Principal UX Strategist - Remote

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Principal UX Strategist

Company: UnitedHealth Group

Location: Minnetonka, Minnesota, United States (Remote)

Job Type: Full-time

Category: User Experience (UX) Strategy / Behavioral Design Operations

Date Posted: 2026-06-11

Experience Level: 10+ years

Remote Status: Remote (with hybrid considerations for local hires)

🚀 Role Summary

• Lead the integration of behavioral science and UX strategy across centralized research, product development, and design functions to enhance member understanding and decision-making.

• Apply principles of behavioral economics to design choice architecture, reduce friction points, and optimize member outcomes throughout their end-to-end journeys.

• Drive and evolve the overarching experience vision, principles, and frameworks, ensuring alignment with business objectives and product strategy.

• Translate complex research findings and behavioral insights into clear, actionable directives for product and design teams.

• Embed evidence-based, user-centric methodologies into organizational processes and standards to proactively address member needs within service ecosystems.

📝 Enhancement Note: While the job title is "Principal UX Strategist," the core responsibilities and required skills strongly indicate a role deeply embedded within operations, specifically focusing on the strategic application of behavioral science to improve user (member) journeys and outcomes within a complex, regulated industry. This role requires a blend of strategic thinking, deep domain expertise in behavioral economics, and the ability to operationalize insights at scale. The "operations" aspect is evident in the focus on embedding practices, driving organizational change, and shaping metrics and frameworks for consistent application.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Establish and mature a discipline that bridges centralized research, product development, and design, embedding behavioral science principles to understand and shape member decisions and outcomes.

• Leverage behavioral economics to architect choices, minimize friction, and enhance member outcomes across complex, end-to-end journeys and service ecosystems.

• Drive and refine the experience vision, guiding principles, and strategic frameworks in collaboration with stakeholders to shape product roadmaps and research initiatives.

• Synthesize centralized research and behavioral insights into actionable guidance for product and design teams, ensuring clear direction and alignment.

• Integrate evidence-based, user-centric thinking into organizational processes, standards, and operational workflows, anticipating member needs across diverse journey touchpoints.

• Act as a thought leader and primary escalation point for intricate experience challenges, providing coaching and mentorship to senior designers and cross-functional partners.

• Translate ambiguous business objectives into precise experience strategies and clear direction, adeptly balancing member needs with operational, regulatory, technical, and risk constraints.

• Shape the roadmap for growing this function into a dedicated team, with potential to lead and build it over time, demonstrating strategic foresight and leadership potential.

• Develop and refine experience metrics and evaluation frameworks through a behavioral lens, ensuring consistency, rigor, and quality across large-scale applications.

📝 Enhancement Note: These responsibilities highlight a strategic operational leadership role. The emphasis on "establishing and growing discipline," "embedding into processes and standards," and "shaping the roadmap for growing this into a dedicated team" points to a function that requires significant operational design, implementation, and management. The role is not just about strategy but also about operationalizing that strategy within a large enterprise.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education:

• While not explicitly stated, a Master's or Ph.D. in Behavioral Economics, Psychology, Cognitive Science, Human-Computer Interaction, or a related field is highly recommended given the emphasis on behavioral science. A Bachelor's degree in a relevant field with extensive experience may be considered. Experience:

• Minimum of 10 years of progressive experience in behavioral economics, experience design, product design, or a closely related strategic discipline.

• Proven background and extensive experience in strategy development, systems thinking, and designing for complex, interconnected ecosystems.

• Demonstrated ability to drive strategy and decision-making through the effective use of research, data, and key performance metrics.

• Significant experience within the healthcare sector, a heavily regulated industry, or another complex domain requiring nuanced understanding of constraints and member behavior.

• Experience mentoring senior practitioners and leading them to achieve impactful outcomes.

• Demonstrated expertise in applying behavioral economics, behavioral science, or decision science principles to tangible product or service design initiatives.

• Proven track record of operating at a principal level, effectively influencing strategy across multiple products or platforms within an organization.

