Assistant Director Strategic Initiative Jobs (NOW HIRING)

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 inclusion, talented peers, comprehensive benefits and career development opportunities. Come make an impact on the communities we serve as you help us advance health optimization on a global scale. Join us to start Caring. Connecting. Growing together.    

The Director, Strategy & Operations is responsible for advancing Risk Revenue as a high-priority strategic initiative across the UHG Risk & Analytics organization. Reporting to the Strategy & Operations Lead, this role serves as a central execution lead and integrator across Risk Revenue workstreams, providing leadership with visibility into priorities, progress, risks, dependencies, decision points, and value realization.

This position enables disciplined execution of the Risk Revenue strategy by establishing consistent program management practices, driving initiative governance, and translating complex cross-functional activity into actionable insights and decision-ready recommendations. The Director acts as a force multiplier for senior leadership, ensuring Risk Revenue priorities are translated into measurable outcomes, clear accountabilities, and sustained business impact. The role aligns particularly to Risk Revenue portfolio reporting, strategic program execution, team priority management, and intake prioritization.

Primary Responsibilities: 

• Enterprise Portfolio Management & Reporting
  • Lead Risk Revenue portfolio reporting, providing comprehensive visibility into key workstreams, investments, milestones, risks, dependencies, outcomes, and value realization
  • Develop and maintain executive dashboards, scorecards, and Risk Revenue reporting that enable data-driven decisions and clear tracking of initiative progress
  • Establish governance processes, reporting standards, and performance metrics to support consistent execution across Risk Revenue workstreams
  • Consolidate and synthesize information from actuarial, analytics, finance, market, operational, UHC, and Optum partners into integrated executive-level views
  • Identify execution risks, resource constraints, and interdependencies while recommending mitigation strategies and tradeoff decisions
  • Support quarterly business reviews, operating reviews, strategic planning cycles, and executive leadership forums
• Risk Revenue Strategic Initiative Leadership
  • Lead high-priority Risk Revenue initiatives from planning through execution, ensuring workstreams remain aligned to enterprise objectives and financial outcomes
  • Develop and maintain integrated program plans, milestones, decision logs, issue management processes, dependency tracking, and executive communications
  • Ensure Risk Revenue initiative remains connected to business outcomes, financial objectives, operational readiness, and measurable value delivery
  • Drive execution discipline, accountability, escalation, and proactive issue resolution across cross-functional Risk Revenue teams
• Governance & Operating Rhythm
  • Support the Risk Revenue leadership operating cadence through preparation of agendas, materials, action tracking, and follow-up
  • Facilitate governance forums and decision-making processes to ensure timely resolution of Risk Revenue execution issues and cross-functional blockers
  • Maintain initiative governance structures, escalation paths, and accountability mechanisms across Risk Revenue workstreams
  • Create transparency into strategic decision points, assumptions, risks, dependencies, and organizational impacts tied to Risk Revenue execution
• Strategic Planning & Prioritization
  • Support annual and multi-year planning processes tied to Risk Revenue priorities, roadmap development, and capability needs
  • Manage Risk Revenue team priority tracking and alignment to enterprise strategic objectives
  • Lead intake and prioritization processes to ensure Risk Revenue work is sequenced against strategic value, leadership priorities, and available capacity
  • Evaluate new initiatives, opportunities, and requests through established prioritization frameworks
  • Assess organizational impacts, dependencies, and resource implications associated with major initiatives
• Executive Insights & Communications
  • Translate complex program, operational, and strategic information into concise executive-level insights
  • Develop presentations, briefing materials, and strategic narratives for leadership teams and town halls
  • Provide recommendations supported by data, trends, and portfolio performance metrics
  • Drive consistency in executive reporting, metrics, and strategic communication practices
• Scope & Impact
  • Enterprise execution support for Risk Revenue as a priority strategic initiative
  • Direct partnership with VP, SVP, and EVP leaders
  • Leadership of multiple concurrent Risk Revenue workstreams with significant business and financial impact
  • Accountability for Risk Revenue reporting, governance effectiveness, execution transparency, and executive decision support
  • Influence across Actuarial, Health Care Economics, Analytics, Finance, UHC, Optum Health, and operational organizations without direct authority

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. 
 

Required Qualifications:

• 6 years of experience in strategy, operations, portfolio management, consulting, program management, or business transformation
• Demonstrated experience managing complex initiative portfolios and executive reporting processes
• Experience building governance frameworks, dashboards, and performance management processes
• Proven ability to drive large-scale cross-functional initiatives in highly matrixed environments
• Solid analytical, financial, and problem-solving capabilities
• Exceptional executive communication and presentation development skills
• Ability to influence senior leaders and drive alignment across diverse stakeholder groups

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience in consulting
• Healthcare, actuarial, analytics, or finance experience
• Experience supporting executive leadership teams or strategy organizations
• Experience with workforce, financial, or strategic planning processes
• Background in portfolio management, PMO leadership, or enterprise transformation
• Familiarity with operating model design, organizational effectiveness, and change management
   

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 $134,600 - $230,800 annually based on full-time employment. We comply with all minimum wage laws as applicable.

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.    

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