Director, Strategy & Operations

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 Director, Strategy & Operations plays a key leadership role within the OptumRx Analytics organization, enabling strategy execution, operational discipline, and portfolio governance. Reporting into the head of Strategy & Operations in Optum Analytics, this role partners closely with the Vice President of OptumRx Analytics to align priorities, translate strategic direction into actionable plans, and drive structured execution across a complex, matrixed environment. 

The role provides visibility across capital and non-capital work, strengthens governance and decision-making, and helps maintain momentum across key initiatives. Success in this position requires a solid balance of strategic thinking, operational execution, and stakeholder leadership, with the ability to build trusted relationships across leadership, delivery teams, and partner functions. This role functions as the central orchestration point for OptumRx Data & Analytics strategy execution-ensuring alignment across priorities, visibility into portfolio performance, and disciplined delivery of high-value initiatives.

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 office and telecommuting from a home-based office in a hybrid work model.

What you will do:

• Partner with the VP of OptumRx Data & Analytics to align and execute strategic priorities across the portfolio
• Translate strategic priorities into clear operating plans with defined ownership and accountability
• Drive cross-functional alignment across business, analytics, technology, and finance stakeholders
• Build trusted relationships with senior stakeholders and serve as a key point of coordination
• Establish and manage operating cadence, including leadership meetings, planning cycles, and portfolio reviews
• Establish and continuously refine a value-based prioritization model across initiatives (e.g., financial impact, client value, regulatory need, strategic alignment)
• Drive trade-off decisions by clearly articulating opportunity cost and resource constraints
• Provide governance and oversight across portfolio activity to support consistent reporting, decisions, and execution standards
• Oversee capital tracking and expenditure to ensure alignment with approved business cases, financial controls, and investment priorities
• Maintain visibility across capital and non-capital work to support prioritization of the highest-value initiatives
• Support financial planning, forecasting, and performance tracking in partnership with Finance
• Establish solid Project Delivery Governance Model across Capital and Non-Capital Projects and Provide oversight across project managers and delivery teams to support consistent execution and delivery outcomes
• Identify risks, dependencies, and delivery issues and drive resolution or escalation as needed
• Define and enforce standard governance artifacts and processes, including Business case templates, Status reporting standards, Risk/issue escalation protocols, Stage-gate / funding approval checkpoints
• Develop executive materials, including strategy updates, portfolio reporting, and decision support content
• Support cross-functional initiatives through clear communication, alignment, and follow-through
• Drive alignment across senior leadership on priorities, trade-offs, and decisions and Structure decision forums with clear options, recommendations, and implications
• Drive continuous improvement in operating processes, governance, and execution discipline

You will 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 providing development for other roles you may be interested in.

What you will bring:

• Proven experience in strategy and operations, business operations, program management, or a similar role supporting senior leadership
• Proven ability to operate effectively in a complex, matrixed organization with multiple stakeholders
• Demonstrated solid stakeholder management skills, with the ability to build credibility and influence at senior levels
• Proven experience supporting governance frameworks, including financial tracking, portfolio oversight, and delivery management
• Demonstrated ability to translate strategy into execution and deliver measurable outcomes
• Demonstrated solid communication and presentation skills, with the ability to develop clear executive level materials
• Demonstrated solid organizational skills, with the ability to manage multiple priorities and workstreams simultaneously

Other useful skills and experience include:

• Proven experience supporting senior leaders in highly visible, coordination focused roles
• Proven experience with capital investment processes, financial governance, or portfolio management
• Demonstrated familiarity with Agile, PMO, or structured delivery methodologies
• Proven experience working in analytics, data, or technology driven environments
• Demonstrated knowledge of U.S. healthcare or pharmacy related analytics environments

What We Offer:

• Opportunities for professional development  
• Inclusive and supportive team culture  
• Key benefits: Private health insurance, wellness programs, matching pension contribution, lunch provided by the company, training opportunities, employee donations matching and others

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.  

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.


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. © 2026 Optum Services (Ireland) Limited. All rights reserved.

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