Planning and Strategy Consultant, Enterprise 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.

This role is best suited for someone who can independently drive analysis, synthesis, and communication, while supporting leadership-directed strategic work and gaining exposure to senior leaders and enterprise-level materials.

The Planning & Strategy Consultant is a thoughtful, analytically solid professional who thrives in a dynamic environment and operates effectively across a broad range of topics, stakeholders, and business areas across UnitedHealth Group, including Optum, UnitedHealthcare, and enterprise functions. This individual brings intellectual curiosity, sound judgment, and solid attention to detail to a portfolio of high-priority work. Success requires discretion with sensitive information, solid follow-through, and the ability to manage time-sensitive work.

This role supports the development of executive-ready narratives and materials, including briefing documents, one-pagers, research summaries, and polished presentations. The individual in this role will be expected to independently conduct research, synthesize information, develop clear conclusions, and communicate findings through written documents, visual materials, and presentations.

This role also supports leadership-directed workstreams tied to enterprise-level materials and broader strategic commentary. The role may involve ad hoc projects in a consulting-style staffing model, with assignments varying in scope and duration. The ideal candidate is comfortable with ambiguity, can manage multiple projects at once, and takes initiative to move work forward.

This position offers exposure to senior leaders and a wide range of business segments and health care topics, while building the capabilities needed for broader strategic leadership over time.

You will be energized by:

• Conducting research and analysis on health care topics, business issues, and strategic questions, then translating findings into clear insights and recommendations 
• Developing executive-ready materials, including briefing documents, research reports, presentations, and visual summaries 
• Bringing structure and clarity to ambiguous situations through thoughtful synthesis and independent judgment 
• Managing multiple projects at once, including ad hoc assignments that may range from short-term analyses to longer consulting-style engagements 
• Supporting leadership-directed initiatives by coordinating inputs, aligning stakeholders, and helping move workstreams forward 
• Continuous learning about the health care system and identifying opportunities to improve how it works for patients, consumers, and stakeholders 
• Working across a broad range of business segments and functions across UnitedHealth Group, including Optum, UnitedHealthcare, and enterprise teams, while building relationships and perspective across the organization

Primary Responsibilities:

• Conduct research, analysis, and synthesis on a wide range of health care, business, and strategic topics 
• Develop executive-quality deliverables, including briefing materials, research reports, slide presentations, and other written communications for internal and external audiences 
• Translate complex or incomplete information into clear themes, implications, and conclusions 
• Support enterprise-level and cross-functional materials by coordinating stakeholder inputs and advancing work in alignment with leadership direction 
• Contribute to a portfolio of project-based work in a consulting-style model, with assignments varying in scope, duration, and subject matter 
• Manage multiple concurrent workstreams and adapt quickly as priorities shift 
• Communicate findings clearly and effectively through written documents, visuals, and presentations 
• Ensure high standards of quality, accuracy, and attention to detail across all deliverables 
• Build trusted working relationships across teams and functions to support collaboration and timely execution

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:

• Undergraduate degree in business, public policy, economics, health care administration, or a related analytical discipline 
• 3+ years of experience in health care, consulting, strategy, research, communications, or a similarly fast-paced analytical environment 
• Demonstrated experience conducting research, analyzing complex information, and developing thoughtful, well-supported conclusions 
• Proficiency in PowerPoint and Excel 
• Comfort working in ambiguous environments and bringing structure to open-ended questions 
• Demonstrated solid written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to create polished documents, presentations, and executive-ready materials 
• Demonstrated solid attention to detail and commitment to producing high-quality work 
• Demonstrated ability to manage multiple priorities and work effectively across several projects at once
• Demonstrated solid collaboration and stakeholder coordination skills 
• Proven self-starter with initiative, curiosity, and a solutions-oriented mindset

Preferred Qualifications:

• Health care or management consulting experience
• Experience preparing materials for senior leaders or executive audiences 
• Experience using tools such as Figma or Power BI to create clear and compelling visualizations and analyses 
• Experience working across cross-functional teams in a complex organization 
• Interest in health care systems, industry trends, and opportunities for improvement 
• Based in Minneapolis preferred; Washington, D.C. also considered

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 $91,700 to $163,700 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.