Associate Project Manager

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 diversity and inclusion, talented peers, comprehensive benefits and career development opportunities. Come make an impact on the communities we serve as you help us advance health equity on a global scale. Join us to start Caring. Connecting. Growing together.

This position will report into the Director of Vendor Contracting & Management on the Clinical Excellence team within Optum Health and will be responsible for supporting the end-to-end contract management process for our portfolio of clinical vendors.

This role will be focused on project management, process improvement and reporting aimed at ensuring the efficient and effective intake and management of vendor contracting requests on behalf of the Clinical Excellence Vendor Contracting & Management Team and its key stakeholders including CDO Markets and Regions as well as additional Optum Health and UHG businesses.

The candidate for this role will be engaged in the end-to-end process, from initial intake to completion for all vendor requests and initiatives within a complex business model that requires attention to detail and a high sense of urgency. This role will challenge your ability to work on complex projects with shifting scope and deadlines. You'll need flexibility, agility and the ability to adapt to change while maintaining solid relationships with stakeholders in a highly cross-matrixed environment.

You'll enjoy the flexibility to work remotely * from anywhere within the U.S. as you take on some tough challenges.

Primary Responsibilities:

• Ability to follow established workflow to intake, triage, manage, escalate, and follow-up on all contract requests to ensure required tasks are addressed and/or completed appropriately
• Track each request status through various stages and systems of review including of IT/Tech, Mercury, Ariba, Concur, etc
• Support accurate reporting and dashboards within Smartsheet to ensure full tracking and reporting of request queue including status, due dates, next steps, etc. for all contracting requests to provide visibility and hold stakeholders accountable for assigned deliverables and achievement of established SLAs
• Ability to influence internal and external stakeholders/resources to move requests forward while overcoming challenges
• Ensure prompt escalation of challenges/issues that will impact the business and initiative delivery and proactively apply issue resolution
• Co-manage the monthly Vendor Contracting & Management Stakeholder meetings and/or communication including the status of each request, agenda, minutes and follow-up items/next steps
• Help maintain repository of program and process documentation via Teams Sharepoint site in consultation with applicable stakeholders (e.g. Mercury process, templates, contracts/SOWs, etc)
• Adhere and stay abreast of changes to Procurement workflows, business rules, policies, and procedures including participating in Mercury User Groups, Ariba/Concur training, etc
• Support vendor invoicing issue resolution where needed
• Cultivate and maintain solid relationships with vendors and internal stakeholders to foster collaboration and address concerns

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:

• 3+ years of solid project management experience successfully delivering on simultaneous complex projects in a highly matrixed environment
• 1+ year of vendor/supplier contract request management including the proven ability to manage multiple projects with varying timelines, quickly identify risks and implement mitigation steps
• Highly proficient in Smartsheet including data, reports and dashboards
• Proficiency with Excel, Visio, PowerPoint, Word and SharePoint

Preferred Qualifications:

• Working knowledge/experience of Mercury for vendor/supplier processes
• Healthcare industry experience in a payer setting
• Understanding of vendor/supplier contracting processes within the healthcare industry

*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 hourly pay for this role will range from $28.27 to $50.48 per hour 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 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.

UnitedHealth Group is 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 is a drug - free workplace. Candidates are required to pass a drug test before beginning employment.

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