Associate Director - Data Mining

About the Role

Optum, a global healthcare technology organization, aims to improve health outcomes by connecting individuals with care, pharmacy benefits, data, and resources. This role is within the Payment Integrity Exploratory Operations team, which focuses on discovering and validating new medical cost savings opportunities for UnitedHealthcare and client health plans, contributing to enterprise affordability and sustainable growth.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead and mentor a globally distributed team focused on exploratory ideation, ensuring alignment with business priorities and high team engagement.
• Drive the identification and advancement of innovative medical cost savings initiatives across the Payment Integrity product suite.
• Deliver on set medical cost savings targets by managing the pipeline from ideation to validation and realization, aligned with enterprise objectives.
• Manage intake, prioritization, and tracking of new idea submissions, maintaining clear visibility on progress and results.
• Collaborate closely with Product, Operations, and solution teams to support validation and implementation of new concepts.
• Implement disciplined governance and processes to ensure consistency, scalability, and accountability in exploratory projects.
• Coordinate financial reporting related to exploratory ideation, consolidating team inputs for accurate leadership updates.
• Track and analyze key performance indicators such as savings generated, concept conversion rates, and productivity metrics.
• Assist in forecasting and monthly reconciliation of exploratory savings and return on investment.
• Act as a central liaison to align priorities across teams, address challenges, and drive execution of strategic objectives.
• Promote a culture of accountability, continuous improvement, and teamwork within a global workforce.
• Communicate updates regarding progress, risks, and opportunities efficiently to senior leadership.

Qualifications Required

• Bachelor’s degree or comparable experience.
• At least 8 years of experience leading operational teams in healthcare, Payment Integrity, or related areas.
• Thorough understanding of the US healthcare industry, including claims lifecycle and Payment Integrity operations.
• Proven experience managing globally distributed or matrix teams.
• Deep knowledge of medical cost savings mechanisms, claims accuracy, and leakage identification techniques.
• Ability to translate strategy into structured processes and measurable results.
• Experience with financial performance management, reporting, and forecasting.
• Strong problem-solving skills to navigate cross-functional and complex environments.
• Exceptional leadership, communication, and stakeholder management skills.
• Capability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-evolving setting.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in Payment Integrity exploratory or ideation teams focused on growth.
• Background in business process improvement, governance, and scaling operations.
• Familiarity with enterprise-level financial reporting and performance management.
• Experience contributing to large-scale healthcare operational transformation or growth initiatives.
• Track record of developing and mentoring team members for leadership advancement.

Eligibility and Additional Information

Applicants must be currently eligible to work indefinitely in Ireland without restrictions and able to provide proof of eligibility.

UnitedHealth Group is committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion, believing everyone deserves the chance to live their healthiest life. We actively work to reduce environmental impact, health disparities, and promote equitable care.

Optum is an equal opportunity employer ensuring fair hiring regardless of gender, civil status, family status, sexual orientation, disability, religion, age, race, or any protected characteristic. The workplace is drug-free.