Principal Data Analyst

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 diversity and inclusion, talented peers, comprehensive benefits and career development opportunities. Come make an impact on the communities we serve as you help us advance health equity on a global scale. Join us to start Caring. Connecting. Growing together.

In healthcare, evolution doesn't just happen. It takes innovation, imagination, and a passion for solving problems in new and better ways. And innovation is taking place at a lightning-fast pace every day at Optum. As the fastest growing part of the UnitedHealth Group family of businesses, we're expanding our team in Ireland and creating excellent opportunities for those who want greater purpose and more impact in their work. We'll provide the investment, support, and resources to advance your career. You'll provide the talent, ambition, and drive.

The Role:

We are seeking a highly motivated analytics professional to join our Medicare Analytics & Strategy team. This role focuses on delivering and supporting internal scenario modeling tools, using complex analytics and automated delivery processes to allow non-technical users to evaluate potential future strategies in our Medicare line of business. You will work on high-impact modelling that informs manufacturer discount negotiations and formulary management strategies in this complex, high value and rapidly evolving space, identifying key drivers of financial outcomes and profitability.

We're looking for someone with a quantitative mindset, a solid aptitude for complex problem solving, and well-developed communication and stakeholder skills.

Schedule: Full-time position with standard working hours of Monday - Friday, 9am - 5pm.

Careers with Optum offer flexible work arrangements and individuals who live and work in the Republic of Ireland will have the opportunity to split their monthly work hours between our Dublin or Letterkenny office and telecommuting from a home-based office in a hybrid work model.

Primary Responsibilities:

• Develop scenario models to evaluate the future impact of manufacturer discounts and formulary strategies
• Perform data extraction, transformation, and feature engineering using SQL, Databricks and Python
• Develop tracking reporting and self-serve analytical solutions to monitor trends in drug utilization and the impact of formulary decisions
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to ensure modelling assumptions are aligned and accurately reflect changes in Medicare design
• Closely partner with internal customers and key stakeholders to translate business needs into analytical solutions
• Document methodologies, code, and results in a clear and reproducible manner
• Stay current with emerging analytics techniques and tools relevant to healthcare
• Contribute to internal knowledge sharing and reusable analytical assets

You will 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 providing development for other roles you may be interested in.

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree (or higher) in a quantitative field or equivalent experience
• Proven experience in data science, statistical modeling, or advanced analytics
• Demonstrated solid SQL skills for working with large, complex datasets
• Demonstrated advanced level of proficiency with MS Excel for financial calculations and reporting
• Demonstrated proficiency in Python for statistical and machine learning applications
• Demonstrated ability to validate models and interpret results rigorously
• Proven experience in identifying and resolving data quality issues at source

Preferred Qualifications:

• Proven experience in healthcare, PBM, or pharmaceutical analytics
• Demonstrated familiarity with cloud-based platforms such as Databricks or Spark
• Demonstrated familiarity with PowerBI and workflow automation tools such as Alteryx would be an advantage
• Proven exposure to version control tools (Git preferred) and collaborative coding practices
• Proven experience contributing to shared codebases or analytical libraries

Soft Skills:

• Demonstrated solid attention to detail and commitment to high-quality, well-documented work
• Proven ability to work effectively in a distributed, cross-functional team
• Curiosity and drive to explore new analytical approaches and technologies
• Demonstrated solid communication skills and proven ability to collaborate with stakeholders from multiple levels and disciplines

Please note you must currently be eligible to work and remain indefinitely without any restrictions in the country to which you are making an application. Proof will be required to support your application.  

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.


Diversity creates a healthier atmosphere: Optum is an Equal Employment Opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to gender, civil status, family status, sexual orientation, disability, religion, age, race, and membership of the Traveller community, or any other characteristic protected by law. Optum is a drug-free workplace. © 2026 Optum Services (Ireland) Limited. All rights reserved.

#BBMEMEA