Director - Behavioral Health, Payer Value Creation - Remote

UnitedHealth Group•Eden Prairie, MN

23h•$159,300 - $273,200•Remote

About The Position

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 in making healthcare work better for everyone through people-led, responsible AI while Caring. Connecting. Growing together. The Director, Behavioral Health Payer Value Creation leads the payer affordability portfolio for Optum Behavioral Health. This role translates enterprise value strategy into a disciplined, executable portfolio of initiatives that improves cost efficiency, quality, benefits integrity and customer value. The Director serves as the primary value creation partner for the payer business, connecting leaders across clinical, network, payment integrity, finance, analytics, product, operations, and client teams to identify opportunities, build credible business cases, mobilize delivery, and produce measurable results. This is a highly visible role for a leader who can move comfortably between strategy and execution. The successful candidate brings executive presence, strong judgment, exceptional organization and a track record of getting complex work done through cross-functional teams.

Requirements

12+ years of experience in healthcare, managed care, consulting, strategy, operations, affordability, value creation or a related field
10+ years leading complex, cross-functional initiatives with accountability for strategy, execution and measurable business outcomes
Demonstrated experience identifying cost or performance improvement opportunities and converting them into executable initiatives
Experience working across multiple functions such as clinical, network, payment integrity, finance, analytics, product, operations or client management
Proven executive presence, including the ability to communicate complex topics clearly, confidently and concisely to senior audiences
Proven track record of moving work from concept to implementation and sustaining accountability through delivery

Nice To Haves

Master's degree in business, healthcare administration, public health or a related field
Experience in behavioral health, specialty benefits, payer services or delegated health plan operations
Experience with healthcare affordability, medical expense management, total cost of care, utilization management, value-based care, payment integrity or benefits integrity
Experience working with external payer, ASO or health plan customers and translating business results into a compelling customer value story
Experience with advanced analytics, digital tools, automation or AI-enabled solutions
Familiarity with behavioral health clinical operations, provider networks, regulatory and parity considerations, and quality or access measures

Responsibilities

Own the payer value creation and affordability agenda, including development of priorities, goals, roadmaps and performance expectations aligned to business and customer needs
Identify and assess emerging cost, utilization, quality and operational trends; translate insights into clear actions that reduce avoidable cost, improve outcomes and strengthen the payer value story
Build, prioritize and manage a portfolio of payer affordability initiatives across clinical, network, payment integrity, benefits integrity, product and operational levers
Lead initiatives from opportunity identification through solution design, approval, implementation, adoption, measurement and financial validation, with clear ownership, milestones, risks and dependencies
Develop rigorous business cases, value models and executive recommendations using data, operational insight and sound assumptions; partner with Finance and analytics teams to validate impact and prevent double counting
Establish and maintain strong operating disciplines, including portfolio governance, workplans, decision logs, status reporting, issue escalation and executive-ready updates
Partner across Optum Behavioral Health and the broader enterprise to align stakeholders, resolve barriers and accelerate execution in a complex matrixed environment
Represent payer affordability strategy, progress, risks and results with senior leaders and internal and external stakeholders through concise, compelling written and verbal communication
Connect affordability work to quality, access, member experience, provider relationships, regulatory requirements and customer commitments
Promote innovation and continuous improvement, including the use of advanced analytics, digital tools and AI-enabled capabilities to improve insight, efficiency and decision-making
Create transparency into portfolio performance, challenge assumptions constructively and ensure teams remain accountable for commitments and measurable outcomes
Share best practices across lines of business and identify opportunities to scale proven approaches while adapting solutions to payer-specific needs