Principal Project-Program Manager

Requisition Number: 2382086
Optum Health Technology
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.
You'll enjoy the flexibility to telecommute* from anywhere within the U.S. as you take on some tough challenges.
Position Summary
Optum Health Technology is advancing how our teams use artificial intelligence to design, build, deliver, and continuously improve technology-enabled products and services. The Principal Project-Program Manager for AI Transformation & Training will help lead the execution and adoption of AI-enabled delivery practices across Optum Health Technology.
This role will lead complex transformation, workforce enablement, training, communications, and employee-engagement initiatives that help teams integrate new tools, operating models, capabilities, and ways of working. The position will partner across Technology, Operations, Clinical, Communications, Human Capital, and business teams to establish program strategy, coordinate delivery, manage organizational readiness, and demonstrate measurable business and workforce outcomes.
The successful candidate will combine disciplined program management with strong communication, stakeholder-engagement, and change-leadership capabilities. This individual will be comfortable operating in a highly matrixed environment, influencing senior leaders, managing multiple interconnected workstreams, and translating complex technical concepts into practical experiences that employees and business partners can understand and apply.
Primary Responsibilities
Program and Portfolio Leadership

• Use enterprise-approved AI tools to streamline workflows, automate tasks, and drive continuous improvement.
• Evaluate emerging trends to inform solution design and strategic innovation.
• Lead end-to-end program management and delivery for enterprise AI training and capability enablement programs across Optum Health Technology (OHT).
• Define program vision, scope, roadmap, milestone schedules, and resource requirements in collaboration with technical and business leadership.
• Partner with cross-functional leadership, subject matter experts, and technology teams to drive strategic alignment and program adoption.
• Establish program performance metrics, key performance indicators (KPIs), and executive dashboards to measure training impact and adoption progress.
• Proactively manage program risks, resolve inter-team dependencies, and eliminate operational bottlenecks across business units.
• Facilitate regular executive communications, status reporting, and strategic stakeholder reviews.
• Translate Optum Health Technology strategic objectives into actionable program plans, roadmaps, milestones, success measures, and delivery approaches
• Define program operating models, governance structures, decision rights, delivery standards, and executive reporting mechanisms
• Maintain accountability for program scope, schedule, resources, quality, risks, dependencies, and business outcomes

Communications and Employee Engagement

• Develop and execute integrated communication strategies that accelerate awareness, understanding, and adoption of AI-enabled capabilities
• Create leadership messaging, communication plans, presentation materials, employee toolkits, awareness campaigns, and frequently asked questions
• Translate complex technical concepts into clear, actionable communications for technical, clinical, operational, and executive audiences

• Leverage enterprise-approved AI tools to streamline workflows, automate tasks, and drive continuous improvement

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 progressive project, program, portfolio, transformation, or related management experience
• 5+ years of experience leading large, complex, cross-functional initiatives in technology, healthcare, clinical, operational, or other regulated environments
• 5+ years of experience developing and managing integrated program plans, milestones, dependencies, risks, issues, resources, and executive reporting
• 3+ years of experience supporting organizational change, technology adoption, workforce enablement, learning, communications, or business-transformation initiatives
• 3+ years of experience delivering complex cross-functional initiatives involving product, strategy, Delivery, operations, and business stakeholders

Preferred Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent professional experience
• Experience operating effectively in a highly matrixed enterprise environment and coordinating work across multiple business and functional teams
• Experience engaging and influencing director, vice president, and senior executive stakeholders
• Experience establishing program governance, measurement frameworks, executive dashboards, decision processes, and escalation models
• Experience managing multiple concurrent workstreams and leading through ambiguity, changing priorities, and complex organizational dependencies
• Experience translating complex technical, operational, or strategic concepts into clear and actionable communications for diverse audiences
• Experience planning and facilitating executive meetings, workshops, training sessions, employee events, or large-scale engagement activities
• Demonstrated ability to identify risks proactively, resolve conflicts, drive decisions, and maintain accountability for program outcomes
• Demonstrated written, verbal, presentation, facilitation, and stakeholder-management skills
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office applications and project-management, collaboration, or reporting tools
• Experience leading artificial intelligence, generative AI, automation, digital transformation, product-delivery transformation, or enterprise technology-adoption programs
• Experience supporting AI-enabled delivery lifecycle, software-development lifecycle, Agile, product, or platform operating models
• Experience in healthcare technology, clinical operations, care delivery, health services, or another highly regulated industry
• Experience developing and scaling enterprise learning, workforce-development, clinical-education, or train-the-trainer programs
• Experience creating integrated change-management, communications, employee-engagement, and adoption strategies
• Experience designing leadership messaging, awareness campaigns, toolkits, success-story programs, recognition initiatives, or internal communication content
• Experience planning and delivering large-scale virtual, hybrid, or in-person employee events and innovation showcases
• Experience developing adoption metrics, maturity assessments, employee listening mechanisms, scorecards, and value-realization measures
• Familiarity with tools such as ServiceNow, SharePoint, Power BI, Viva Engage, or similar platforms
• Project Management Professional, Program Management Professional, Certified Change Management Professional, SAFe, Agile, or equivalent certification
• Demonstrated passion for helping people adopt new technologies and successfully navigate changes in how work is performed

*All Telecommuters 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 to $193,200 annually based on full-time employment. We comply with all minimum wage laws as applicable.
Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.
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.
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