Contracting Associate Director - Hybrid

At UnitedHealth Group and Optum, we want to make healthcare work better for everyone. This depends on hiring the best and brightest. With a thriving ecosystem of investment and innovation, our business in Ireland is constantly growing to support the healthcare needs of the future.

Our teams are at the forefront of building and adapting the latest technologies to propel healthcare forward in a way that better serves everyone. With our hands at work across all aspects of health, we use the most advanced development tools, AI, data science and innovative approaches to make the healthcare system work better for everyone. Join us and do your life's best work.

OptumRx is looking for a curious and self-motivated individual to identify and develop strategies that leverage the full breadth of Optum assets to solve healthcare’s biggest challenges in the area of pharmacy services. This role will be responsible for understanding the needs of industry partners and developing business solutions using the data and capabilities of Optum. We are looking for people that can collaborate with business partners, anticipate future industry needs, and have strong financial acumen. This is a unique opportunity to work in the US Healthcare market from Ireland.

Careers with Optum offer hybrid work arrangements and individuals who live in the Republic of Ireland will have the opportunity to regularly work from home (remote). Here at Optum we use the office space to promote community, enhance collaboration and foster innovation.

Primary Responsibilities:

• Establishes and maintains strong business relationships with Chain, Grocer, PSAO or Specialty pharmacies in support of clients
• Demonstrate understanding of complex contract language in order to assess financial, non-financial and operational impact and legal implications of requested contract changes
• Demonstrate understanding of competitor landscape within the market (e.g., rates; market share; products; provider networks; market intelligence; GeoAccess)
• Present and discuss industry and market trends with internal and/or external groups (e.g., customer groups; brokers; professional associations; providers) in order to facilitate market strategy development and implementation
• Has a solid understanding of provider termination processes and implications
• Seek information from relevant sources (e.g., COB data; publications; government agencies; providers; provider trade associations) to understand market intelligence information
• Evaluates and negotiates contracts in compliance with client contracts, reimbursement structures, and other key process control
• Monitor and/or oversee provider financial performance to identify opportunities to improve performance and/or provider relationship
• Provides leadership to and is accountable for the performance and results through multiple layers of management and senior level leadership
• Pharmacy network contract negotiation to yield strong financial results for Optum Rx

Job Scope and Guidelines:

• Extensive engagement with both internal and external senior leadership to resolve highly complex or unusual business problems that affect major functions or disciplines
• Drives programs that impact financial results through negotiation

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.

Required Qualifications:

• Undergraduate degree or equivalent experience
• Significant experience of management experience in a healthcare contracting related role (Medical/Pharmacy/Pharmaceuticals/ Health Insurance, etc.) overseeing complex relationships with accountability for business results
• Experience interacting with executive leadership
• Experience understanding financials and explaining details

Preferred Qualifications:

• Financial or Analytical qualification
• Experience with large scale negotiations
• Experience with client presentations (verbal and PowerPoint creation)

Careers with Optum. Here's the idea. We built an entire organisation around one giant objective; make the health system work better for everyone. So when it comes to how we use the world's large accumulation of health-related information, or guide health and lifestyle choices or manage pharmacy benefits for millions, our first goal is to leap beyond the status quo and uncover new ways to serve. Optum, part of the UnitedHealth Group family of businesses, brings together some of the greatest minds and most advanced ideas on where health care has to go in order to reach its fullest potential. For you, that means working on high performance teams against sophisticated challenges that matter. Optum, incredible ideas in one incredible company and a singular opportunity to do your life's best work.℠

All telecommuters will be required to adhere to the Optum Ireland Telecommuter Policy.

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.

Diversity creates a healthier atmosphere: UnitedHealth Group is an Equal Employment Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, protected veteran status, disability status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, marital status, genetic information, or any other characteristic protected by law.