Director, Analytics and Health Policy Research

UnitedHealth Group is a health care and well-being company that's dedicated to improving the health outcomes of millions around the world. We are comprised of two distinct and complementary businesses, UnitedHealthcare and Optum, working to build a better health system for all. Here, your contributions matter as they will help transform health care for years to come. Make an impact with a team that shares your passion for helping others. Join us in making healthcare work better for everyone through people-led, responsible AI while Caring. Connecting. Growing together. UnitedHealth Group's Center for Health Care Research, based in Minneapolis and Washington, D.C., seeks an outstanding and experienced researcher and project manager to serve on a high-performing team of innovative health care researchers and analysts working within a mission-driven, results-oriented, restless, and highly successful Enterprise. The Center's research advances UHG's commitment to the development of a next-generation health system in a socially conscious manner and the implementation of actionable, practical, and timely policy and market solutions that can achieve universal coverage, affordability, better experiences for patients and physicians, and improved health outcomes. The research is critical to drive understanding of key health care market dynamics and strategic opportunities among senior UHG leadership and is leveraged by Center partners in Corporate Communications and Federal and State Government Affairs as they engage the public, the media, and policy makers. The successful candidate will possess strong analytic skills, strategic thinking, project management experience, ability to communicate with technical and non-technical audiences (both oral and written); deep and broad knowledge of health care data, policy, and markets; passion for health care transformation; and excellent judgment. The successful candidate will manage high-profile partnerships with prominent researchers at leading universities; analyze large administrative, claims, and clinical datasets; and collaborate with data scientists, economists, and other research analysts across the Enterprise to advance and facilitate academic partner-led research. 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. Primary Responsibilities: • Managing UHG's partnerships with prominent researchers at leading universities, with responsibility for collaborating on all aspects of research studies, from conceptualization to reviewing analytic results to publishing, and for managing the operational and strategic direction of UHG's partnerships including enabling data access and facilitating proposal reviews and research agreements, while serving as a key UHG representative in shaping the long-term research agenda with key external partners • Serving as a trusted partner for academic partners through a deep understanding of the Enterprise's data assets and the ability to lead feasibility studies, data exploration, ad hoc analysis, and verification to advance research studies, while helping identify opportunities to maximize the value and impact of UHG's research investments • Partnering with UHG's senior business executives, clinical leaders, and subject matter experts to identify and validate high-value research studies that leverage the Enterprise's distinctive data insights, analytic assets, technology, scale, and its population health, benefit, provider, and care delivery models to advance health policy and inform enterprise strategy • Building internal relationships and collaborating with senior business leaders to inform, execute, and elevate research collaborations with external partners; integrating expertise from across UHG; and ensuring research partnerships align with a UHG-wide perspective on key issues, strategic priorities, and reputational considerations • Providing governance oversight of research scope and objectives to identify and resolve risks/issues and report progress to applicable stakeholders throughout the project life cycle, as needed, and ensuring research scope, requirements and approvals comply with topic and data use policies, strategic priorities, and reputational considerations • Designing, programming, and executing data analysis; and mentoring, developing, and providing technical leadership to data analysts to strengthen research capabilities and analytical rigor across the organization • Anticipating future data and research needs and partnering with internal data governance leaders to develop and execute a data strategy for academic research that advances enterprise research priorities and enhances the long-term value of UHG's data assets • Collaborating with data partners to steward data assets, including regular data refreshes, and ancillary data sources as needed, and to triage data, software, and technical inquiries appropriately, while helping establish priorities for data acquisition, accessibility, and research enablement • Partnering with UHG Government Affairs, Public Affairs, and Communications leaders on disseminating and enhancing the visibility and impact for published research, ensuring research findings are communicated effectively to policymakers, industry stakeholders, and other key external audiences • Collaborating on diverse aspects of the Center's work and advancement of UHG priorities, contributing to enterprise-wide initiatives, thought leadership efforts, and the delivery of CHCR's strategic objectives • Serving as a recognized enterprise resource on external research partnerships, advising senior leaders on research opportunities, governance considerations, and strategies to maximize the policy, business, and reputational impact of UHG-sponsored research • Representing UHG in engagements with lead