The Associate Innovation & Strategy Director will play a critical leadership role on the Optum Financial Consumer Directed Spend Team, leading strategy and product build efforts for innovation products within the S3 Directed Spend payment network. This leader will identify emerging opportunities, shape product vision, and partner across product, design, engineering, and business development to take ideas from inception through functional proof of concept and into scalable market-ready solutions. The ideal candidate brings a solid blend of strategic thinking, technical fluency, and execution discipline, along with hands-on experience using AI-assisted development models such as Codex and Claude to accelerate innovation, experimentation, and delivery.
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: - Lead the strategy, incubation, and product development for innovation offerings supporting the S3 Directed Spend payment network
- Partner across product, design, engineering, operations, and business development to move concepts from idea stage to functional proof of concept and pilot readiness
- Develop innovative approaches to solve complex business, technical, and customer experience challenges
- Anticipate customer needs and proactively develop solutions that improve value, usability, and scalability across consumer-directed spend products
- Perform complex conceptual analyses to evaluate new business opportunities, product concepts, technical feasibility, and market potential
- Serve as a key resource on complex and/or critical issues, helping teams navigate ambiguity and make sound strategic decisions
- Solve complex problems and develop innovative solutions that align customer needs, business goals, and platform capabilities
- Leverage AI-assisted models such as Codex and Claude to accelerate ideation, prototyping, requirements development, and solution exploration
- Forecast and plan resource requirements across initiatives, including talent, timelines, and cross-functional dependencies
- Authorize deviations from standards when appropriate to enable innovation, experimentation, or accelerated learning while maintaining sound governance
- May lead functional or segment teams or projects, ensuring alignment, accountability, and execution against strategic objectives through influence
Leadership Expectations
- Serve as a leader and mentor to team members and cross-functional partners, helping elevate product thinking, execution discipline, and innovation capability
- Review the work of others and provide recommendations for improvement to strengthen quality, clarity, and execution outcomes
- Be sought out as an expert for innovation strategy, emerging product opportunities, and early-stage product development practices
- Influence decision-making across a highly matrixed organization through solid communication, sound judgment, and strategic insight
- Build trust and alignment with senior leaders and key partners by translating complex ideas into practical plans and measurable 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.
Required Qualifications: - 6+ experience leading product development efforts from concept through proof of concept, pilot, or launch
- 6+ years of experience working across product management, design, engineering, and business development functions
- Proven solid analytical, problem-solving, and conceptual thinking capabilities with the ability to make decisions in ambiguous or evolving environments
- Proven excellent communication and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to influence across technical and business teams
- Proven ability to operate independently while also leading cross-functional collaboration across complex initiatives
Preferred Qualifications: - Demonstrated ability to evaluate emerging technologies, create innovation roadmaps, and translate strategic ideas into executable product plans.
- Experience using AI-assisted models such as Codex and Claude in product discovery, prototyping, workflow acceleration, or solution design.
- Experience in fintech, payments, healthcare, consumer benefits, or adjacent regulated industries
- Experience in modern payments ecosystems, including card-based, ACH, real-time payments (RTP), and emerging digital wallet frameworks
- Hands-on product experience with issuer, network, or payment processor platforms, including authorization, settlement, reconciliation, and dispute workflows
- Experience integrating with retailer or merchant systems, including POS integrations, eCommerce platforms, or third-party retailer APIs (e.g., loyalty, offers, or checkout flows)
- Familiarity with merchant onboarding, retailer partnerships, and end-to-end transaction lifecycle across consumer payment journeys
*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 to $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.
