Director, Operational Excellence - UHC Data… at Optum · Minnetonka

At UnitedHealthcare, we’re simplifying the health care experience, creating healthier communities and removing barriers to quality care. The work you do here impacts the lives of millions of people for the better. Come build the health care system of tomorrow, making it more responsive, affordable and optimized. Ready to make a difference? Join us in making healthcare work better for everyone through people-led, responsible AI while Caring. Connecting. Growing together.

At UnitedHealthcare, we’re simplifying the health care experience, creating healthier communities, and removing barriers to quality care. The newly formed UHC Data & Analytics Office is building a capability-driven organization to power this ambition - and we’re looking for a Director of Operational Excellence to drive the financial discipline, workforce planning, vendor governance, and process rigor that will make that transformation real.

The Director of Operational Excellence will work in close partnership with the UHC Data & Analytics Office leadership team. This role will be part of shaping the operational backbone of the office: financial planning and forecasting, budget and workforce management, vendor and contract governance, and the insights and reporting that give leadership real-time visibility into how the organization is performing against its goals. The role partners closely with Finance, HR, IT, and business stakeholders to translate the office’s strategy and operating principles - business engagement, enabling capabilities, and transformation & culture - into consistent, well-governed operational execution, and uses AI-enabled analysis and data flow expertise to continuously improve how the office plans, reports, and makes decisions.

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 financial planning and analysis for the UHC Data & Analytics Office, including annual budgeting, quarterly forecasting cycles and tracking of budget shifts and internal transfers across organizational realignments and project funding
• Own portfolio and workforce operations - reconciling hiring demand against budget, tracking FTE and contractor capacity, and giving leadership clear visibility into staffing, utilization, and capitalizable labor across the office
• Build and maintain executive-ready financial scorecards that integrate data across financial, HR, and project systems to improve transparency, accelerate decision-making, and surface risks to plan
• Establish and run a vendor governance cadence and performance/compliance tracking, to ensure vendor spend is aligned to value delivered
• Influence operating model and process transformation across the UHC Data & Analytics Office - standardizing governance, tooling, and ways of working as the office moves toward a capability-driven structure
• Build solid, trust-based partnerships across D&A leadership, Finance, IT, HR, and business stakeholders to deliver concise, data-backed recommendations and executive summaries
• Identify cost savings and process efficiencies through rigorous financial analysis, vendor negotiation, and data flow/systems reconciliation
• Establish and lead a small, dedicated operational excellence team, and serve as a connective layer between the Data & Analytics Office and enterprise finance, HR, and procurement functions

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:

• Bachelor’s degree in Economics, Business, Finance, or a related field
• 10 years of progressive experience in financial planning & analysis, portfolio operations, or operational leadership, ideally supporting a large data, analytics, or technology organization
• Experience managing budgets and large blended workforces (FTEs, offshore resources, and contractors)
• Experience in healthcare, insurance, or complex regulated environments is solidly preferred; federal or consulting backgrounds with solid financial systems depth are also relevant
• Proven track record of building financial scorecards, dashboards, and reporting processes that improve executive visibility and decision-making speed
• Demonstrated success establishing vendor governance processes (QBRs, MSA/rate card analysis) that deliver measurable cost savings
• Proven solid cross-functional leadership skills, with experience partnering across Finance, IT, HR, and business stakeholders to drive organizational change

Preferred Qualifications:

• Master’s degree (e.g., Business Analytics, MBA)
• Technical Expertise:
  • Financial Planning & Operational Strategy
    • Budgeting, forecasting, and restatement cycles
    • Portfolio and resource management across FTEs, offshore staff, and contractors
    • Capitalizable labor tracking and cost allocation
    • Financial governance and controls across complex, multi-team organizations
  • Vendor & Contract Management
    • Quarterly Business Review (QBR) design and facilitation
    • Master Services Agreement (MSA) and rate card analysis
    • Vendor onboarding, performance management, and compliance tracking
  • Operating Model & Process Transformation
    • Operating model design for capability-driven organizations
    • Process improvement, data flow optimization, and automation of repetitive reporting
    • Change management and governance standardization across teams
  • Data-Driven Reporting & AI-Enabled Analytics
    • Executive dashboard development combining financial, HR, and project data
    • AI-enabled analysis to accelerate insight generation and issue identification
    • Resource planning, utilization tracking, and workforce analytics
  • Systems & Tools
    • ERP & Financial Systems: SAP (ERP/Ariba/Fieldglass), Workday, Oracle BI and similar
    • Data Analytics & Visualization: Power BI, Microsoft Cowork and similar
    • Project Management & Productivity: Microsoft Project, Visio, MS Suite

*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 $134,600 - $230,800 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.

At UnitedHealth Group, our mission is to help people live healthier lives and help make the health system work better for everyone. Together, we are shaping the future of healthcare by harnessing technology and innovation to make care simpler to navigate, more affordable and more connected for the people we serve. We are committed to creating an inclusive workplace where everyone feels welcomed, valued, heard and respected, empowering people to bring their authentic selves to work and strengthening our collective impact through diverse talents, backgrounds, experiences and perspectives.

UnitedHealth Group and its affiliated brands are 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 and its affiliated brands are a drug-free workplace. Candidates are required to pass a drug test before beginning employment.