Behavioral Scientist - Telecommute

UnitedHealth Group is a company that's on the rise. We're expanding in multiple directions, across borders and, most of all, in the way we think. Here, innovation isn't about another gadget, it's about transforming the health care industry. Ready to make a difference? Make yourself at home with us and start doing your life's best work.(sm)

At Optum Labs, we want to improve people’s health and their lives. A big part of that is understanding why they make the choices that they do and helping them to create habits and routines consistent with their goals. There’s a lot at stake – literally, the well-being of our millions of members.

In this inter-disciplinary role covering engagement and behavior (EBX), you’ll do research, experiments, and analyses to understand and influence human behavior, with an aim to create products / services that people will engage with and benefit from. Projects could include things like using wearable sensors to make glycemic control easier; designing a service to help people take their medications effectively; or piloting a program to get home-bound people the social support they need.

Though Optum Labs has unrivaled resources in traditional healthcare areas (e.g., claims, pharmacy, and EMR data; access to patients and to a broad and diverse provider network) you will be expected to help us push the boundary of what is possible outside the healthcare comfort zone, tapping into

• new data sources : {e.g., social media data, wearable data, consumer data, qualitative interviews, anthropological observation}
• new interaction paradigms : {e.g., peer communities both virtual and in-person; communicating through digital channels in response to real-time events}
• new environments : {e.g., the home, the office, and the other 99% of time when a person isn’t in front of a healthcare provider}

Engagement and behavior are big topics, so there’s room to realize these goals in a variety of ways – we’ll expect you to contribute your own vision about how we get to where we’re going. The role is also highly collaborative, so we’ll also expect a demonstrated history of communicating well with a diverse set of audiences for a multiplicity of needs: in person, in meetings and presentations, and (especially) in writing of all sorts; this means publishing and presenting your results and also serving as a thought leader and representative of Optum Labs to the enterprise, the broader scientific community, the media, and the public.

One last note: the world is changing, the workplace is changing, and in response our team is continuously trying to figure out how best to work together. Enthusiasm for (and not just grudging acceptance of) this experimentation is important. You should also want to actively help shape a multi-disciplinary research culture that is kind, fun, intense, eclectic, and intellectually curious. If you do, you can help us advance the field of behavioral science and create products that will make a substantial real-world impact on people’s lives.

You'll enjoy the flexibility to telecommute* from anywhere within the U.S. as you take on some tough challenges.

Primary Responsibilities:

• Run experiments and perform human subjects research on behavior- and engagement-related topics, and serve as PI, with all attendant duties, across research lifecycle – design, protocol writing, interacting with IRB board, coordinating with study support staff, data analysis
• Work with internal stakeholders of programs / services (e.g., product teams, doctors and other clinical staff, clinical leaders) as SME to understand engagement and behavior-related performance; suggest strategies that could improve these metrics, or research that could inform such strategy
• Help create guidelines and standard practices for EBX components of programs and services, including EBX summaries of historical internal work; socialize these recommendations through writeups and presentations
• Review current academic research pertinent to human behavior and create summaries, research extracts, and other artifacts in service of internal collaboration, and to inform executives and business leaders about important developments in relevant fields
• Disseminate results of these work strands through publication and presentations (internal and external), and other forms of advocacy; help design communications strategy to better pursue these goals
• Build and manage relationships, partnerships, and collaborations with thought leaders in industry and academia; serve as point of contact between Optum Labs and these agents; build Optum Labs credibility through the broader scientific community and the public
• Develop and mentor other researchers in engagement- and behavior-related topics and methods, and in research practice more generally
• Contribute to a strong team culture; help create interaction paradigms that work effectively in a diverse and distributed (local / remote) team and company environment
  

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:

• PhD in a field relevant to the requirements described above - most likely some blend of {psychology, sociology, communications, economics} though other relevant academic trajectories are also welcome, even weird ones
• 10+ years practical experience applying this knowledge to behavior-related ends using human-subjects experiments and supporting research
• Experience using a variety of analytical methods, qualitative / quantitative / computational; and experience working with a diverse data sets, including healthcare-related data, textual data from online forums, surveys, consumer data, social media data, etc.
• Experience working directly with populations of interest, gathering data, conducting interviews, etc. Field or service experience especially appreciated
• A history of building and leading teams and developing talent. Narrative arcs that include notable failures and hard lessons before eventual redemption are viewed w/ particular interest
• Top-notch communication skills, with emphasis on writing and presenting; experience in working with and in front of a variety of audiences

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience working on a behavioral science team
• Background in evolutionary approach to your field
• Knowledge of chronic diseases
• Familiarity with cognitive modeling
• Full COVID-19 vaccination is an essential requirement of this role. UnitedHealth Group will adhere to all federal, state and local regulations as well as all client requirements and will obtain necessary proof of vaccination prior to employment to ensure compliance

We Lead with Diversity, Inclusion and Compassion
At OptumLabs, we are dedicated to building teams where every individual is recognized for their unique experience and contributions. Our Leadership Principles underscore our commitment to inclusion, encouraging us to “walk in each other’s shoes” and open doors for our peers.

Managers at every level are committed to their roles as talent stewards who help guide and nurture professional development. We want our employees to reach their highest level of potential just as they help us reach ours. Join OptumLabs and you’ll be part of a culture that prizes innovation and works with uncompromising integrity.

At OptumLabs, employees are our first customers. That’s why we offer virtual work environments – to provide work/life flexibility via telecommuting. While it can be a struggle to be a telecommuter, it can also provide enormous benefits for your personal and professional life.

Sources:
https://careers.unitedhealthgroup.com/culture/what-we-offer/
https://careers.unitedhealthgroup.com/culture/life-at-uhg/
https://hub.uhg.com/news/2021-3-10-Introducing-Connected-Communities-503662/5744
https://careers.unitedhealthgroup.com/culture/inclusion-and-diversity/

To protect the health and safety of our workforce, patients and communities we serve, UnitedHealth Group and its affiliate companies now require all employees to disclose COVID-19 vaccination status prior to beginning employment. In addition, some roles require full COVID-19 vaccination as an essential job function. UnitedHealth Group adheres to all federal, state and local COVID-19 vaccination regulations as well as all client COVID-19 vaccination requirements and will obtain the necessary information from candidates prior to employment to ensure compliance. Candidates must be able to perform all essential job functions with or without reasonable accommodation. Failure to meet the vaccination requirement may result in rescission of an employment offer or termination of employment.

Careers at UnitedHealth Group. We have modest goals: Improve the lives of others. Change the landscape of health care forever. Leave the world a better place than we found it. Such aspirations tend to attract a certain type of person. Crazy talented. Compassionate. Driven. To these select few, we offer the global reach, resources and can-do culture of a Fortune 5 company. We provide an environment where you're empowered to be your best. We encourage you to take risks. And we offer a world of rewards and benefits for performance. We believe the most important is the opportunity to do your life's best work.(sm)

Colorado, Connecticut or Nevada Residents Only: The salary range for Colorado residents is $134,200 to $257,700. The salary range for Connecticut / Nevada residents is $90,500 to $161,600. Pay is based on several factors including but not limited to education, work experience, certifications, etc. In addition to your salary, UnitedHealth Group offers 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 UnitedHealth Group, you’ll find a far-reaching choice of benefits and incentives.

*All Telecommuters will be required to adhere to UnitedHealth Group’s Telecommuter Policy.

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 bylower 48 law.

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

Job Keywords: Behavioral Scientist, Remote, Telecommute, WFH, Work From Home, WAH, Work At Home