Associate Director, Quantitative Strategy and Decision Science

Improve the lives of others while Caring. Connecting. Growing together.

Job Description - Associate Director, Quantitative Strategy and Decision Science (2393660)

Associate Director, Quantitative Strategy and Decision Science - 2393660

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's Enterprise Clinical Services Strategy & Planning team is seeking an Associate Director of Quantitative Strategy and Decision Science to lead complex analytical work that informs strategic priorities, program design, resource allocation, and operational improvement. This senior individual-contributor role will combine rigorous research methods, advanced statistics, and business strategy to turn complex healthcare and operational data into clear decisions and practical solutions.

The role will serve as a recognized expert and key resource on high-impact questions that require complex conceptual analysis, innovative methodological approaches, and clear communication with leaders and non-technical stakeholders. The Associate Director will anticipate stakeholder needs, shape analytical approaches, lead projects and work streams, review the work of others, and mentor colleagues. The position is well suited to an experienced quantitative researcher who can integrate survey and administrative data, establish reproducible analytical practices, and translate nuanced findings into actionable recommendations.

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.

• Lead complex quantitative and mixed-method analyses that support enterprise strategy, program design, service improvement, investment decisions, and resource allocation
• Frame ambiguous business and policy questions, define decision criteria, identify appropriate data sources, and develop rigorous analytical plans
• Apply advanced statistical, computational, and research methods to identify patterns, estimate effects, quantify uncertainty, and evaluate strategic alternatives
• Integrate and harmonize administrative, operational, clinical, survey, and external data into documented analytical assets suitable for repeatable decision support
• Translate technical findings into concise recommendations, executive narratives, visualizations, and presentations for decision-makers without technical backgrounds

• Design evaluations, surveys, indicators, and measurement frameworks that help leaders understand customer needs, organizational performance, program outcomes, and emerging risks
• Develop innovative analytical approaches when standard methods are insufficient for complex, incomplete, longitudinal, or high-dimensional data
• Use methods such as Bayesian inference, machine learning, quasi-experimental design, survey analysis, time-series analysis, latent variable modeling, multilevel modeling, network analysis, or small-area estimation as appropriate to the business question
• Evaluate analytical and AI-enabled methods for practical use, balancing methodological rigor, interpretability, reproducibility, and operational value
• Establish quality standards, reusable methods, documentation, and reproducible workflows that strengthen the team's analytical capabilities

• Serve as a key resource on complex or critical strategic issues and proactively develop solutions that address stakeholder needs
• Lead functional work streams or cross-functional projects, including scope, approach, work planning, milestones, dependencies, risks, and resource requirements
• Review analytical plans, code, methods, findings, and deliverables produced by others and provide recommendations for improvement
• Mentor analysts and data scientists in research design, quantitative methods,…