• Demonstrated success in forging strong partnerships with product management, engineering, and business leadership teams.

• Exceptional ability to communicate complex concepts clearly and persuasively to both executive leadership and non-design audiences.

• Familiarity with Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe) product development environments is advantageous for large-scale operations. Required Skills:

• Behavioral Economics & Science: Deep understanding and practical application of behavioral economics, behavioral science, and decision science principles.

• UX Strategy & Design: Expertise in developing user-centric experience strategies, principles, and frameworks.

• Systems Thinking: Ability to analyze and design for complex, interconnected systems and ecosystems.

• Choice Architecture Design: Skill in designing choice environments to guide user behavior and improve outcomes.

• Data-Driven Decision Making: Proficiency in leveraging research, data analytics, and metrics to inform strategy and measure impact.

• Stakeholder Management & Influence: Proven ability to partner with and influence diverse stakeholders, including product, engineering, and business leadership, up to executive levels.

• Mentorship & Leadership: Experience guiding and developing senior talent and leading cross-functional initiatives.

• Complex Domain Acumen: Experience navigating and designing within regulated industries like healthcare or finance.

• Communication Skills: Exceptional verbal and written communication, with the ability to articulate complex ideas to varied audiences.

• SAFe Environment Familiarity: Understanding of scaled agile methodologies for product development.

Preferred Skills:

• Experience in building and scaling operational functions or teams.

• Expertise in defining and operationalizing experience metrics and evaluation frameworks.

• Familiarity with user research methodologies and their application in driving strategic insights.

• Experience with A/B testing and experimentation for behavioral interventions.

• Knowledge of healthcare member journeys and the associated operational and regulatory complexities.

📝 Enhancement Note: The experience requirement of "10+ years" signifies a senior leadership role, likely at a Principal or Director level, focused on strategic operational impact. The emphasis on "complex ecosystems," "regulated industry," and "influencing strategy across products or platforms" points to a need for robust process thinking, system-level understanding, and the ability to drive change within a large enterprise.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• Demonstrations of how behavioral science principles were applied to solve complex member problems or improve user journeys within a large organization.

• Case studies showcasing the development and implementation of experience strategies, including the frameworks and principles used.

• Examples of how research, data, and metrics were used to inform strategic decisions and measure the impact of interventions.

• Documentation of contributions to designing or optimizing complex service ecosystems or end-to-end member journeys.

• Evidence of influencing product roadmaps or strategic direction through user-centric and behavioral insights. Process Documentation:

• Showcase examples of how you have embedded user-centric and evidence-based thinking into organizational processes and standards.

• Illustrate your approach to translating ambiguous business goals into clear, actionable experience strategies and operational direction.

• Present how you have contributed to shaping or refining metrics and evaluation frameworks to ensure consistency, rigor, and quality at scale.

• Provide examples of how you have coached or mentored design and cross-functional partners on applying behavioral science and strategic thinking.

📝 Enhancement Note: For a Principal level role focused on strategy and embedding practices, a portfolio should not only showcase past work but also demonstrate a strategic methodology. This includes how the candidate approaches problem-solving, influences stakeholders, and operationalizes complex insights into repeatable processes within a large organization. The ability to articulate the "why" and "how" behind their strategic decisions, especially concerning behavioral interventions, will be critical.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: $112,700 - $193,200 annually.

📝 Enhancement Note: This salary range is provided for a Principal UX Strategist role in the United States, specifically within a major metropolitan area like Minneapolis. For a Principal-level role with over 10 years of specialized experience in behavioral economics and UX strategy within a large, established healthcare company like UnitedHealth Group, this range is competitive and reflects the seniority and expertise required. The upper end of the range accounts for extensive experience, specialized skills, and potential leadership responsibilities.

Benefits:

• Comprehensive Benefits Package: Typically includes medical, dental, vision insurance, life insurance, disability coverage.

• Incentive Programs: Performance-based bonuses or other reward structures.

