Associate Director, Portfolio and Growth Strategy

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.

Provides strategic planning, analysis, and execution support across Optum Whole Health Solutions, including Optum Health Solutions and Optum Behavioral Health. The primary goal is to strengthen proactive strategy development by identifying emerging opportunities, risks, portfolio gaps, and strategic priorities before they become immediate business needs. Leads complex, cross-functional initiatives requiring additional structure, analytical rigor, stakeholder alignment, or momentum. Evaluates portfolio performance, customer needs, payer and regulatory developments, competitive activity, technology trends, and emerging market opportunities to inform business strategy and long-range planning. Develops market assessments, business cases, and build-buy-partner recommendations to help determine where Whole Health Solutions should invest, grow, maintain, partner, outsource, de-emphasize, divest, or exit.

General Profile

• Independently leads proactive portfolio analysis, market intelligence, and long-range planning, while also supporting immediate strategy projects and cross-functional workstreams
• Adds structure to ambiguous business questions, supplements institutional knowledge with strong market research, and converts findings into clear recommendations, tradeoffs, risks, and implementation plans
• Works across businesses and functions to resolve barriers, accelerate progress, and support decisions through strong analysis, judgment, communication, and stakeholder influence
• Effectively uses AI to improve the speed and depth of research and analysis while applying human judgment, validating outputs, and accounting for business realities and constraints
• Operates with substantial independence and limited day-to-day direction

Job Scope and Leveling Guidelines

• Proactively identifies emerging market opportunities, portfolio gaps, external risks, and strategic questions requiring leadership attention
• Owns complex strategy workstreams from problem definition through analysis, recommendation, stakeholder alignment, and implementation planning
• Leads or supports high-priority initiatives affecting multiple products, capabilities, functions, or businesses across Whole Health Solutions
• Conducts quantitative and qualitative analyses of markets, customers, competitors, portfolio performance, business models, capabilities, and strategic alternatives
• Develops business cases and recommendations related to growth, investment, partnerships, acquisitions, outsourcing, portfolio optimization, and other strategic choices
• Evaluates payer, CMS, reimbursement, regulatory, technology, AI, customer, and competitive developments and translates them into specific business implications
• Influences senior and enterprise stakeholders without relying on formal authority
• Exercises independent judgment while escalating material risks, dependencies, and decisions to appropriate leaders

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: 

• 4+ years of experience in management consulting, investment banking, corporate development, strategic finance, private equity, enterprise strategy
• Healthcare experience
• Experience leading complex, cross-functional strategy work from problem definition and analysis through senior-level recommendation
• Demonstrated ability to work independently, manage multiple priorities, and drive work from initial framing through completion in a matrixed organization
• Advanced proficiency in Microsoft PowerPoint and Excel
• Ability to travel up to 10%

Preferred Qualifications:

• Located in MN

*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.

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.