Associate Finance Director - Eden Prairie, MN Preferred, Remote Considered

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.

The Finance Associate Director serves as a strategic finance partner supporting both capital investment planning and broader financial performance management across ETIPS and ESRO. This role goes beyond capital oversight to act as a central integrator of financial insights across the full P&L, driving alignment, transparency, and decision support for leadership.

The role leads the development, validation, and realization of investment business cases while also consolidating financial inputs across revenue, expense, and capital to produce comprehensive, executive-ready financial packages. This leader translates complex financial and operational data into clear, compelling narratives that inform governance, planning, and strategic decision-making.

This individual partners closely with business, technology, and finance stakeholders to drive data-driven decisions, proactively manage performance, and elevate storytelling in leadership forums.

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 Investment & Business Case Leadership

• Lead end-to-end Cost Benefit Analysis (CBA) development, including financial modeling, assumptions, and ROI validation

• Ensure alignment of capital investments with strategy, including benefits identification, validation, and realization tracking

• Partner with business leaders to shape investment proposals, challenge assumptions, and optimize outcomes

• Ensure compliance with capital policies, including proper benefit classification and financial rigor

• Full P&L Financial Planning & Analysis

• Lead integrated financial planning across capital, operating expense, and where applicable revenue components

• Drive annual planning, forecasts, and long-range (3-year) financial outlooks across the full P&L

• Perform monthly variance analysis, clearly articulating drivers, risks, and opportunities

• Develop insights that connect financial outcomes to operational drivers and delivery milestones

• Governance, Financial Packages & Executive Storytelling

• Prepare materials for capital and financial governance forums, including pre-reads, executive summaries, and decision support

• Consolidate and produce monthly, quarterly, YTD, and full-year financial packages for ETIPS leadership across the full P&L

• Ensure consistency and alignment across CBA, financial reporting, and governance artifacts

• Synthesize complex financial data into clear, concise narratives that highlight performance, risks, opportunities, and key decisions

• Performance Management & Benefits Realization

• Establish and track benefit realization against approved business cases

• Drive accountability with program owners to ensure financial commitments translate into actual outcomes

• Provide ongoing transparency into ROI, NPV, and overall investment performance

• Reporting & Analytics

• Design and deliver robust, integrated financial reporting and dashboards across capital and operating spend

• Leverage data to provide actionable insights with a strong sense of urgency

• Continuously improve reporting capabilities, automation, and data accuracy

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:

• Bachelor's degree in Finance, Accounting, Economics, or related field
• 5+ years of progressive experience in finance, FP&A, business partnering, or consulting
• Demonstrated experience leading Cost Benefit Analysis (CBA) development, including financial modeling, assumption setting, and ROI validation
• Experience owning integrated financial planning across capital and operating expense, including annual planning, forecasts, and long-range (3-year) outlooks
• Experience preparing materials for governance forums - pre-reads, executive summaries, and decision support
• Experience partnering across business, technology, and finance stakeholder groups in a matrixed environment
• Proven ability to perform monthly variance analysis and clearly articulate drivers, risks, and opportunities to leadership
• Advanced Excel and financial modeling skills; enterprise financial systems and reporting/dashboard experience
• Demonstrated executive communication skills, including presenting to and influencing senior leadership

Preferred Qualifications:

• MBA or advanced degree
• CPA, CFA, or equivalent certification
• Experience supporting a Technology or IT organization (infrastructure, platform, product, or security)
• Experience with NPV, ROI, and investment performance measurement against approved business cases
• Experience building automated financial reporting and dashboards (e.g., Power BI)
• Experience in a large, matrixed, or regulated enterprise
• People leadership or formal mentoring experience
• Familiarity with capital policy and benefit classification, capitalization vs. expense treatment, and benefits realization tracking

Key Competencies:

• Strategic and operational mindset - connects financial outcomes to operational drivers and delivery milestones
• Solid executive presence; elevates storytelling in leadership forums
• Translates complex financial and operational data into clear, concise narratives
• Drives accountability with program owners so financial commitments translate into actual outcomes
• Solid sense of urgency; continuously improves reporting capability, automation, and data accuracy
• High attention to detail while maintaining an enterprise-level perspective
• 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.