Vice President, PBM Strategic Partnerships , Regional Health Plan - Remote

UnitedHealth Group•Minnetonka, MN

28d•$159,300 - $273,200•Remote

About The Position

Optum Rx is seeking a visionary Vice President of Client Management to lead influential Health Plan relationships and shape the future of pharmacy care. This role serves as a trusted advisor to C-suite executives and senior healthcare leaders, building partnerships that drive growth, improve outcomes, and create value for millions of members. The position involves navigating a rapidly evolving healthcare landscape and advancing innovative solutions for affordability, access, and quality. The Vice President will lead a high-performing team, influence enterprise strategy, and deliver measurable results in client retention, financial performance, contract execution, and customer satisfaction. This is a highly visible leadership role operating in a dynamic environment, requiring anticipation of change, strategic thinking, and confident leadership. The ideal candidate combines executive presence with business acumen, innovation with execution, and vision with action, capable of cultivating relationships, influencing across organizations, championing new ideas, and leading complex initiatives. The role also involves shaping the Health Plans segment by gathering market insights and translating them into strategic, product, and go-to-market actions to position Optum Rx as a trusted partner and industry leader. The position offers the flexibility to work remotely from anywhere within the U.S.

Requirements

10+ years of healthcare industry experience, including progressive leadership roles and a proven track record of success
6+ years of recent people leadership experience developing high-performing teams
5+ years of PBM industry experience
Deep knowledge of the PBM/managed care pharmacy industry, including evolving market dynamics, pricing, and contracting models
Extensive account management experience with large, complex health plan clients, with demonstrated growth in responsibility, strategic partnership and contract management (interpretation, execution and negotiation)
Proven ability to engage and influence C-suite stakeholders, leading innovative, forward-thinking discussions
Demonstrated success leading and developing high-performing teams to achieve business outcomes
Proven deep financial acumen, including experience interpreting financial statements, identifying trends, driving strategic recommendations and managing client profitability
Willingness to travel up to 50% at times

Nice To Haves

Registered Pharmacist or PharmD
Experience partnering with sales and cross-functional teams to support RFP responses and finalist presentations
PBM pricing and contracting modeling experience
Demonstrated ability to operate effectively and drive results within highly matrixed organizations
Demonstrated success leading complex negotiations, utilizing solid communication, influence, and listening skills
Proven solid program management experience, with the ability to lead complex initiatives end-to-end
Experience developing and delivering compelling presentations to message and position information for maximum customer impact and influence
Experience effectively navigating and driving results in a highly complex, matrix environment

Responsibilities

Own and execute multi-year, account specific strategies that drive growth, retention, margin expansion, and long-term partnership value
Build and sustain C-suite and senior executive relationships with health plans and key consultant firms; serve as a trusted strategic advisor
Lead executive governance, including operating committees, QBRs, and escalation management
Maintain end to end accountability for contract performance, interpretation, and execution, ensuring compliance with commercial, regulatory, and financial terms
Own P&L performance for assigned accounts, including operating budgets, revenue growth, upsell targets, and cost to serve management
Lead renewals, amendments, and market checks in partnership with Pricing, Underwriting, Legal, and Finance
Proactively identify and mitigate financial, contractual, regulatory, and reputational risk
Partner with senior leaders across Optum Rx and Optum enterprise to deliver integrated client specific strategic plans
Serve as executive sponsor for complex initiatives
Ensure alignment between sales commitments, operational readiness, and delivery outcomes
Set and enforce a metrics driven client management and service model, holding teams accountable for performance and outcomes
Drive high client satisfaction and retention, including NPS performance
Serve as senior escalation point for high profile or mission critical client issues
Provide strategic input to product teams based on market intelligence, client needs, and consultant insights
Partner with Sales on RFPs, finalist presentations, and growth pursuits, articulating a clear and differentiated value proposition
Represent Optum Rx externally as a credible, visible market leader
Lead, develop, and retain a high performing account management organization, including succession and bench planning
Foster a culture of accountability, engagement, collaboration, and continuous improvement