Assortment Operations / E-Commerce Manager - 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 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.

The Assortment Operations / E Commerce Manager - Remote is responsible for owning and scaling end-to-end assortment operations across print and digital e-commerce experiences. This role sits at the intersection of category management, e commerce operations, merchandising, analytics, and product enablement.

The ideal candidate brings a solid operational mindset, data fluency, and the ability to translate assortment strategy into disciplined execution. This role partners closely with Product, Engineering, Fulfillment, and executive leadership to ensure assortments are accurate, scalable, launch ready, and aligned with business objectives.

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:

Team Leadership & Execution

• Lead and develop a small team of analysts, ensuring high quality analytical outputs, clear prioritization, and solid day-to-day execution.
• Set operating rhythms, performance expectations, and quality standards across assortment workflows.
• Review analyst outputs, provide coaching, and ensure consistent adherence to standards.

Assortment Operations Ownership

• Own end to end assortment processes, including documentation, SOP creation, governance, and continuous improvement as business needs evolve.
• Establish and manage assortment cadences, milestones, and deadlines in partnership with internal teams and fulfillment partners.
• Serve as the primary DRI for assortment readiness across print and digital catalogs.

Catalog & Assortment Planning

• Manage annual print and digital assortment planning, including: 
• Product curation and category coverage
• Inventory alignment and planning
• Data quality validation and QA
• Product ingestion timelines and launch readiness
• Partner with fulfillment providers to align assortments with inventory availability, fulfillment capabilities, and operational constraints.

Cross Functional Partnership

• Act as the primary assortment stakeholder in cross functional planning with Product, Engineering, Operations, and Fulfillment.
• Partner with Product and Engineering to design, develop, test, and launch tools that improve assortment accuracy, control, and operational efficiency.
• Represent business requirements in product roadmaps, technical designs, and prioritization discussions.

Category Management & Optimization

• Perform category management functions, including: 
• Assortment gap analysis
• Sourcing and expansion recommendations
• Review of client, merchant, and member feedback to optimize end user experience
• Monitor assortment health and performance to ensure relevance, coverage, and readiness.

Analytics, Reporting & Data Quality

• Monitor and analyze inventory, sales, and assortment performance metrics to inform decisions and identify risks.
• Create, manage, and maintain assortment related data sources and reporting using Excel, Tableau, and Power BI.
• Ensure data quality by: 
• Auditing analyst outputs
• Managing standardized SQL query libraries
• Performing QA testing across systems and platforms

Issue Resolution & Launch Readiness

• Troubleshoot assortment related operational and technical issues, partnering with Product and Operations to resolve root causes.
• Support launch readiness for new assortments, features, and tools through cross functional coordination, testing, documentation, and change management.

Strategic Contribution

• Partner with executive leadership to define assortment and ecommerce strategy.
• Translate strategic objectives into actionable, executable plans that teams can deliver against.
• Host and facilitate recurring internal and external forums to drive progress, manage risks, and ensure clarity on ownership and next steps.

Tools & Systems

• Leverage tools including Jira, Confluence, ServiceNow, Datadog, proprietary internal systems, and complex datasets to manage assortment operations and issue resolution.

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:

• 8+ years of experience in Category Management, E commerce Operations, or Merchandising Operations
• 5+ years of experience owning complex operational processes end-to-end
• 3+ years of experience leading or mentoring analysts or junior team members
• Proven solid analytical skills with hands on experience in Excel; working knowledge of Power BI
• Ability to operate effectively in cross functional, matrixed environments
• Proven solid written and verbal communication skills, including executive level clarity
• Ability to travel 10% - 20% when required

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience supporting large scale e-commerce or catalog-based assortments
• Demonstrated ownership of assortment tooling, data pipelines, or workflow automation
• SQL experience or familiarity managing standardized query libraries
• Experience working with fulfillment partners, inventory systems, or supply chain constraints
• Demonstrated background in regulated or highly operational environments (e.g., healthcare, payments, fintech, retail platforms)

*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 to $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.