Senior Strategic Director, Business Development - 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 to start Caring. Connecting. Growing together.

Optum Financial is a high-growth area within Optum and is one of United Health Group's growth pillars. In support of this growth, Optum Financial is expanding its Strategy & Business Development team. This role sits within a fast-moving business unit of a Fortune 10 company and requires a unique blend of strategic rigor, operational execution, and external market leadership.

We are seeking a high-impact leader to drive enterprise-critical strategy initiatives and translate them into accelerated growth through partnerships. The Senior Director will operate as both an internal strategy leader-owning complex, high-visibility initiatives end-to-end-and as a market-facing executive responsible for sourcing, structuring, and scaling partnerships across product, distribution, and innovation ecosystems.

This role demands a 'player-coach' who can seamlessly shift between executive-level strategy, hands-on problem solving, and develop external relationships.

The ideal candidate will have experience in in-house strategy, business development, consulting, or corporate development with strong knowledge of fintech and healthcare industries. This position will report to the current VP in developing strategy and driving inorganic growth across Optum Financial.

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

Primary Responsibilities:

* Enterprise Strategy Leadership

* Leads strategy engagements across Optum Financial, including the development of industry landscapes, long-term strategy, GTM strategy, and inorganic growth strategy

* Frame and decompose ambiguous problems into structured analyses and actionable work streams (e.g. research plans, testing of assumptions and hypotheses, financial analysis and market assessments, competitive benchmarking)

* Deliver clear, executive-ready recommendations and influence senior stakeholders

* Drive execution of strategic initiatives, ensuring accountability, measurable outcomes, and sustained impact

* Rapidly develop deep expertise in business unit strategy, growth priorities, and competitive positioning

* Serve as a strategic advisor, shaping direction and identifying new growth vectors

* Manage senior stakeholder expectations in a fast-moving matrixed organization

* Partnership Sourcing & Deal Origination

* Proactively identify and prioritize partnership opportunities aligned with strategic growth areas

* Build and maintain a robust pipeline of potential partners across product, distribution, technology, and innovation

* Develop partnership theses, including strategic rationale, value creation opportunities, and risk assessment

* Actively engage the market to source opportunities-leveraging networks, industry events, and outbound outreach

* Lead early-stage discussions, opportunity shaping, and partner qualification

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 in business or related field

* 10+ years of experience in managing and executing strategy projects from end-to-end, business development, consulting, or corporate development

* 10+ years of experience/expertise in fintech and healthcare

* 10+ years of experience working with senior level leaders

* 10+ years of executive communication and story-telling, Excel modeling

* Proven track record of leading complex, cross-functional strategy initiatives with enterprise impact

* Proven excellent communication and presentation skills

* Proven ability to work independently and drive projects to completion

* Proven ability to work across multiple teams and supporting functions

* Proven ability to thrive in a fast-paced environment

Preferred

Qualification:

* MBA

* All employees working remotely will be required to adhere to United Health 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…