Associate Director, Sourcing and Procurement - Minnetonka, MN

At UnitedHealthcare, we're simplifying the health care experience, creating healthier communities and removing barriers to quality care. The work you do here impacts the lives of millions of people for the better. Come build the health care system of tomorrow, making it more responsive, affordable and equitable. Ready to make a difference? Join us to start Caring. Connecting. Growing together.

We'll put you in the driver's seat on vital projects that have strategic importance to our mission of helping people lead healthier lives. Yes, we share a mission that inspires. We need your organizational talents and business discipline to help fuel ours.

This position offers an exciting opportunity within UnitedHealth Group's Enterprise Sourcing & Procurement group for an experienced sourcing and contracting professional. The role will involve the procurement of strategic suppliers in support of critical enterprise operations in order to advance the quality, competitiveness and agility of UnitedHealth Group.

The Sourcing & Procurement Associate Director will collaborate with business leaders on supplier strategy, negotiate contract terms, develop supplier solutions and complete contracts within our BPO (Business Process Outsourcing) category. This is a challenging position requiring well-rounded knowledge of BPO operations involving outsourcing-related supplier solutions for unique needs across UnitedHealth Group entities. We are looking for a proven procurement professional who can juggle multiple priorities, solve complex problems and successfully deliver on initiatives that will often have broad and meaningful impact on the business.

Working within Sourcing & Procurement, your main functions will include Category Strategy and Planning, Business Collaboration, Contract Negotiations and Execution, and Strategic Sourcing.

If you are located in Minnetonka, MN, you will have the flexibility to work from home and the office in this hybrid role* as you take on some tough challenges.

Primary Responsibilities:

• Engage, research, and develop category strategy in collaboration with business leaders
• Understand stakeholders' needs and facilitate the negotiation of requirements among multiple stakeholders
• Draft, review and negotiate terms of agreements with Suppliers, Risk and Legal teams to optimize commercial outcomes, drive risk mitigation and ensure compliance with internal and regulatory protocols
• Analyze current BPO trends, forecast future performance, identify value creating or cost savings opportunities and make procurement recommendations
• Proactively monitor and analyze performance and trends within BPO operations in order to identify and highlight issues and opportunities that support the business
• Conduct strategic sourcing events (RFP's) and manage the evaluation and selection of BPO suppliers
• Develop, implement, and execute strategic sourcing practices, processes and techniques across all areas of the category
• Identify opportunities, make recommendations, and obtain agreement for re-sourcing and re-negotiation of on-going supplier relationships and execute on the same
• Collaborate with business teams and legal resources to address supplier performance, create corrective action plans, conduct termination events
• Document cost reduction achievements across business segments
• Meet project timelines at the customer and corporate levels
• The ideal candidate will have developed very solid networking and contracting skills, through experience in business process outsourcing, indirect procurement services and/or supplier management. This will ideally include sourcing skills, consensus-building with business partners, supplier negotiations, contracting, and securing savings for the organization
• Successful candidates will be proven self-starters, able to maintain a high level of client focus and adapt to a rapidly changing environment, with excellent organizational skills, communication (written and verbal) skills and the ability to interface with multiple levels of management, including senior management and executive leadership at both procurement and business unit levels

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 or equivalent experience
• 8+ years progressive experience in procurement, supplier management, and/or leading strategic teams or projects involving labor services
• 4+ years of experience in a leadership role supervising, coaching, and evaluating employees
• 4+ years of experience leading category strategy, leveraging data and insights to drive decision making process for commodity or category
• 2+ years of experience constructing, drafting, and negotiating agreements such as complex statements of work, service level agreements, strategy, or category plans
• Proven advanced understanding of labor market and services
• Demonstrated ability to successfully navigate through ambiguities/difficult obstacles using facts, alternatives identification, open-mindedness, thought-through strategy, and superior leadership
• Demonstrated leadership skills including training, mentoring, and developing staff to promote growth
• Proven track record of success in a high demand, multi-tasking environment
• Demonstrated consultative and influencing skills in order to gain buy-in and support of customers and leadership in a matrixed environment
• Proven proficiency in the MS Office Suite (Excel, Word, Outlook, and Power Point)
• Ability to travel up to 10%

Preferred Qualifications:

• 4+ years of experience in BPO commodity management
• Experience in vendor strategy and contracting for BPO services
• Experience with Claims or Call Center categories
• Experience with generating and evaluating competitive-bid sourcing events
• Experience analyzing contracts and spend data to support the development of sourcing and contracting strategies
• Experience developing strategies to support contracting and risk mitigation activity
• Experience working with Vendors and performing contract compliance oversight
• Experience in health insurance or managed care industry
• Demonstrated ability to analyze data to infer trends and support decision making process

*All employees working remotely will be required to adhere to UnitedHealth Group's Telecommuter Policy

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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