Associate Director, Healthcare Economics (CRD) Concept Research & Development - Payment Integrity - Remote

Optum Insight is improving the flow of health data and information to create a more connected system. We remove friction and drive alignment between care providers and payers, and ultimately consumers. Our deep expertise in the industry and innovative technology empower us to help organizations reduce costs while improving risk management, quality and revenue growth. Ready to help us deliver results that improve lives? Join us in making healthcare work better for everyone through people-led, responsible AI while Caring. Connecting. Growing together.

This role provides direct people leadership for a team of Business Analysts within CRD and is accountable for team performance, talent development, workload management, employee engagement, and delivery against business priorities. The role requires an experienced manager with strong knowledge of Payment Integrity, healthcare claims, and the concept development lifecycle. This leader ensures high-quality analysis, alignment across stakeholders, and effective execution of CRD priorities while strengthening business analysis practices and team capability. The role also champions process improvement, AI adoption, and automation opportunities that enhance efficiency, quality, and scalable ways of working.

You'll enjoy the flexibility to work remotely * from anywhere within the U.S. as you take on some tough challenges. For all hires in the Minneapolis or Washington, D.C. area, you will be required to work in the office a minimum of four days per week.

Primary Responsibilities:

• Lead and develop a team of Business Analysts: Provide direct people leadership, including performance management, regular coaching, career development, talent planning, employee engagement, recognition, and management of performance concerns. Establish clear expectations and create an inclusive, accountable, and high-performing team culture
• Build team capability and succession: Assess current and future capability needs, identify skill gaps, develop growth plans, support succession planning, and create opportunities that strengthen Payment Integrity and business analysis expertise across the team
• Apply Payment Integrity expertise: Use knowledge of healthcare claims, reimbursement, coding, policy, provider billing, and payment integrity methodologies to guide analysis, challenge assumptions, assess concept opportunities, and support accurate, actionable recommendations
• Drive high-quality business analysis delivery: Ensure analysis clearly defines the payment issue, supporting evidence, root cause, impacted claims or providers, solution path, financial opportunity, operational considerations, and expected business outcome
• Strengthen cross-team collaboration: Partner with solutioning paths, business partners, analytics, policy, and operations teams to ensure alignment, shared understanding, and smooth handoffs
• Communicate with clarity and influence: Translate complex business needs, analysis findings, and strategic priorities into clear messages for leadership, partners, and team members
• Set direction and priorities: Balance team capacity, prioritize work, and align resources to meet CRD objectives and evolving business needs
• Promote consistency, process improvement, and innovation: Establish and reinforce standard business analysis practices, tools, and processes that improve quality, efficiency, and collaboration while reducing manual effort and modernizing how the team operates
• Advance AI adoption and automation: Lead the evaluation and adoption of AI-enabled tools, automation opportunities, and more efficient ways of working that improve productivity, reduce rework, and support scalable delivery
• Build stakeholder relationships and executive confidence: Develop trusted partnerships and present updates, recommendations, and team insights with confidence, professionalism, and strong executive presence

Capabilities for Success

• People Leadership: Demonstrates successful experience directly managing employees, setting expectations, providing differentiated performance feedback, developing talent, addressing performance concerns, leading through change, and building an engaged and accountable team
• Payment Integrity Acumen: Understands healthcare claims, provider billing, reimbursement methodologies, coding and policy considerations, and the processes used to identify, validate, prevent, or recover inappropriate payments
• Communication Excellence: Communicates clearly and effectively across all levels, adapting messages for leadership, peers, and team members
• Collaboration & Influence: Builds strong relationships across a matrixed environment and drives alignment across teams without direct authority
• Strategic Prioritization: Balances competing priorities, aligns team efforts to business goals, and makes sound decisions in a dynamic environment
• Business Analysis Rigor: Promotes analytical thinking, structured problem solving, and consistent delivery of high-quality outputs
• Continuous Improvement, AI & Automation Mindset: Identifies opportunities to improve team processes, adopt AI-enabled solutions, and leverage automation to enhance efficiency, consistency, and effectiveness

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:

• 5+ years of experience in healthcare
• 3+ years within Payment Integrity, Revenue Integrity, claims operations, healthcare analytics, or a closely related function
• 3+ years of direct people-management experience with accountability for employee performance, coaching, development, engagement, and talent planning
• Demonstrated experience leading teams through organizational, process, or technology-enabled change
• Experience using data and analysis to identify payment issues, validate opportunities, determine root causes, and support solution development
• Demonstrated experience working across highly collaborative, cross-functional environments and building strong partnerships with multiple stakeholder groups
• Experience establishing or improving team processes, standards, or operating practices
• Experience leading or supporting process improvement, AI adoption, automation, or technology-enabled transformation efforts
• Working knowledge of healthcare claims, provider billing, reimbursement, coding, policy, and payment accuracy concepts
• Proven persuasive communication and presentation skills, including experience presenting to leadership, stakeholders, and large groups
• Proven ability to manage priorities, balance team workloads, and deliver results in a matrixed environment

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience leading Business Analysts or multidisciplinary Payment Integrity teams
• Experience with prepayment and post-payment concept development
• Experience managing geographically dispersed or matrixed teams
• Experience developing future leaders and implementing succession or capability-development plans
• Knowledge of CRD processes and the end-to-end concept development lifecycle
• Familiarity with medical claims, coding guidelines, reimbursement methodologies, provider data, and healthcare policy
• Proven exposure to continuous improvement initiatives and emerging tools such as AI or automation solutions

*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 - $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 help make the health system work better for everyone. Together, we are shaping the future of healthcare by harnessing technology and innovation to make care simpler to navigate, more affordable and more connected for the people we serve. We are committed to creating an inclusive workplace where everyone feels welcomed, valued, heard and respected, empowering people to bring their authentic selves to work and strengthening our collective impact through diverse talents, backgrounds, experiences and perspectives.

UnitedHealth Group and its affiliated brands are 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 and its affiliated brands are a drug-free workplace. Candidates are required to pass a drug test before beginning employment.