Supply Chain Planning Director

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

In healthcare, evolution doesn’t just happen. It takes innovation, imagination, and a passion for solving problems in new and better ways. And innovation is taking place at a lightning-fast pace every day at Optum. 
As the fastest growing part of the UnitedHealth Group family of businesses, we’re expanding our team in Ireland and creating excellent opportunities for those who want greater purpose and more impact in their work. We’ll provide the investment, support, and resources to advance your career. You’ll provide the talent, ambition, and drive. 
Optum is seeking a dynamic individual to join our team as a Supply Chain Planning Director for a new service line within the Optum network. In this position, you will be responsible for overseeing strategic planning initiatives within the Optum network. The ideal candidate should have a thorough understanding of business operations, excellent leadership abilities, and a strategic mindset to develop effective strategies that promote profitability and growth. You will lead a team and your responsibilities will include outlining company goals, assessing organizational performance, and designing and implementing business plans. You will be work alongside cross-functional teams such as Procurement, Quality Assurance, Logistics, NPI and Finance and a network of biopharmaceutical manufacturers. Your expertise in cGMP/GDP environments will be instrumental in helping Optum build a robust Planning infrastructure and in optimizing the overall supply chain.

Careers with Optum offer flexible work arrangements and individuals who live and work in the Republic of Ireland will have the opportunity to split their monthly work hours between our Dublin or Letterkenny and telecommuting from a home-based office in a hybrid work model.

Primary Responsibilities:

•    Develop and execute the Global Supply Chain Planning strategy to support revenue growth, cost optimization, working capital management and sustainability goals. 
•    Design and manage integrated planning processes that help achieve high levels of service and cost-efficiency. Set up S&OP, S&OE and Strat Plan processes. 
•    Lead Annual and Strategic planning for the Planning and Supply Chain function. 
•    Publish Forecast and communicate effectively to Manufacturing vendors on a periodic basis 
•    Develop and manage robust demand planning processes to create accurate, data-driven forecasts over short, mid and long term time horizon
•    Enable alignment of demand planning process to Procurement & Logistics and demonstrate optimization of the latter.
•    Liaise with Vendors/ Contract Manufacturers and serve as primary contact for Forecast and Planning discussions. Communicate Forecasts to Vendors on a periodic basis.
•    Work with commercial teams to ensure forecasts account for product launches and seasonality
•    Improve forecast accuracy through predictive tools to reduce costs 
•    Use inputs from historical sales trends and data on competition and customer behavior Integrate market insights to develop and publish demand planning models. 
•    Mitigate supply disruptions through scenario planning. Use tools for managing risks effectively.
•    Define and implement global inventory strategies to optimize working capital, minimize excess inventory, and reduce stockouts.
•    Optimize Inventory and manage Inventory governance in the organization
•    Achieve exemplary performance metrics in planning efficiency and costs
•    Minimize excess inventory. Manage and publish actions for mitigating inventory and incorporate findings to improve process across the organization 
•    Establish and drive Business continuity plans to mitigate risks of disruption to operations
•    Drive performance improvement through the establishment and monitoring of key performance indicators (KPIs) for planning processes, such as forecast accuracy, fill rate, inventory turnover and lead times.
•    Communicate progress, changes and developments on plans to stakeholders and team members. Present regular updates on planning performance, risks, and improvement initiatives. Analyze data and trends to provide actionable insights to senior leadership
•    Set up, manage and mentor a team of planners across the globe. Foster a culture of collaboration, continuous improvement and excellence. Manage and drive individual and team performance  
•    Coach and mentor team members and actively contribute to developing their career path
•    Develop talent and actively manage succession plans
•    Explore and implement new tools and technology to modernize Planning and improve efficiency
•    Manage ESG responsibilities and projects

You will be rewarded and recognised 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 providing development for other roles you may be interested in

Required Qualifications:

•    Proven experience in Planning within the pharmaceutical industry.
•    Bachelor’s equivalent in Supply chain management, Logistics, Business Administration or a related field.
•    Strong knowledge of Demand and Supply Planning and industry best practices.
•    Experience leading, developing, and implementing Planning strategies that drive operational efficiency and cost savings
•    Proficiency in Rapid Response, IBP or equivalent planning tools and other relevant software applications including Microsoft Word, Excel, and Outlook
•    Exceptional analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to make data-driven decisions and optimize Planning processes
•    Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to oversee and collaborate effectively with cross-functional teams and external partners
•    Demonstrate strong leadership and people management skills; ability to lead teams effectively and help set and achieve performance goals

Preferred Qualifications:

•    Experience working with external partners, manufacturers and 3PLs in the pharmaceutical industry
•    Experience with contract management, and compliance
•    Proficiency in project management tools and software
•    Ability to analyze operational data, draw conclusions and make recommendations to senior management for consideration
•    Ability to prioritize and manage a variety of simultaneous projects•    Knowledge of relevant industry regulations and guidelines, such as FDA requirements for drug manufacturing and Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP)

Please note you must currently be eligible to work and remain indefinitely without any restrictions in the country to which you are making an application. Proof will be required to support your application.

All telecommuters will be required to adhere to the UnitedHealth Group’s Telecommuter Policy.

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 marginalised 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.

Diversity creates a healthier atmosphere: Optum is an Equal Employment Opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to gender, civil status, family status, sexual orientation, disability, religion, age, race, and membership of the Traveller community, or any other characteristic protected by law. Optum is a drug-free workplace. © 2025 Optum Services (Ireland) Limited. All rights reserved.