• Recognition Programs: Formal or informal recognition for achievements and contributions.

• Equity Stock Purchase: Opportunity to purchase company stock, often at a discounted rate.

• 401k Contribution: Retirement savings plan with potential company matching contributions.

• Telecommuting Policy: Guidelines and support for remote work arrangements. Working Hours:

• Standard full-time hours, typically 40 hours per week. Flexibility may be available, but consistent availability for collaboration during core business hours is expected.

📝 Enhancement Note: The mention of a "Telecommuter Policy" and the hybrid requirement for local hires indicates a structured approach to remote and in-office work, common in large enterprises. Operations roles often require consistent availability for critical processes and stakeholder engagement.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Healthcare Services & Technology. UnitedHealth Group is a diversified healthcare company with businesses in health insurance (UnitedHealthcare) and health services (Optum). This industry is characterized by high regulation, complex member needs, and a strong focus on outcomes and efficiency.

Company Size: Large Enterprise (likely 100,000+ employees based on typical UHG scale). This size implies a structured environment with established processes, but also opportunities for significant impact and career growth within a vast organization.

Founded: 1977. A long-standing company with a deep history and established market presence, suggesting stability and a mature operational framework.

Team Structure:

• This role is positioned to "Establish and grow discipline bridging centralized research, product, and design." This suggests the individual will be a foundational member or leader of a new or evolving function.

• The team will likely involve close collaboration with existing product management, design, research, engineering, and business leadership teams across various departments or business units within UnitedHealth Group.

• The reporting structure is not explicitly defined but is expected to be within a product, design, or innovation leadership umbrella, with a clear path to influence senior leadership. Methodology:

• Data-Driven Decision Making: Emphasis on using research, data, and metrics to inform strategy and measure outcomes.

• Systems Thinking & Complex Ecosystems: Approach to understanding and designing within intricate, interconnected operational and user environments.

• Behavioral Science Integration: Embedding behavioral economics and psychology into product and service design to influence member decisions and outcomes.

• User-Centricity: Prioritizing member needs and experiences in all strategic and design decisions.

• Agile Practices: Familiarity with SAFe suggests an agile product development methodology is in use.

Company Website: https://www.unitedhealthgroup.com/

📝 Enhancement Note: UnitedHealth Group's mission to "help people live healthier lives and make the health system work better for everyone" is a critical guiding principle. For an operations role, understanding this mission translates to focusing on efficiency, accessibility, and positive member outcomes. The company's commitment to equity is also a key cultural driver that should inform strategic decisions.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: Principal Level. This signifies a senior individual contributor role with significant strategic influence, akin to a senior manager or director in terms of responsibility and impact, but often without direct people management initially. The role is expected to define strategy and operationalize it, rather than solely manage a team.

Reporting Structure:

• While not explicitly stated, the role is expected to report into a senior leader responsible for Product, Design, Research, or potentially a specific innovation or strategy group.

• The emphasis on "partnering with stakeholders" and "influencing strategy across products or platforms" indicates frequent interaction with VPs, Directors, and senior managers across various business units. Operations Impact:

• This role has the potential for significant impact by embedding behavioral science and UX strategy into core operational processes, directly influencing how millions of members interact with UnitedHealth Group's services.

• Success will be measured by improved member outcomes, increased engagement, reduced friction in user journeys, and more effective decision-making by members, all contributing to the company's mission and business objectives.

• The opportunity to "build and lead it over time" suggests a clear path for advancement into a formal leadership and team-building role. Growth Opportunities:

• Leadership Development: Direct path to building and leading a dedicated team focused on behavioral science and UX strategy, moving from principal individual contributor to formal management.

• Strategic Influence: Opportunity to shape enterprise-wide strategies and operational frameworks, impacting millions of users.

• Domain Specialization: Deepening expertise in behavioral economics within the complex healthcare domain, becoming a recognized thought leader.

• Cross-Functional Expertise: Gaining broad exposure to various aspects of UnitedHealth Group’s operations, product development, and business units.

