Associate Director, Optum Behavioral Health, Capital Management (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 in making healthcare work better for everyone through people-led, responsible AI while Caring. Connecting. Growing together.

The Associate Director, Optum Behavioral Health (OBH) Capital Management leads end-to-end capital portfolio activities; shaping portfolio strategy, owning business case development and validation, and driving benefit realization in partnership with business, finance, and technology leaders.

This role provides consultation and decision support to ensure investments are prioritized, governed, and measured against committed value.

Success is defined by establishing portfolio strategies that advance business priorities, aligning leaders to expectations, and strengthening the discipline and transparency of capital decision-making.

The successful candidate brings strong financial and analytical rigor, communicates clearly with executive audiences, and thrives collaborating in a fast-paced, matrixed environment.

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

Capital Portfolio Strategy & Planning

Establish and drive OBH capital portfolio strategy, managing opportunities through the full lifecycle: intake, governance approval, implementation, closure, and value realization

Support enterprise planning, investment prioritization, and resource allocation with factbased financial insights and reallocation recommendations

Strengthen capital discipline by improving evaluation standards, documentation, governance, and decision-support tools that increase the speed and quality of business decisions

Business Case (CBA) Development & Validation

Own the end-to-end CBA lifecycle, ensuring submissions are data-driven, auditable, and aligned to enterprise CBA standards and funding principles

Build financial models, scenario analyses, and opportunity economics (benefit potential, cost structure, capital requirements, risk, and returns), translating ambiguous inputs into clear assumptions and recommendations for senior leaders

Partner with capability leaders, finance, and technology program owners to review benefit methodologies, validate assumptions, and drive consistency in benefit modeling

Benefit Realization & Performance Tracking

Serve as the central coordination point for benefit realization across workstreams, operational teams, and finance partners

Track realized vs. planned benefits and performance of approved investments against business case assumptions, escalating risks and recommending corrective actions, with reporting that ties out to operational and financial information

Governance, Executive Reporting & Partnership

Support monthly and quarterly governance forums with benefit outlooks, risk updates, and value realization dashboards, and present executive-ready materials communicating opportunity size, risks, and recommended actions

Build trusted relationships with OH business leaders and lead cross-functional workstreams in a matrixed environment, partnering closely with Whole Health Solutions and Optum Health Capital Management & Planning

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

6+ years of progressive experience in financial analysis, strategic finance, FP&A, consulting, or capital/portfolio management

• 3+ years of experience leading portfolio, program, or project governance
• Experience building complex financial models and business cases, including benefit quantification and ROI analysis
• Experience tracking investment or benefit performance against approved business case assumptions
• Experience presenting to and influencing senior or executive stakeholders in a matrixed environment
• Advanced proficiency in Excel and PowerPoint

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in financial services, healthcare, or another regulated industry
• Experience with capital allocation frameworks, enterprise CBA standards, or investment governance processes
• Experience supporting product and technology organizations in an agile environment
• Proven ability to synthesize ambiguous inputs into clear financial frameworks and strategic recommendations
• Proven solid analytical, problem-solving, and decision-making capabilities with high attention to detail

*All employees working remotely will be required to adhere to UnitedHealth Group’s Telecommuter Policy

Pay is based on several factors including but not limited to local labor markets, education, work experience, certifications, etc. In addition to your salary, we offer benefits such as, a comprehensive benefits package, incentive and recognition programs, equity stock purchase and 401k contribution (all benefits are subject to eligibility requirements).

No matter where or when you begin a career with us, you’ll find a far-reaching choice of benefits and incentives. The salary for this role will range from $112,700 - $193,200 annually based on full-time employment. We comply with all minimum wage laws as applicable.

Application Deadline: This will be posted for a minimum of 2 business days or until a sufficient candidate pool has been collected. Job posting may come down early due to volume of applicants.

At UnitedHealth Group, our mission is to help people live healthier lives and help make the health system work better for everyone. Together, we are shaping the future of healthcare by harnessing technology and innovation to make care simpler to navigate, more affordable and more connected for the people we serve.

We are committed to creating an inclusive workplace where everyone feels welcomed, valued, heard and respected, empowering people to bring their authentic selves to work and strengthening our collective impact through diverse talents, backgrounds, experiences and perspectives.

UnitedHealth Group and its affiliated brands are an Equal Employment Opportunity employer under applicable law and qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, national origin, religion, age, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, or protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by local, state, or federal laws, rules, or regulations.

UnitedHealth Group and its affiliated brands are a drug-free workplace. Candidates are required to pass a drug test before beginning employment.