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.
The Director, Pharmacy Category Management is accountable for leading Optum Health’s >$1B in annual enterprise pharmacy category spend. In collaboration with Optum Health Care Delivery Organizations and Optum Rx this role leads pharmaceutical strategy (GSK, Pfizer, vaccines, oncology, generic injectables, etc.), strategic supplier relationships and negotiations, related Group Purchasing Organization relationships, sourcing, contracting, and supplier management and performance.
This is a high visibility individual contributor role where influencing internal and external key stakeholders will be critical to success. The successful candidate must be passionate about customer service and a service first culture, driving value and performance improvements related to Optum Health’s Pharmacy cost, service, support, and product availability. The ideal candidate is a recognized industry leader in pharmaceutical procurement, possesses senior suppler contacts and industry peers, with a track record of value creation, innovation, and service excellence.
You’ll enjoy the flexibility to work remotely * from anywhere within the U.S. as you take on some tough challenges.
Primary Responsibilities
- Demonstrates solid collaboration skills and a service excellence / servant leadership mentality
- Lives and incorporates the UHG values in their daily work
- Demonstrates history of delivering value with strategic pharmaceutical categories
- Forms high performance relationships with Care Delivery Organizations, enterprise teams, subject experts, and suppliers
- Demonstrates exceptional experience in vendor relationships interacting with senior vendor leaders and works collaboratively with partners
- Delivers industry leading contracts, cost, product availability and support for Optum Health Care Delivery Organizations
- Recognized for delivering continuous supplier performance improvements
- Demonstrates emotional resilience in stress situations; maintains a positive attitude when encountering resistance or setbacks; actively supports organizational change
- Assesses local and national suppliers, solutions, and capabilities
- Understands external market and industry trends
- Relentlessly and judiciously prioritize time, resources, and investments - focused on GSD (Get Stuff Done)
- Displays solid speaking skills with ability to know the measures & share with operations, business, national leaders, market presidents and finance
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
- 8+ years of category management or procurement experience
- 5+ years of pharmaceutical category management
- Deep pharmaceutical category management experience in a scaled environment
- Demonstrated experience in leading category management functions (category expertise, sourcing, contracting, supplier management)
- Spend managed exceeds $10M annually
- Demonstrated successful completion of pharmaceutical RFPs and contracts
- Demonstrated success in delivering savings or value
Preferred Qualifications
- Proven service oriented leader focused on exceeding customer expectations with the ability to influence all levels of Care Delivery and Supplier organizations
- Proven excellent communicator verbal and written
- Bias towards action and results with the ability to resolve conflicts and remove barriers
- Demonstrated ability to create value for customers in the form of savings, efficiency, and quality improvement
- Demonstrated ability to analyze spend, identify opportunities, and communicate detailed expected results to partnering teams
- All employees working remotely will be required to adhere to UnitedHealth Group’s Telecommuter Policy
California, Colorado, Connecticut, Hawaii, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, or Washington Residents Only: The salary range for this role is $122,100 to $234,700 annually. Pay is based on several factors including but not limited to local labor markets, education, work experience, certifications, etc. UnitedHealth Group complies with all minimum wage laws as applicable. In addition to your salary, UnitedHealth Group offers 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 UnitedHealth Group, you’ll find a far-reaching choice of benefits and incentives.
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.
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.
UnitedHealth Group is a drug-free workplace. Candidates are required to pass a drug test before beginning employment.
