Associate Director, Campaigns and Thought Leadership

UnitedHealth Group is a health care and well-being company that's dedicated to improving the health outcomes of millions around the world. We are comprised of two distinct and complementary businesses, UnitedHealthcare and Optum, working to build a better health system for all. Here, your contributions matter as they will help transform health care for years to come. Make an impact with a team that shares your passion for helping others. Join us to start Caring. Connecting. Growing together.

The Associate Director of Executive Communications is a communications leader responsible for shaping, advancing, and protecting the voices of the company's most senior leaders as part of the corporate reputation campaign. This role drives executive thought leadership across a complex, highly regulated health care enterprise, supporting both insurance and care delivery businesses.

The role identifies and develops strategic opportunities for executives to engage externally-across media, industry forums, policy discussions, and stakeholder events-while ensuring consistency with corporate strategy, regulatory requirements, and reputational risk standards. The Associate Director also supports the creation and operational use of a company-wide speaker's bureau to strategically manage, prioritize, and track executive speaking engagements.

Primary Responsibilities: 

Executive Thought Leadership Strategy

• Execute a comprehensive executive communications and thought leadership strategy aligned to enterprise priorities, business growth objectives, and policy and regulatory environments
• Identify high-impact platforms, forums, and moments for executive engagement, including conferences, industry associations, policy discussions, media, and third-party publications
• Translate enterprise strategy, market insights, and health care trends into compelling executive narratives and points of view
  

Executive Support & Content Development

• Serve as a trusted advisor to senior executives, providing counsel on positioning, messaging, and engagement strategy
• Develop and oversee creation of executive communications materials, including speeches, keynote remarks, talking points, bylines, op-eds, executive Q&As, and presentation materials
• Prepare executives for external engagements through briefing documents, message alignment, and rehearsal as appropriate
  

Speaker's Bureau Leadership

• Support a centralized company-wide speaker's bureau to govern external speaking engagements across executives and senior leaders
• Establish intake, review, prioritization, and approval processes to ensure engagements align with business priorities, compliance requirements, and reputational standards
• Maintain a centralized system to track speaking engagements, audiences, topics, outcomes, and metrics to inform future planning and reporting
  

Governance, Risk & Compliance Alignment

• Partner closely with Legal, Compliance, Regulatory, Government Affairs, Investor Relations, and Media Relations to ensure executive communications meet regulatory and disclosure requirements
• Ensure consistency of executive messaging across insurance and care delivery businesses while respecting business-specific nuances
• Provide guidance on sensitive topics, disclosures, and risk considerations for external engagements
  

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Work closely with business leaders, corporate affairs, marketing, public relations, and policy teams to identify opportunities and align executive participation with broader campaigns and initiatives
• Coordinate executive participation across multiple external requests to manage capacity, prioritization, and strategic impact
  

Measurement & Continuous Improvement

• Define success metrics for executive thought leadership and speaking engagements, including reach, influence, and strategic alignment
• Conduct post-engagement assessments to evaluate effectiveness and refine future strategies.
• Continuously monitor industry trends, policy developments, and competitive positioning to inform executive engagement opportunities
  

Leadership & Team Management

• Lead and manage agency partners and external vendors supporting executive communications and speaker management

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:  

• 12+ years of communications experience, including executive communications, thought leadership, or public affairs in a complex organization
• Demonstrated experience supporting C-suite and senior executives in external engagements and high-visibility communications
• Proven solid understanding of communications within regulated industries and publicly traded companies
• Proven exceptional writing, storytelling, and strategic messaging skills
• Proven ability to influence and advise senior leaders with confidence and discretion

Preferred Qualifications:  

• Experience in health care, insurance, life sciences, or another highly regulated industry
• Experience building or managing a speaker's bureau or centralized executive engagement program
• Demonstrated familiarity with investor, policy, and regulatory audiences
• Experience working in matrixed, multi-business environments

Key Competencies:

• Strategic thinking and sound judgment
• Executive presence and credibility
• Solid stakeholder management and collaboration
• Attention to detail and governance discipline
• Ability to balance opportunity with risk
• Results-oriented and highly organized

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.

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.