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'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: - 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'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: - 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.
