Associate Director, Healthcare Economics (Remote)

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 Associate Director - Healthcare Economics is a people leader responsible for managing a team of two analysts while serving as a hands-on subject matter expert in payer contracting analytics and renewal strategy development. This player-coach role is critical to supporting the Optum West Payer Contract Analytics team, which provides analytical insights essential for contract negotiations, renewals, competitive intelligence, and financial forecasting. The position partners closely with healthcare economics, payer contracting, and data informatics teams to evaluate market trends, model financial outcomes, and develop data-driven strategies that optimize payer agreements. As Optum West continues its integration into the National Healthcare Economics (HCE) Data Ecosystem, this leader plays an increasingly important role in leveraging market-specific legacy, proprietary, and public healthcare data to generate actionable insights, enhance analytical capabilities, and inform strategic decision-making. Success in this role requires a blend of solid people leadership, advanced healthcare analytics expertise, business acumen, and the ability to translate complex data into meaningful contract and network strategies. 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.

Manage the evaluation of payer proposals related to FFS, capitation arrangements and value-based contracts Partner with the regional payer contracting teams to manage the modeling and negotiation process, evaluate proposals, and provide guidance to senior leadership on the financial impact and viability of the contract Work closely with the Finance and Actuarial teams to translate contract changes/analytics to the financial forecast Develop the capabilities and infrastructure necessary to support the growth of the analytics team, contracting entities supported, and advanced analytics Design and implement sound tools and applications to efficiently measure, monitor and forecast payer financial performance Be a subject matter expert on employer-sponsored, health insurance exchange (HIX) and government sponsored health insurance products funding changes, impact to payer contracts, and the overall managed healthcare landscape Contributes to building the next generation of analytic professionals and contributes to enterprise-level goals for talent development, diversity, and inclusion Demonstrates continuous learning and maintains a highly skilled and engaged workforce by aligning resource plans with business objectives and ensuring performance management guidelines and expectations drive business objectives and results 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.

Bachelor's degree 5+ years of experience in managed healthcare finance or analytics 5+ years of experience with payer contracting and value-based compensation programs along the risk continuum with a foundation of reimbursement methodologies, performance improvement and contracting support 3+ years of