Principal Project Manager

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.

In this role, you will be responsible for in managing projects from the Initiation phase of the SDLC through the Release phase of the Optum SDLC. You will work in a high performing Agile model. Additional responsibilities includes handing vendor management office, where you would be handling different vendor partners in Consumer Engineering area.

We are seeking a highly skilled and experienced Project Manager/ Scrum Master. You will play a critical role in driving the successful delivery of software solutions in US healthcare industry. You will be responsible for facilitating the agile development process, liaising with product and automation teams, and ensuring efficient collaboration to deliver value to our business customers. The ideal candidate will have more than 10 years of industry experience with a solid background in Appeals and Claims processes within the US healthcare domain.

Positions in this function are involved in the definition, management, and implementation of technology focused projects/programs. Do not use this function is not used for project/program management in nontechnology roles. Positions are business specialists and technology generalists that manage, direct and interface with business clients. Individuals in this function may be involved in:

• Defining work strategies, aligning these with resources and desired client outcomes, and overseeing planning and execution of the work
• Ensuring technology solutions are managed to support business strategies, often working with senior management
• Directing the integration of technical aspects of all related projects/programs
• Conducting analyses, needs assessments, and cost/benefit assessments and helping to broker other technology services
• Monitoring financials to ensure budget compliance
• Release management
• Projects are more standalone than programs; program management is typically the orchestration of several related projects. At entry level individual contributor roles, the primary focus will be project management. As one advances through the career path, their focus may be project or program focused, depending on business need

Primary Responsibilities:

• Act as a servant leader and coach to the development teams, guiding them in adopting and implementing agile principles and practices in the Appeals and Claims domain
• Facilitate all Agile ceremonies, including sprint planning, daily standups, sprint reviews, and retrospectives, ensuring adherence to Scrum framework
• Collaborate with product owners, business stakeholders, and development teams to define project goals, scope, and backlog items specifically related to Appeals and Claims processes
• Work closely with product and automation teams to ensure that the software solutions deliver value to business customers in the Appeals and Claims area
• Foster a culture of continuous improvement, identifying and implementing process improvements to enhance team productivity and delivery efficiency in the Appeals and Claims domain
• Promote effective communication and collaboration within and across teams, ensuring clear understanding of project priorities, timelines, and dependencies
• Facilitate conflict resolution and help teams make decisions by fostering a collaborative and inclusive environment
• Monitor and track project progress, ensuring that the team is meeting sprint goals, deliverables, and timelines
• Identify and mitigate risks and issues that may impact project delivery, escalating as needed
• Collaborate with other Scrum Masters and Agile coaches across the organization to share best practices and drive continuous improvement
• Provides leadership to and is accountable for the performance of managers and/or senior level professional staff
• Impact of work is most often at the operational or local business unit or market level
• Comply with the terms and conditions of the employment contract, company policies and procedures, and any and all directives (such as, but not limited to, transfer and/or re-assignment to different work locations, change in teams and/or work shifts, policies in regards to flexibility of work benefits and/or work environment, alternative work arrangements, and other decisions that may arise due to the changing business environment). The Company may adopt, vary or rescind these policies and directives in its absolute discretion and without any limitation (implied or otherwise) on its ability to do so

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree
• Certified Scrum Master (CSM) or Professional Scrum Master (PSM) certification
• 10+ years of industry experience, with a solid focus in the US healthcare industry
• Extensive experience in liaising with product and automation teams to deliver value to business customers in the Appeals and Claims area
• Extensive experience working in US Healthcare domain with exposure to Claims and Appeal processing 
• Solid knowledge and understanding of Agile methodologies (Scrum, Kanban, etc.) and their application in software development projects, specifically in the Appeals and Claims domain
• Proven excellent facilitation, communication, and interpersonal skills to effectively collaborate with cross functional teams and stakeholders
• Proven ability to handle multiple priorities and work in a fast paced, dynamic environment
• Proven solid problem solving and conflict resolution skills

Preferred Qualifications:

• Second level Scrum Master certification (CSP, PSM II)
• 2+ years of experience playing the Scrum Master role 
• Hands-on experience in tools like Rally, ALM
• Experience with Agile project management tools (e.g., Rally, JIRA, Trello, etc.)
• Healthcare domain experience
• Knowledge of other Agile approaches: XP, Kanban, Crystal, FDD, etc
• Exposure to AI/ML based projects 

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.