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.
Job Description:
- The Lead Data Analyst is responsible for identifying, prioritizing, and delivering high-value automation, inventory reduction, and claims processing optimization opportunities that support enterprise Cost & Productivity (C&P) objectives and long-term operational transformation goals
- This role serves as the key liaison between Analytics, Operations, Business Analysts, and Technology teams, ensuring opportunities progress efficiently from ideation through implementation and benefit realization. The position is accountable for managing a portfolio of automation and productivity initiatives, monitoring performance against business commitments, mitigating risks, and ensuring forecasted benefits translate into measurable operational outcomes
- A core focus of the role is evaluating manual inventory, claims workflows, and operational pain points to identify scalable automation solutions that improve productivity, streamline processes, and enhance claims processing efficiency. The individual will build business cases, develop strategic roadmaps, validate realized benefits, and drive execution of future-year opportunity pipelines
- The role also provides leadership in governance, testing, operational readiness, and quality assurance to ensure solutions are effectively implemented and deliver sustainable business value. Working across Payment Integrity, Operations, Technology, and Analytics teams, the Lead Data Analyst drives execution against strategic priorities while fostering continuous improvement through advanced analytics, automation, and AI-enabled capabilities
Primary Responsibilities:
- Lead the identification, evaluation, and prioritization of high-impact automation and operational efficiency opportunities
- Manage and govern a portfolio of Cost & Productivity initiatives, ensuring delivery against quarterly and annual targets
- Develop and maintain multi-year automation and operational improvement roadmaps aligned with enterprise priorities
- Partner with Business Analysts, Data Scientists, Developers, Operations leaders, and Technology teams to drive solution delivery and implementation
- Establish governance frameworks, testing standards, and quality controls to ensure operational readiness and long-term sustainability
- Monitor implementation progress, manage risks and dependencies, and drive issue resolution across stakeholder groups
- Track and validate operational and financial benefit realization through reporting and performance measurement
- Analyze inventory trends, workload patterns, and claims processing opportunities to improve operational effectiveness
- Provide leadership updates on initiative progress, risks, dependencies, and mitigation strategies
- Identify and evaluate emerging automation, AI, and advanced analytics capabilities to expand productivity opportunities
- Support technology strategy decisions related to reporting, analytics platforms, automation solutions, and operational infrastructure
- Lead resource planning, workload prioritization, and capacity management to support strategic and operational commitments
- Comply with all applicable Company policies, procedures, and business directives, changes including those relating to work location, team assignments, work schedules, and flexible work arrangements
Required Qualifications:
- Bachelor's degree or equivalent work experience
- 7+ years of experience in healthcare analytics, operational excellence, automation, business process optimization, or related disciplines
- Experience leading cross-functional initiatives from concept through implementation and value realization
- Experience with reporting tools, dashboards, performance measurement frameworks, and operational metrics
- Solid understanding of healthcare claims processing, operational workflows, and inventory management concepts
- Proven ability to develop business cases, quantify benefits, and measure operational outcomes
- Proven solid analytical, problem-solving, and decision-making skills with the ability to translate data into actionable recommendations
- Proven excellent communication, executive presentation, stakeholder management, and influencing skills
- Proven ability to manage multiple priorities and deliver results in a fast-paced environment
Preferred Qualifications:
- Experience within Payment Integrity, Data Mining Analytics, Claims Operations, or related healthcare functions
- Experience driving operational excellence, process transformation, and continuous improvement programs
- Experience managing or leading teams responsible for automation development, implementation, and performance management
- Knowledge of automation technologies, AI, machine learning, workflow optimization, and digital transformation initiatives
- Familiarity with strategic planning, portfolio management, and enterprise productivity initiatives
- Demonstrated success in stakeholder management across business, operational, analytical, and technology teams
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.