• Career Progression: Potential to move into broader strategy, product leadership, or operational excellence roles within the organization.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "Principal" title coupled with the explicit mention of shaping a "roadmap for growing this into a dedicated team, with the opportunity to build and lead it over time" clearly defines a growth trajectory from a strategic individual contributor to a formal leadership position. This is a key differentiator for ambitious operations professionals looking for a clear career path.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: Remote, with a hybrid requirement for those within commuting distance of Minneapolis or Washington D.C. (minimum four days per week in office). This indicates a flexible work model common in large enterprises, balancing remote autonomy with in-person collaboration needs.

Office Location(s):

• Primarily remote within the U.S.

• For individuals in the Minneapolis or Washington D.C. areas, there is a requirement to work from the office a minimum of four days per week. This suggests significant office presence and infrastructure in these locations. Workspace Context:

• Collaborative Environment: The hybrid model and emphasis on stakeholder partnerships suggest a need for strong collaborative skills, both in virtual and in-person settings. Operations professionals must be adept at working with diverse teams.

• Tools & Technology: Access to standard enterprise collaboration tools (e.g., Microsoft Teams, Slack, Jira, Confluence), as well as specialized UX research and design platforms, and robust data analytics tools.

• Operations Team Interaction: While the role is to "establish and grow discipline," it implies integration with existing operational teams. This means engaging with individuals responsible for process execution, data management, and system administration to embed new methodologies.

Work Schedule:

• Standard full-time (40 hours/week). While remote work offers flexibility, the nature of strategic operations roles requires consistent availability for meetings, problem-solving, and stakeholder engagement, particularly during core business hours. Specific work hours may need to align with team and business unit needs.

📝 Enhancement Note: The hybrid requirement for local hires is a crucial detail for candidates in those specific regions. For remote employees not in those areas, the expectation is full remote work, but understanding the company's internal collaboration workflows and the value placed on in-person interaction for certain activities is important for managing expectations.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Screening: Review of resume and application for alignment with required experience (10+ years in behavioral economics/UX strategy) and domain knowledge (healthcare, regulated industries).

• Hiring Manager/Team Interview: Discussion focused on behavioral science expertise, strategic thinking, systems thinking, and experience within complex domains.

• Portfolio Presentation: Candidates will likely present a curated portfolio showcasing their strategic approach, behavioral science applications, and impact on user journeys and business outcomes. This will be a critical component.

• Cross-Functional Interviews: Meetings with product, design, research, and business leaders to assess collaboration style, communication skills, and ability to influence.

• Executive/Principal Level Interview: Final discussion with senior leadership to evaluate strategic vision, leadership potential, and alignment with company goals.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Focus on Process & Impact: Beyond showcasing final designs, emphasize the strategic process, the behavioral science principles applied, the data/research that informed decisions, and the measurable outcomes achieved.

• Structure for Operations: For each case study, clearly articulate the problem, your strategic approach, the operationalization of your insights, the challenges faced (e.g., regulatory, technical), and the quantifiable impact (e.g., member outcomes, efficiency gains).

• Demonstrate Behavioral Expertise: Highlight specific instances where your understanding of behavioral economics led to innovative solutions or significant improvements. Quantify these improvements where possible.

• Showcase Systems Thinking: Illustrate how you considered the broader ecosystem, potential unintended consequences, and how your solutions integrated with existing processes or systems.

• Tailor to UHG: Research UnitedHealth Group's mission, values, and current initiatives. Frame your portfolio examples to resonate with their focus on member health, equity, and making healthcare work better.

Challenge Preparation:

• Be prepared to discuss how you would approach embedding behavioral science into UnitedHealth Group's existing operational frameworks.

• Anticipate questions about how to measure the success of behavioral interventions at scale within a regulated environment.

• Consider how you would translate complex behavioral insights into actionable directives for diverse teams (e.g., product managers, engineers, customer service).

• Prepare to discuss your experience influencing senior leaders and driving organizational change.

