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 inclusion, talented peers, comprehensive benefits and career development opportunities. Come make an impact on the communities we serve as you help us advance health optimization on a global scale. Join us to start Caring. Connecting. Growing together.
The Senior Manager, Pharmacy Process and Performance serves as both a program manager and business operator, helping translate Pharmacy strategy into executable plans while building the operating rhythm, performance visibility, and process discipline needed to drive consistent delivery across clinical programs, affordability initiatives, and operational priorities.
This role is accountable for building execution discipline, maintaining visibility into progress, coordinating cross-functional workstreams, and supporting leadership decision-making through clear reporting, issue escalation, and operational follow-through.
Success requires strong program management, hands-on operational execution, stakeholder alignment, and executive communication skills, with the ability to influence across a matrixed environment while driving clarity, accountability, and measurable progress.
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
- Strategy Translation & Execution Planning
- Translate enterprise and Pharmacy priorities into quarterly execution plans with defined initiatives, milestones, owners, and measurable outcomes
- Support clear initiative structure, including scope, success measures, implementation plans, dependencies, and decision points
- Maintain an integrated view of the Pharmacy initiative portfolio to support prioritization, sequencing, and leadership visibility
- Operating Rhythm & Performance Management
- Coordinate the Pharmacy leadership operating cadence, including weekly execution reviews, monthly business reviews, and quarterly planning routines
- Develop and maintain KPI dashboards, performance frameworks, and standardized reporting routines that support leadership visibility and decision-making
- Track performance against targets, identify gaps, and support corrective action planning across affordability, clinical, and operational priorities
- Standardize reporting practices and operating routines to improve consistency, transparency, and accountability across teams
- Program Management & Operational Execution
- Manage execution plans for high-priority initiatives, including workplans, timelines, deliverables, risks, issues, dependencies, and operational readiness needs
- Implement and scale standardized execution tools, including initiative trackers, stage gates, implementation templates, and decision logs
- Drive disciplined follow-through from planning through execution, ensuring workstreams move from concept to implementation with clear ownership, measurable progress, and timely issue resolution
- Operate with a hands-on execution mindset by reducing operational friction, closing loops, and helping teams sustain progress through deployment and value realization
- Cross-Functional Alignment & Execution Enablement
- Coordinate execution across clinical, operational, analytic, and enterprise partners to support alignment and forward progress
- Clarify ownership, decision rights, interdependencies, and escalation pathways across workstreams
- Identify barriers to execution, surface risks, and support resolution of competing priorities, unclear processes, and resource constraints
- Support leadership forums and working sessions that accelerate decision-making and maintain execution momentum
- Executive Communication & Leadership Deliverables
- Develop executive-ready deliverables, including presentations, briefings, decision memos, issue summaries, and performance updates
- Synthesize complex inputs into clear, action-oriented insights, recommendations, and next steps
- Maintain consistency, clarity, and rigor across leadership communications and recurring executive materials
- Support preparation for leadership reviews, executive discussions, and enterprise forums by ensuring materials are complete, accurate, and decision-ready
- Business Process, Governance & Throughput Optimization
- Design and maintain repeatable operating systems, governance routines, and tracking mechanisms that improve execution consistency and speed
- Standardize templates, workflows, and communication formats to improve quality, reliability, and organizational throughput
- Identify opportunities for process improvement, automation, and simplification in how work is planned, tracked, delivered, and reported
- Leverage AI and productivity tools to improve speed, quality, and throughput across reporting, analysis, project tracking, and execution workflows
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 strategy execution, business operations, consulting, program management, healthcare operations, pharmacy, affordability, value-based care, or related healthcare functions
- Experience managing cross-functional initiatives, execution plans, operating cadence, and performance tracking in a matrixed environment
- Experience developing KPI frameworks, dashboards, scorecards, or recurring reporting routines to support leadership decision-making
- Proven solid capability in planning, milestone tracking, risk and issue management, dependency management, and delivery follow-through
- Proven solid written and verbal communication skills with experience preparing leadership materials, summaries, presentations, and recommendations
- Proven ability to operate effectively with senior leaders and cross-functional partners, driving outcomes through influence, structure, and accountability
Preferred Qualifications
- Experience in pharmacy, clinical operations, healthcare economics, affordability initiatives, value-based care, or large-scale healthcare transformation
- Experience supporting operating cadence, governance routines, performance reviews, and execution management for complex, multi-market organizations
- Experience using Smartsheet or similar project and portfolio management tools to track initiatives, manage dependencies, monitor risks, and report progress across cross-functional workstreams
- Familiarity with performance metrics, implementation planning, process improvement, and change management in large matrixed organizations
- Demonstrated use of AI, automation, or advanced productivity tools to improve execution speed, quality, reporting, or throughput
*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 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.