Associate Director, Optum People Team Planning and 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 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.

We are seeking an experienced Associate Director, Planning & Operations to drive strategy, planning, and operational execution for the Optum People Team. This role is responsible for leading the annual and quarterly planning processes, guiding budget and investment decisions, and delivering a cohesive, data-driven narrative of organizational performance and impact across key talent initiatives.

This position serves as a key integrator across the People Team and executive leadership, ensuring strategic priorities are translated into actionable plans, measurable outcomes, and operational rigor. The role combines strategy, operations, executive reporting, and program leadership, with a solid emphasis on cross-functional execution and enterprise impact.

The ideal candidate is highly analytical, excels in program management, and is comfortable working directly with senior executives to drive strategic initiatives, build executive-ready insights, and develop scalable reporting solutions.

Primary Responsibilities:

Planning & Operations

• Lead and support the People Team operating rhythm, including annual planning, quarterly prioritization, budgeting, and forecasting processes
• Establish and manage business performance cadences (e.g., OKRs, monthly and quarterly business reviews)
• Drive alignment across functions by connecting priorities, dependencies, and operating plans
• Monitor industry trends, benchmarks, and emerging practices to bring an outside-in perspective to strategy and operations
• Drive complex, cross-functional initiatives from concept through execution and post-implementation measurement, ensuring delivery against defined scope, timeline, and business outcomes
• Manage multiple concurrent priorities, maintaining clear visibility into progress, risks, and interdependencies

Strategic Initiatives & Program Leadership

• Lead end-to-end program management of high-priority People Team strategic initiatives aligned to enterprise goals
• Partner directly with senior executives and functional leaders to define initiative scope, success metrics, timelines, and governance
• Translate strategic priorities into actionable roadmaps with clear deliverables, ownership, and measurable outcomes
• Establish and implement program management standards, tools, and operating cadences to enhance execution discipline
• Proactively identify risks, dependencies, and blockers, and drive mitigation strategies to ensure successful delivery
• Facilitate executive-level forums (e.g., steering committees, operating reviews) to track progress, enable decisions, and ensure accountability

Executive Reporting & Analytics

• Own the development, standardization, and continuous improvement of Optum People Team metrics and OKRs
• Build and maintain scalable reporting solutions, including Excel models, dashboards, and executive scorecards
• Partner with People Analytics & Insights to deliver high-quality executive reports, board materials, and recurring dashboards
• Ensure data accuracy, integrity, and consistency across reporting outputs and sources
• Translate complex datasets into clear, actionable insights that inform strategic decisions
• Anticipate stakeholder needs and proactively deliver relevant data, insights, and analysis

Executive Presentations & Stakeholder Engagement

• Develop executive-level presentations and materials that synthesize data, strategy, and business context into clear narratives
• Create dashboards and visualizations that provide visibility into organizational performance and strategic initiatives
• Partner with senior executives and People Team leadership to shape and operationalize strategic priorities
• Act as a strategic thought partner to leaders by providing data-driven recommendations and decision support
• Build solid relationships across a matrixed organization to drive alignment and influence outcomes

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 strategy, operations, consulting, or related roles 
• Experience working directly with executive stakeholders and supporting enterprise-level initiatives 
• Experience developing and operationalizing metrics, KPIs, and executive dashboards 
• Advanced proficiency in Excel (e.g., complex modeling, pivot tables, scenario analysis 
• Proven solid analytical and critical thinking skills, with the ability to translate data into strategic insights 
• Proven program and project management expertise, including managing large-scale, cross-functional initiatives 
• Highly detail-oriented with solid quality control over deliverables

Preferred Qualifications:

• Proven solid business acumen and understanding of enterprise operations and talent strategy 
• Proven ability to operate effectively in a fast-paced, ambiguous environment and drive structure and clarity 
• Proven to be collaborative, relationship-oriented, and comfortable navigating large, complex organizations 
• Proven continuous learner with a solid interest in industry trends and best practices

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.