📝 Enhancement Note: The portfolio review will be a cornerstone of the evaluation. Candidates must demonstrate not just design or strategic thinking, but a structured, operational approach to applying behavioral science and achieving measurable impact within a large, complex organization. Articulating the "how" of implementation and the "impact" of their work will be paramount.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• UX Research & Design Platforms: Tools for user research, journey mapping, wireframing, and prototyping (e.g., Figma, Sketch, Adobe XD, UserTesting.com, Qualtrics).

• Collaboration Suites: Enterprise-grade collaboration tools for communication, project management, and documentation (e.g., Microsoft 365 suite - Teams, SharePoint, OneDrive; Google Workspace; Jira; Confluence).

• Data Analysis & Visualization Tools: Platforms for analyzing user data, behavioral metrics, and generating insights (e.g., Tableau, Power BI, Looker, SQL, R, Python for statistical analysis).

• CRM & Marketing Automation (Indirect): While not a direct CRM role, understanding how user data flows from CRM and marketing automation tools into experience design and strategy is beneficial.

• SAFe Tools: Familiarity with tools supporting SAFe methodologies (e.g., Jira Align, Rally) may be advantageous.

Analytics & Reporting:

• Web Analytics: Tools to track user behavior on digital platforms (e.g., Google Analytics, Adobe Analytics).

• Business Intelligence (BI) Dashboards: Experience with BI tools for creating and interpreting performance dashboards that track member engagement and outcomes.

• A/B Testing & Experimentation Platforms: Tools for designing and running experiments to test behavioral interventions and optimize user experiences.

CRM & Automation:

• Data Warehousing & ETL Tools: Understanding how data is managed and integrated across enterprise systems.

• Process Automation Concepts: Familiarity with how automation can streamline user journeys and operational processes.

📝 Enhancement Note: The role requires a strategic understanding of various tools and technologies that support user experience, data analysis, and product development in a large enterprise. While not hands-on with every tool, the ability to leverage data, understand system integrations, and advocate for the right tools to support behavioral science initiatives is key.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Caring. Connecting. Growing together.: UnitedHealth Group's core values emphasize empathy, collaboration, and continuous personal and professional development.

• Data-Driven: A strong reliance on evidence, research, and metrics to guide decisions and measure impact.

• Member-Centric: A deep commitment to understanding and serving the needs of members, prioritizing their health and well-being.

• Efficiency & Optimization: Focus on streamlining processes, reducing friction, and making healthcare more accessible and affordable.

• Integrity & Compliance: Adherence to strict regulatory standards and ethical practices within the healthcare industry.

• Innovation: A drive to find new and better ways to improve health outcomes and the healthcare experience.

Collaboration Style:

• Cross-Functional Partnership: This role is designed to be highly collaborative, working closely with product, design, research, engineering, marketing, and business operations teams.

• Evidence-Based Discourse: Discussions and decision-making are expected to be grounded in data, research, and behavioral science principles.

• Mentorship & Guidance: A willingness to share knowledge, coach peers, and elevate the capabilities of cross-functional partners.

• Strategic Alignment: Ensuring that UX and behavioral strategies are aligned with broader business objectives and operational realities.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on "Caring. Connecting. Growing together." suggests a culture that values human-centricity, teamwork, and continuous improvement. For an operations professional, this means understanding how these values translate into daily work, process design, and stakeholder interactions.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Complexity of Healthcare: Navigating the intricate regulatory landscape, diverse member needs, and established operational processes within the healthcare industry.

• Embedding Behavioral Science at Scale: Successfully integrating behavioral science principles into a large, established organization with potentially siloed departments and existing workflows.

• Balancing Constraints: Effectively balancing member needs with operational, regulatory, technical, and risk constraints.

• Measuring Impact: Developing robust frameworks to accurately measure the behavioral and business impact of UX and behavioral science interventions across vast datasets.

