Director, Payer Network Optimization - Remote

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

Provider Enablement Technology Product at OptumInsight builds and commercializes Value Connect, an analytics and AI-driven healthcare platform that helps payers and providers improve cost, quality, and performance in value-based care.

We are looking for a payer network optimization and network economics expert to fill our Director, Payer Network Optimization owns the Network Optimization portfolio within Value Connect, with accountability for product strategy, roadmap, delivery, commercialization, and measurable outcomes. The role focuses on capabilities that help payer organizations manage, benchmark, simulate, and improve network performance across access, affordability, quality, provider performance, referral optimization, accountable care alignment, and value-based care outcomes.

This is a builder role-not an operator, reporting-focused product manager, or implementation lead. The right candidate can productize complex network economics, healthcare economics, analytics, benchmarks, simulations, and decision-support workflows in a way that is explainable, trusted, actionable, and commercially viable.

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:

• Own the Network Optimization product strategy, roadmap, prioritization, delivery, commercialization, and outcome goals within Value Connect
• Prioritize high-value use cases across network strategy and value-based network design, access, adequacy, provider performance, referrals, leakage, steerage, site of service, accountable care organization fit, alternative payment model fit, shared savings, and cost-of-care improvement
• Translate network strategy, healthcare economics, benchmarks, simulations, and analytics into trusted decision-support workflows-not static dashboards or retrospective reporting
• Partner with engineering, UX, data science, architecture, actuarial, medical economics, network strategy, advisory, clinical, compliance, and go-to-market teams to deliver scalable capabilities
• Ensure product logic, AI-enabled insights, and recommendations are explainable, evidence-backed, user-centered, and aligned to client value and measurable ROI
• Communicate roadmap decisions, tradeoffs, dependencies, risks, value story, and performance outcomes clearly to senior stakeholders, clients, and commercial partners

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 professional experience in healthcare product management, healthcare technology, healthcare analytics, network strategy, medical economics, actuarial, or related fields with demonstrated ownership of complex product strategy, delivery, and cross-functional leadership
• Payer network optimization domain: 5+ years of hands-on experience with payer network strategy, payer performance, network adequacy/access, referrals, steerage, site of service, cost-of-care improvement, value-based network design, accountable care or alternative payment model alignment
• 5+ years of experience productizing analytics, benchmarks, models, simulations, or AI-enabled insights into actionable decision-support workflows-not just dashboards or reporting
• Payer network economics fluency: 5+ years applying total cost of care, utilization, unit cost, , actuarial methods, attribution, benchmarks, incentives, or shared-savings logic to product decisions
• 5+ years of experience translating complex network, economics, analytics, and technology concepts into clear business and client-facing decisions to executive leadership

Preferred Qualifications:

• Product ownership: 8+ years owning technical product strategy, roadmap, prioritization, delivery, launch, adoption, and commercialization at a platform or module level
• Advanced network strategy experience: 8+ years of experience with network optimization, provider performance, value-based care, referral management, leakage reduction, steerage, site of service, accountable care, alternative payment models, value-based network design, or risk-bearing provider workflows
• Platform environment: 5+ years leading products in platform, portfolio, or multi-product environments with shared data, analytics, AI, workflow, and cross-functional dependencies
• Commercial and client-facing orientation: 5+ years connecting product strategy to customer actions, measurable business value, client adoption, market differentiation, and willingness to pay
• Familiarity in AI Development Lifecycle

*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.

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 marginalized 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.    

UnitedHealth Group is 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 is a drug - free workplace. Candidates are required to pass a drug test before beginning employment