Sr. Manager Strategy and Innovation (Medicare Ancillary) - MN Market

At UnitedHealthcare, we're simplifying the health care experience, creating healthier communities and removing barriers to quality care. The work you do here impacts the lives of millions of people for the better. Come build the health care system of tomorrow, making it more responsive, affordable and optimized. Ready to make a difference? Join us to start Caring. Connecting. Growing together.

We are seeking a Senior Manager to drive the Medicare Ancillary innovation strategy and multi-year roadmap across Medicare Advantage, Medicare Supplement, and ancillary benefits such as fitness, dental, vision, OTC, and supplemental benefits. This role translates market insights, member needs, competitive dynamics, utilization patterns, and financial inputs into portfolio-level recommendations that shape growth, retention, affordability, member experience, competitive differentiation, and enterprise readiness.

Primary Responsibilities:
Product Innovation Strategy & Portfolio Ownership (50-75%)

• Drive the Medicare Ancillary innovation pipeline across Medicare Advantage and Medicare Supplement, aligning opportunities to support enterprise growth, affordability, and member experience goals
• Lead prioritization of high-value product opportunities by synthesizing market research, competitive intelligence, utilization data, member insights, operational feasibility, and financial impact into clear recommendations
• Define portfolio recommendations, product concept briefs, and business cases that clarify the problem to solve, target population, value proposition, operating model, investment needs, readiness requirements, and success measures
• Drive executive decision-making through strategic recommendations, tradeoff analyses, investment narratives, and roadmaps that clarify milestones, decisions, owners, dependencies, risks, and enterprise readiness
• Represent the Ancillary innovation portfolio in governance forums, portfolio reviews, and senior leadership discussions, surfacing tradeoffs, blockers, and decisions required to accelerate impact
• Advise senior product leaders on innovation priorities, investment choices, strategic risks, readiness gaps, and actions to improve portfolio performance

Ancillary Operating Model, Governance & Enterprise Alignment (25-50%)

• Establish the Ancillary portfolio operating model and leadership rhythm, including priority setting, governance, risk management, decision escalation, performance montioring, and executive follow-through
• Shape planning cycles, leadership meetings, business reviews, and working sessions by framing strategic choices, required decisions, tradeoffs, risks, and recommended paths forward
• Translate Medicare Ancillary strategy into priorities, workstreams, success measures, and implementation plans aligned to broader product organization priorities and goals
• Lead cross-functional alignment across matrixed partners by clarifying objectives, accountable owners, decision rights, timelines, dependencies, unresolved issues, and readiness implications
• Synthesize market, competitor, regulatory, financial, and operational intelligence to inform product priorities, executive decisions, and future innovation opportunities
• Navigate competing priorities and incomplete information across business areas, balancing member value, financial impact, feasibility, compliance, sales needs, and implementation risk
• Create structure for ambiguous innovation opportunities and convert them into sequenced decisions, funded initiatives, measurable outcomes, and scalable operating practices

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 experience in healthcare strategy, Medicare, product management, innovation, or consulting

• Experience owning strategy development, portfolio prioritization, business cases, product concepts, market assessments, implementation roadmaps, or cross-functional transformation initiatives

Preferred Qualifications:

• Working knowledge of Medicare Advantage, Medicare Supplement, supplemental benefits, ancillary products, or related health plan capabilities
• Solid strategic and analytical skills, including ability to interpret complex inputs, assess enterprise implications, frame tradeoffs, quantify value, and translate findings into executive-ready recommendations
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with ability to create concise, structured, decision-oriented executive materials
• Demonstrated ability to lead complex workstreams, influence senior stakeholders, drive accountability without direct authority, and move high-impact work forward in a matrixed enterprise
• High ownership mindset with comfort operating in ambiguity, creating structure for complex problems, and balancing enterprise strategy with disciplined execution
• Outstanding executive communication and organizational skills, with ability to manage competing priorities, relationships, decision forums, and portfolio-level deliverables with limited direction

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.