Associate Director Client Service Account Management

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 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, Health Plan Enablement is the people leader responsible for the strategy, performance, and ongoing evolution of the Health Plan Enablement team. This leader builds and develops a high-performing team that serves as a critical bridge across Account Management, Operations, Implementation, Product, and client stakeholders to drive operational readiness, issue resolution, and strategic initiatives. The Director provides oversight of complex client readiness and enablement activities, including annual readiness, go-live support, operational transitions, benefit and file updates, process maintenance, client-facing systems and tools, and cross-functional execution. The role establishes governance, priorities, resource plans, performance standards, and escalation pathways to ensure work is delivered accurately, timely, and consistently with client commitments and enterprise requirements. The Director also serves as a strategic advisor to senior leadership, translates vision into actionable plans, influences stakeholders across the enterprise, and ensures the team anticipates upstream and downstream impacts while advancing client satisfaction, operational excellence, cost avoidance, and continuous improvement.

You'll enjoy the flexibility to work remotely * from anywhere within the U.S. as you take on some tough challenges. 

Primary Responsibilities: 
People Leadership And Team Development

• Lead, coach, and develop the Health Plan Enablement team; set clear expectations, provide ongoing feedback, support career development, and strengthen succession and retention
• Create an inclusive, engaged, and high-performing team culture grounded in accountability, innovation, collaboration, continuous learning, and strong client advocacy
• Align team structure, capacity, assignments, and skill development to client needs, enterprise priorities, seasonal readiness demands and changing business requirements
• Ensure team members are trained and effective in PBM tools, client-facing systems, readiness practices, project management, reporting, issue management, and applicable health plan requirements
• Provide leadership oversight for employee performance, workload balancing, quality, risk management, and timely escalation of barriers

Health Plan Enablement Strategy And Governance

• Define and evolve the Health Plan Enablement operating model, service standards, governance, roles, processes, and measures to support consistent execution and a best-in-class client experience
• Translate executive vision and enterprise priorities into actionable team plans, roadmaps, operating rhythms, and measurable outcomes
• Establish governance for complex cross-functional initiatives, including decision rights, milestones, dependencies, risks, resourcing, issue resolution, and executive reporting
• Oversee the creation, negotiation, interpretation, implementation, and maintenance of SOPs, reporting, and operational requirements
• Identify opportunities for process improvement, organizational effectiveness, cost avoidance, automation, and standardization; ensure successful adoption and sustained results

Operational Readiness And Execution Oversight

• Provide leadership oversight of end-to-end annual readiness, go-live support, operational transitions, and the Readiness Governance Model
• Ensure enterprise operational readiness plans include appropriate task sequencing, duration, ownership, dependencies, resources, risk mitigation, and full cross-functional execution
• Monitor readiness health, aging inventory, key risks, client impacts, and execution progress; intervene when performance or client commitments are at risk
• Ensure issues are resolved promptly and accurately through effective coordination, impact assessment, root cause analysis, remediation, and communication
• Oversee training and enablement for Optum Rx client-facing systems and tools, including development of scalable materials and consistent delivery practices

Client And Cross-Functional Leadership

• Serve as an executive escalation point and strategic consultant for complex readiness, operational, and client-impacting matters
• Build strong partnerships with Health Plan clients and internal leaders across Account Management, Operations, Implementation, Product, Technology, Compliance, and other functional teams
• Ensure the team effectively translates client and enterprise requirements into executable plans and anticipates upstream and downstream impacts
• Lead or sponsor cross-functional projects, process improvements, and organizational readiness efforts that improve client outcomes and advance enterprise priorities
• Deliver and develop concise executive communication, decision support, dashboards, recommendations, and presentations for senior internal and external stakeholders

Performance, Risk, And Continuous Improvement

• Establish and monitor KPIs for readiness, service delivery, aging work, issue resolution, client impact, quality, team capacity, and process performance
• Use data and business analytics to identify trends, risks, resource needs, and improvement opportunities; drive corrective actions and sustained accountability
• Ensure appropriate oversight of CMS-related and regulated health plan requirements, including Medicare Part D and Medicaid considerations, client guidance, and corrective action support where applicable
• Promote disciplined project, change, and risk management practices across the team and partner organizations

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: 

• 6+ years of healthcare, PBM, health plan, managed care, account management, operational enablement, or related experience
• Experience leading annual PBM client readiness, go-live support, operational transitions, or large-scale change initiatives
• Advanced program level and project management skills, including governance, resource planning, dependencies, risk mitigation, and cross-functional execution
• Experience developing KPIs, dashboards, impact reporting, root cause analysis, remediation plans, SOPs, and executive materials
• Experience using PBM tools for operational reporting, issue management, claims adjudication, and client support, with the ability to guide and teach others

Preferred Qualifications:  

• 4+ years of project or program management experience leading complex, cross-functional initiatives
• 3+ years of people leadership, team leadership, or comparable leadership responsibility
• Governance or PMO experience and experience working with large data sets and making data-driven decisions
• Knowledge of PBM, health plan, or managed care operations; experience across multiple lines of business, including Medicare Part D, Medicaid, and CMS requirements
• Proficiency with Microsoft applications and experience with Microsoft Project or Smartsheet; experience with ServiceNow dashboards

Behavioral And Leadership Skills: 

• Demonstrated people leadership with the ability to build high-performing teams, coach diverse talent, manage performance, and lead through change
• Strategic and operational leadership with strong critical thinking, problem solving, conflict resolution, decision making, and organizational effectiveness capabilities
• Executive-level written, verbal, and presentation skills, with the ability to translate complex information into clear direction and actionable plans
• Proven ability to influence senior stakeholders and drive outcomes across teams without direct authority
• Solid client orientation, consultative mindset, resilience, resourcefulness, and ability to manage competing priorities in a complex environment

*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.

Application Deadline: This will be posted for a minimum of 2 business days or until a sufficient candidate pool has been collected. Job posting may come down early due to volume of applicants.

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.