Associate General Counsel

Senior Associate General Counsel, Client Contracting

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 Senior Associate General Counsel, Client Contracting is a senior-level attorney responsible for leading the negotiation, drafting, and execution of highly complex, high-value client contracts, primarily involving pharmacy benefit management (PBM) and related health services. This role serves as a first-chair negotiator on the organization's most strategically significant client agreements and acts as a trusted legal advisor to executive-level business leaders.

The position requires deep substantive expertise in commercial contracting, solid judgment in assessing legal and business risk, and the ability to manage sophisticated negotiations against seasoned consultants and opposing counsel. The role operates with a high degree of autonomy and is expected to proactively identify and mitigate legal, regulatory, and reputational risk while supporting the organization's strategic and financial objectives.

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:

• Contract Leadership & Negotiation
  • Serve as lead (first-chair) attorney on complex, high-dollar, and highly customized client contracts, including master services agreements, PBM agreements, amendments, renewals, and terminations
  • Lead negotiations of contracts that may span hundreds to thousands of pages and involve significant financial exposure and enterprise-level risk
  • Draft, review, and negotiate non-standard contract terms, balancing legal risk with commercial objectives
  • Oversee contracts throughout the full lifecycle, including proposal support, execution, interpretation, dispute resolution, and termination
• Strategic Legal Advisory
  • Advise senior business leaders on legal, regulatory, and contractual risk, including potential liability exposure and risk mitigation strategies
  • Clearly and concisely communicate complex legal issues and risk assessments to executive leadership to support informed decision-making
  • Operate in a strategic and proactive manner, anticipating issues and providing practical, business-focused legal solutions
• Business Partnership & Collaboration
  • Partner closely with sales, account management, finance, compliance, regulatory, and operations teams to support client relationships and enterprise initiatives
  • Collaborate with other internal legal teams across the enterprise on cross-functional matters impacting clients and the business
  • Support resolution of client disputes outside of litigation when appropriate
• Leadership & Professional Impact
  • Serve as a senior legal resource and subject-matter expert for complex client contracting matters
  • Contribute to the development of best practices, templates, playbooks, and negotiation strategies for client contracting
  • Mentor and provide guidance to junior attorneys on complex legal and negotiation issues as appropriate

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:

• Juris Doctor (J.D.) from an accredited law school
• Active license to practice law in at least one U.S. jurisdiction
• 10+ years in complex commercial PBM contracting, within healthcare, PBM, managed care, insurance etc.
• Demonstrated experience leading high-stakes negotiations as first-chair counsel
• Demonstrated exceptional written and verbal communication skills, including executive-level communication

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience with PBM agreements, healthcare services agreements, or large-scale enterprise client contracts
• Experience advising on regulatory and compliance considerations impacting client contracts
• Proven ability to manage multiple complex matters simultaneously in a fast-paced environment

Competencies & Success Factors

• Advanced Legal Analysis: Applies sophisticated legal judgment in complex and evolving business environments
• Negotiation Excellence: Demonstrates solid negotiation skills against experienced opposing counsel and consultants
• Executive Presence: Effectively communicates risk and recommendations to senior and executive leadership
• Strategic Mindset: Aligns legal advice with enterprise goals and long-term business strategy
• Resilience & Judgment: Maintains composure and sound decision-making under pressure and tight timelines

Level & Scope

• The position has material impact on enterprise revenue, risk exposure, and client relationships
• Decisions and recommendations frequently influence high-profile, multi-billion-dollar client agreements and long-term strategic partnerships

*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 $159,300 to $273,200 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 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.

UnitedHealth Group is 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 is a drug-free workplace. Candidates are required to pass a drug test before beginning employment.