As Associate Director, Rewards Strategy, you will help shape and advance the vision, design, and performance of the enterprise Rewards program, ensuring it serves as a key driver of Stars performance, member engagement, retention, and health outcomes.
This role is responsible for advancing the Rewards program to meet evolving regulatory requirements, quality priorities, and business objectives while delivering a differentiated member experience. You will identify opportunities to maximize the impact of incentives, shape program enhancements, and translate enterprise priorities into actionable strategies that improve member behavior and outcomes.
Operating at the intersection of clinical quality, analytics, finance, operations, and product, you will influence senior leaders and drive cross-functional decision-making to help establish and execute a multi-year Rewards agenda. Through data-driven insights, strategic partnerships, and disciplined prioritization, you will position Rewards as a critical lever for improving quality performance, member value, and enterprise growth.
Success in this role requires the ability to balance long-term vision with execution, rapidly synthesize complex information, navigate ambiguity, and align diverse stakeholders around a common direction. The ideal candidate excels at building solid partnerships and translating strategic priorities into measurable business results.
The preferred location for this position is in the Minnetonka, MN office. Candidates who are located within a commutable distance to the Minnetonka, MN and willing to go to the office as needed will have the flexibility to telecommute as you take on some tough challenges.
You'll enjoy 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:- Define and evolve the enterprise Rewards strategy, aligning to Stars performance, member retention, and clinical outcomes, and lead near-term program evolution to respond to new Stars measures and regulatory changes
- Lead key components of the end-to-end program vision, including member experience design, engagement model, and incentive structure, translating that vision into a clear, multi-year roadmap
- Identify market trends, competitive dynamics, and regulatory changes, translating insights into actionable program enhancements and strategic direction
- Lead cross-functional prioritization and investment decisions, balancing member experience, quality outcomes, financial impact, and operational feasibility
- Shape and support the Rewards investment strategy and associated Quality/Stars budget, partnering with Finance and Quality leadership to ensure funding is aligned to program priorities and performance goals
- Establish and lead the program's analytics strategy, partnering with analytics, clinical, and finance teams to define success metrics across Stars performance, engagement, spend, retention, and member experience
- Translate data and insights into clear recommendations, using performance trends, member behavior, and financial results to inform program design, prioritization, and ongoing optimization
- Define measurement frameworks and ensure consistent visibility into program performance, enabling data-driven decision making and continuous improvement
- Drive end-to-end strategy execution, including defining business requirements, shaping solutions, supporting testing and validation, and ensuring successful deployment, communication, and post-launch evaluation
- Lead and support critical plan year (1/1) and mid-year rollouts, ensuring successful delivery of program changes, enhancements, and new capabilities
- Partner with operations, technology, and vendor teams to manage in-year issues, mitigate member impact, and ensure a stable and consistent experience
- Translate complex trade-offs into clear, data-backed recommendations, influencing senior leadership decisions and ensuring alignment to enterprise priorities
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 product strategy, experience strategy, or program management in B2C environments
- 4+ years of development and presentation of executive-facing communications (e.g. presentations, reports, emails, and newsletters)
- 4+ years of experience interacting effectively with executives and building solid relationships across stakeholders
- 4+ years of experience analyzing complex data, translating insights into actionable strategy, and developing clear recommendations
- Experience applying financial analysis, business case development, or business acumen to inform program, product, or investment decisions
- Experience operating in a regulated environment with demonstrated ability to manage risk, governance processes, or regulatory requirements
- Experience working successfully within a cross functional/matrix environment and partnering across departments
Preferred Qualifications:- Incentives, or loyalty program experience
- Health care industry product experience, preferably Medicare and/or Medicaid
- UnitedHealth Group, UnitedHealthcare or Optum experience
- Understanding of and experience with Stars/Quality program
- Demonstrated ability to drive change, influence individuals at all levels of the organization, make recommendations, build consensus, and drive outcomes
- Demonstrated ability to navigate between strategic and tactical, and lead the team and partners toward common goals
- Demonstrated solid project management skills and attention to detail
- Demonstrated ability to be flexible and work with ambiguity, apply problem-solving skills and achieve desired results
*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 $112,700 - $193,200 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.