• Influencing Senior Stakeholders: Gaining buy-in and driving change among senior leadership and across different business units.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Leadership in a New Discipline: Opportunity to define and build a new strategic function, gaining invaluable experience in organizational design and team building.

• Deepening Healthcare Domain Expertise: Becoming an expert in applying behavioral science to solve complex challenges within the healthcare ecosystem.

• Advanced Strategic Influence: Honing skills in influencing enterprise-level strategy and driving large-scale change initiatives.

• Mentorship and Thought Leadership: Developing a reputation as a key influencer and expert in behavioral UX strategy within a major healthcare organization.

• Industry Conferences & Certifications: Potential for support in attending relevant conferences (e.g., CHI, UXRConf, BECon) and obtaining certifications in behavioral science or UX.

📝 Enhancement Note: The challenges presented are typical for senior roles in large, regulated industries. However, the growth opportunities are significant, particularly the chance to build a new function and ascend to a leadership position, which is a strong draw for ambitious operations professionals.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "Describe a time you had to translate ambiguous business goals into a clear experience strategy. How did you incorporate behavioral insights and balance competing constraints?"

• "How would you operationalize the embedding of behavioral science principles within a large, cross-functional organization like UnitedHealth Group, considering existing processes and potential resistance?"

• "Imagine you need to design a choice architecture to encourage members towards preventative care. What behavioral principles would you apply, what data would you need, and how would you measure success?" Company & Culture Questions:

• "How do you see your role contributing to UnitedHealth Group's mission of 'Caring. Connecting. Growing together.' and its commitment to equitable care?"

• "Describe your experience working within regulated industries like healthcare. How do you ensure user-centricity while adhering to compliance and risk requirements?"

• "How do you approach mentoring senior practitioners and influencing leaders who may not have a background in behavioral science or UX strategy?" Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Structure for Impact: For each case study, clearly outline the problem statement, your strategic approach (emphasizing behavioral science), the operationalization of your solution, key metrics and outcomes, and lessons learned.

• Quantify Everything: Wherever possible, use numbers and data to demonstrate the impact of your work. This could include improvements in engagement, conversion rates, cost savings, or member satisfaction.

• Show, Don't Just Tell: Use visuals (journey maps, wireframes, data charts) to illustrate your points and make your presentation engaging.

• Focus on "How": Explain how you applied behavioral principles, how you influenced stakeholders, and how you operationalized your strategies.

• Address the "Principal" Level: Demonstrate strategic thinking, foresight, and the ability to operate autonomously and influence at a high level.

📝 Enhancement Note: Interview preparation should focus on articulating strategic thinking, operationalizing complex concepts, and demonstrating a quantifiable impact. Candidates need to be ready to discuss their experience influencing others and their understanding of the healthcare landscape.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this operations position:

• Submit your application through the UnitedHealth Group careers portal via the provided URL.

• Curate Your Portfolio for Operations Impact: Select 2-3 key projects that best demonstrate your ability to apply behavioral science strategically within complex, regulated environments. For each, clearly articulate the operational challenge, your strategic approach, the implementation process, and the measurable outcomes. Focus on how you embedded new methodologies or improved existing processes.

• Tailor Your Resume for Strategic Operations: Highlight keywords such as "behavioral economics," "UX strategy," "systems thinking," "choice architecture," "process optimization," "stakeholder influence," and "data-driven decision-making." Quantify achievements wherever possible, focusing on impact within large organizations.

• Prepare for Behavioral and Strategic Case Studies: Anticipate interview questions that require you to outline your strategic approach to problems, your methods for embedding new disciplines, and your ability to influence stakeholders. Practice articulating your thought process clearly and concisely for your portfolio presentation.

• Research UnitedHealth Group's Mission and Operations: Understand their focus on member health, equity, and making healthcare systems work better. Consider how your strategic and behavioral approach aligns with these core objectives and the operational realities of a large healthcare provider.

⚠️ Important Notice: This enhanced job description includes AI-generated insights and operations industry-standard assumptions. All details should be verified directly with the hiring organization before making application decisions.