Senior Analyst - Health and Wellness (Hybrid)
About the position The Senior Analyst – Health & Wellness role will play a central role by leveraging advanced analytical skills to gather, analyze, and interpret complex data that drives informed strategic decisions of United’s $1.5B+ health and wellness benefit programs. It will also help managing the actuarial functions and financial aspects of the plan. Responsible for measuring and evaluating current and projected costs, identifying key cost drivers, and supporting the financial evaluation of wellness solutions and programs. Additionally, this role is accountable for supporting the annual rate development and contribution strategy, collaborating with cross-functional teams to translate sophisticated financial data into actionable insights that identify opportunities to improve health plan design, health outcomes, affordability, and equity through strategic financial forecasting and deep understanding of the financial levers that impact employer-sponsored medical plan costs. Responsibilities • Analyze and interpret healthcare claims and trend data to identify patterns, trends, and insights from medical and pharmacy plan utilization to provide greater predictability in forecasted spend • Works with finance and accounting teams to develop cost inputs for forecasting, tracking changes, trends, and proactive risks identification. Partner with the finance and actuarial teams to develop metrics necessary to measure success of new initiatives and to inform current performance. Monitor trends and advise management (and unions as requested) on impact to United's strategies and finances. • Develop and implement models to evaluate the impact of changes in medical plan utilization patterns and population growth. • Collaborate with cross-functional teams to understand business requirements and translate them into data solutions • Coordinate with consultants, health plan carriers and prescription drug benefit managers to assess reporting needs and facilitate changes to data files as needed • Identify opportunities to improve data processes and analytics capabilities and manage workflow on projects • Respond to ad hoc analyses as requested by HR leadership, financial planning/reporting and labor relations, etc. Union negotiation strategy, modeling, costing, analysis Requirements • 2+ years of data analytics experience, preferably in a healthcare setting • Up to 10% travel as needed • Experience translating complex financial and health data into clear, actionable visual reports using tools such as Power BI, Tableau, or Excel • Demonstrated ability to analyze historical data, identify trends, and project future financial outcomes to support strategic decision-making and budget planning • Proficiency in data analysis and data manipulation using commercial tools • Familiarity with data modeling, database management, and cloud-based data solutions (e.g., AWS, Azure, Google Cloud) • Solid understanding of statistical analysis and data mining concepts • Excellent problem-solving and analytical skills, with a strong attention to detail • Strong financial reporting proficiency and business acumen, with the ability to connect performance metrics to financial outcomes • Strong communications skills with the capacity to present complex information in a clear and concise manner • Must be legally authorized to work in the United States for any employer without sponsorship • Successful completion of interview required to meet job qualification • Reliable, punctual attendance is a crucial function of the position Nice-to-haves • Experience with union populations and joint collective bargaining agreements • Experience with Merative (formerly IBM Watson) data warehouse Benefits • medical • dental • vision • life • accident & disability • parental leave • employee assistance program • commuter • paid holidays • paid time off • 401(k) • flight privileges