Senior Manager Tech Project Program Management - IT Support Services ITSS Enablement

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 Principal Technology Project / Program Manager provides enterprise‑level delivery and people leadership for complex IT Support Services (ITSS) initiatives. This role is accountable for program outcomes, operational readiness, and team performance, ensuring technology changes are delivered in a manner that is supportable, scalable, and sustainable.

In addition to leading large, cross‑portfolio programs, this role directly manages and develops project and program management talent, sets delivery standards, and builds scalable enablement capability across ITSS. The role operates with a high degree of autonomy, influencing Director and VP‑level stakeholders while shaping both what we deliver and how we deliver it.

Primary Responsibilities

• Program & Portfolio Leadership
• Lead large scale, highly complex programs spanning multiple projects, operational domains, and business partners, often with enterprise or clinical impact
• Define program strategy, operating model, success metrics, and delivery approach
• Establish and govern cross‑initiative dependencies, ensuring alignment to Optum priorities and Project management standards
• Operational Readiness & Enablement Strategy
• Own ITSS operational readiness strategy for new and changing technologies, ensuring consistent service introduction and supportability outcomes
• Serve as a principal decision authority for readiness, risk acceptance, and launch sequencing
• Influence upstream designs to embed support, sustainability, and customer experience from inception
• People & Team Management
• Provide direct people leadership for Project Managers, Senior Project Managers, and/or Consultants within ITSS Enablement
• Set clear performance expectations, delivery standards, and role clarity aligned to TPM capability models
• Coach, mentor, and develop team members, supporting career progression, skill growth, and promotion readiness
• Allocate work strategically across the team, balancing capacity, capability, and development needs
• Conduct performance management activities, including:
• Goal setting and alignment
• Ongoing feedback and coaching
• Performance and talent reviews
• Build a high‑performing, accountable delivery culture emphasizing ownership, operational rigor, and outcomes
• Serve as a role model for Optum leadership behaviors, inclusion, and cross‑team collaboration
• Executive & Cross‑Functional Influence
• Act as a trusted advisor to Directors, VPs, and senior leaders across Technology, Operations, and Clinical partners
• Lead executive‑level discussions to resolve delivery risk, resource conflicts, and prioritization
• Represent ITSS Enablement in enterprise forums, advocating for frontline support, end‑user experience, and operational excellence
• Governance, Risk & Financial Stewardship
• Own program‑level governance, RAID management, and escalation models
• Proactively identify and mitigate operational, technical, and organizational risk
• Manage resource planning and financial considerations across programs to ensure delivery efficiency and value realization
• Capability Building & Organizational Maturity
• Establish and refine delivery frameworks, playbooks, and enablement assets to scale ITSS performance
• Drive standardization and continuous improvement across processes, tools, and delivery practices
• Influence TPM maturity beyond ITSS, contributing to broader Optum delivery excellence
• Comply with the terms and conditions of the employment contract, company policies and procedures, and any and all directives (such as, but not limited to, transfer and/or re-assignment to different work locations, change in teams and/or work shifts, policies in regards to flexibility of work benefits and/or work environment, alternative work arrangements, and other decisions that may arise due to the changing business environment). The Company may adopt, vary or rescind these policies and directives in its absolute discretion and without any limitation (implied or otherwise) on its ability to do so
  

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience
• 8+ years of progressive technology project and/or program management experience
• Demonstrated people management experience, including performance management and coaching
• Experience operating effectively in highly matrixed, enterprise environments
• Proven success leading large, complex, cross‑functional programs
  
  

• Leadership experience within IT Support Services (ITSS), End User Support, or Service Enablement
• Experience in healthcare, clinical, or regulated environments
• Experience building or scaling delivery teams or organizational capability
• Proven solid grounding in operational readiness, service introduction, or ITIL concepts
• Proven senior‑level stakeholder engagement and influence experience