnitedHealthcare, Optum and/or UHG businesses

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

The salary range for this role is $124,500 to $239,400 annually based on full-time employment. Pay is based on several factors including but not limited to local labor markets, education, work experience, certifications, etc. UnitedHealth Group complies with all minimum wage laws as applicable. In addition to your salary, UnitedHealth Group offers 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 UnitedHealth Group, you’ll find a far-reaching choice of benefits and incentives. 

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, 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: UnitedHealth Group is an Equal Employment Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, protected veteran status, disability status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, marital status, genetic information, or any other characteristic protected by law.

UnitedHealth Group is a drug - free workplace. Candidates are required to pass a drug test before beginning employment.

Salary : $124,500 - $239,400