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 diversity and inclusion, 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 Associate Director, Network Program Management at Optum manages provider networks that support hospitals, physicians, dental, and pharmaceutical services. Responsibilities include provider relations, analyzing performance, creating reimbursement arrangements, and credentialing activities to ensure effective network operations and client satisfaction.

They will also be responsible for the successful program design, compliance with network requirements, network assessment and selection, and program/product implementation. This includes project management support for all operational lanes within the Network Services organization and oversight of network engagement resources to ensure smooth new provider onboarding experience. Obtains data, verifies validity of data, and analyzes data as required.

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

Primary Responsibilities:

• Understand and guide providers to appropriate resources to ensure proper setup and to troubleshoot questions and other business needs
• Determine performance metrics and programs to apply to specific providers based on competitive data, internal data (e.g., provider improvement opportunities) and applicable legal and regulatory requirements
• Provide guidance to internal stakeholders regarding administration of contracts (e.g., contract language; coding)
• Identify needs and create infrastructure and parameters for programs/networks/contracts (e.g., contract language; clinical quality initiatives; internal support)
• Communicate with key stakeholders (e.g., network management contractors) to ensure programs/networks/contracts comply with standards
• Provide input and feedback to senior leadership in order to suggest/recommend improvements to programs/networks/contracts
• Create and/or implement communication/training materials (e.g., talking points; FAQs; step action chart; metric evaluation tools) in order to educate affected stakeholders on new programs and/or processes
• Work with local, regional, and/or national networks and/or stakeholders in order build support for program/contract implementation
• Seek feedback from relevant internal and/or external stakeholders regarding potential program/network improvement opportunities and needs
• Conduct proactive outreach with external stakeholders (e.g., health care providers; health plan) to demonstrate the value of services and offerings
• Collaborate with relevant internal and/or external stakeholders to resolve issues and obstacles with network/program/contract performance
• Collaborate with the contracting team to ensure adherence to internal contracting standards
• Communicate with applicable stakeholders to provide performance updates regarding program/contract implementation (e.g., objectives; goals; timelines; schedules; issues; performance against standard contract agreements)
• Follow-up with stakeholders to ensure issues have been resolved and addressed effectively and timely
• Manage external relationships with third-party vendors to ensure program SLAs are met

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 project management, change control management, or healthcare operations experience
• Advanced PC skills (Excel, PowerPoint, Word, Visio, Outlook, Share Point)

Preferred Qualifications:

• PMP or CAPM certification

• All employees working remotely will be required to adhere to UnitedHealth Group’s Telecommuter Policy.

The salary range for this role is $106,800 to $194,200 annually based on full-time employment. Pay is based on several factors including but not limited to local labor markets, education, work experience, certifications, etc. UnitedHealth Group complies with all minimum wage laws as applicable. In addition to your salary, UnitedHealth Group offers 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 UnitedHealth Group, you’ll find a far-reaching choice of benefits and incentives.

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.

Diversity creates a healthier atmosphere: UnitedHealth Group is an Equal Employment Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, protected veteran status, disability status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, marital status, genetic information, or any other characteristic protected by law.

UnitedHealth Group is a drug – free workplace. Candidates are required to pass a drug test before beginning employment.