Director, Labor Relations - Remote

UnitedHealth Group•West Nyack, NY

4h•$134,600 - $230,800•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 to start Caring. Connecting. Growing together. You’ll enjoy the flexibility to work remotely from anywhere within the U.S. as you take on some tough challenges.

Requirements

10+ years of progressive experience in labor relations, employee relations, union relations, or related roles in large, matrixed organizations or health systems
Proven solid knowledge of labor law, including the NLRA and NLRB regulations, with experience in campaign preparedness, manager enablement, and labor risk mitigation
Demonstrated success designing and deploying large-scale proactive labor relations programs, change initiatives, and enterprise governance frameworks
Proven ability to negotiate, influence, and build trusted relationships at all levels, including senior leaders, cross-functional partners, and union stakeholders
Proven excellent communication, presentation, facilitation, and executive influence skills, with the ability to translate labor insights into actionable business strategies
Driver’s License and access to reliable transportation

Nice To Haves

Healthcare experience
Direct experience with collective bargaining strategy, contract interpretation, grievances, arbitrations, and serving as campaign manager during union election campaigns

Responsibilities

Serve as a strategic thought partner to leadership on workforce climate, employee engagement risks, labor stability, and union relations matters across assigned business segments
Develop and lead an enterprise labor relations strategy that balances proactive workforce engagement, leader preparedness, labor risk mitigation, and union relations priorities aligned with business objectives and organizational risk tolerance
Lead proactive labor relations programs, including toolkits, training, communications, sentiment insights, and governance mechanisms, ensuring consistent adoption while enabling business-specific application
Provide strategic guidance to senior leaders, People Team partners, and operational leaders on collective bargaining strategy, contract administration, interpretation, grievance trends, and broader labor risk mitigation
Lead enterprise readiness and response to union organizing activity and election campaigns, ensuring lawful, coordinated, and effective engagement strategies in compliance with labor law and NLRB regulations
Establish governance, reporting, escalation, and compliance frameworks to ensure consistent execution of both proactive labor relations and union relations activities across the enterprise
Build leader and team capability through coaching, simulations, training, and change support related to labor strategy, campaign preparedness, contract application, and labor-management relationship effectiveness
Lead and develop a consultative team, overseeing portfolio prioritization, resourcing, execution quality, and knowledge transfer while supporting major labor initiatives, disputes, and enterprise change efforts
Lead collective bargaining strategy across assigned business segments including preparation of materials, negotiation and contract administration, serving as chief spokesperson or executive advisor during negotiations
Ensure consistent interpretation and application of collective bargaining agreements and provide oversight of grievances, arbitrations and disputes