Senior Product Manager, Payer or Provider - Network Strategy and Optimization

Optum offers a comprehensive benefits package, incentive and recognition programs, an equity stock purchase plan, and 401(k) contributions. The Senior Product Manager for Network Strategy and Optimization will own the strategy, prioritization, and execution for the Network Optimization module within the Value Connect platform, focusing on capabilities that enhance payer and provider networks across access, cost, quality, and performance through data driven insights that drive measurable outcomes. This role is based in Eden Prairie, MN with remote work options and a salary range of USD 112,700 to 193,200 per year.

Responsibilities

• Owns the vision and strategy for Network Optimization in Value Connect, accountable for business value, client relevance, and module performance
• Defines goals, problem statements, and outcome based success measures tied to cost, access, performance, and operational efficiency
• Identifies and prioritizes optimization use cases including network adequacy, steerage, leakage reduction, provider performance, cost efficiency, and cost of care improvement
• Collaborates with network, actuarial, clinical, and business stakeholders to align solutions with real world network management workflows and analytics needs
• Leverages customer, market, competitive, and performance data to guide tradeoffs, sequencing, and ongoing optimization strategy
• Owns end to end roadmap and backlog for the Network Optimization module, from planning to sprint execution
• Prioritizes roadmap, backlog, and sprint work based on business value, feasibility, data readiness, and delivery risk
• Plans delivery sequencing to maximize financial impact, adoption, usability, and operational performance
• Teaming with engineering, UX, and data science to define delivery plans, success metrics, and acceptance criteria for optimization outcomes
• Manages delivery risks and sequencing related to data availability, model readiness, integration dependencies, and cross team capacity
• Acts as the primary product partner to engineering, UX, and data science teams delivering network optimization analytics, workflows, and decision support
• Translates optimization use cases into clear functional requirements, workflow expectations, data needs, and acceptance criteria
• Ensures alignment with Value Connect data models, analytics standards, and architectural patterns to enable scale and reuse
• Identifies opportunities to reuse data assets, analytical logic, and workflows across Value Connect modules to improve consistency and speed to value
• Balances near term delivery with long term scalability, performance, explainability, and data quality across analytics driven capabilities
• Applies agile product management practices to enable predictable, high quality delivery of network optimization features
• Maintains a shared Definition of Done for analytics driven features, models, and insights with engineering and data teams
• Uses agile planning and product development tools to manage priorities, dependencies, risks, and delivery transparency across workstreams
• Collaborates with delivery leadership on capacity planning, sequencing, and execution readiness across engineering, analytics, and integration workstreams
• Identifies execution risks related to data availability, model readiness, integration dependencies, or decision latency and drives early mitigation
• Owns success metrics for the Network Optimization module, including financial impact, adoption, usability, operational performance, and value realization
• Runs continuous discovery, testing, and validation to ensure focus on the highest value network optimization problems
• Partners with internal and external stakeholders to validate product direction, workflow usability, and the value of optimization insights in real world use
• Drives continuous improvement of optimization capabilities based on performance data, stakeholder feedback, and adoption trends
• Communicates product outcomes, tradeoffs, progress, and risks clearly across highly matrixed senior stakeholders
• Collaborates closely with engineering, data science, network operations, actuarial, clinical, and business teams
• Communicates product decisions, tradeoffs, and progress related to the Network Optimization module to senior stakeholders
• Anticipates cross module dependencies and proactively addresses alignment challenges within Value Connect
• Navigates competing priorities through data driven, customer centric decision making

Requirements

• More than 10 years of experience in healthcare including product management, technology, or analytics driven environments
• At least 5 years in product management roles supporting complex, data driven healthcare products or platforms
• Minimum 5 years in payer and or provider network domains with solid expertise in network data, workflows, performance management, cost of care, and network optimization analytics
• At least 5 years supporting go to market activities including product positioning, value proposition development, client facing demos, and sales enablement in partnership with product marketing
• Proven experience translating network and healthcare analytics and complex business problems into product strategy, roadmap decisions, and measurable business outcomes
• Ability to bridge technical and non technical audiences and translate complex network and analytics concepts for business and client stakeholders
• Proven ability to lead cross functional initiatives across product, engineering, analytics, UX, and business stakeholders in a matrixed environment
• Strong track record of product commercialization and delivering analytics driven and network focused solutions to market
• Clear, credible communicator with ability to simplify complex concepts and influence diverse stakeholder groups
• Solid product strategy ownership for analytics driven healthcare products with clear success measures and business outcomes
• Deep understanding of payer and provider network management and analytics use cases including network adequacy, steerage, leakage, provider performance, cost efficiency, and cost of care
• Ability to translate complex network, actuarial, clinical, and analytics concepts into scalable product requirements, workflows, and decisions
• Experience owning roadmaps and backlog prioritization across delivery stages while managing dependencies tied to data, models, and integrations
• Proven ability to drive adoption, influence senior stakeholders, and deliver measurable impact from analytics driven products in matrixed environments

Benefits

• Comprehensive benefits package
• Incentive and recognition programs
• Equity stock purchase plan
• 401(k) contribution

Application deadline

The posting will remain open for at least two business days or until a sufficient candidate pool is gathered; it may close earlier if applicant volume is high.