Consultant, Custom Research Services - Advisory Board Research - Washington, DC or Telecommute

Combine two of the fastest-growing fields on the planet with a culture of performance, collaboration and opportunity and this is what you get. Leading edge technology in an industry that is improving the lives of millions. Here, innovation is not about another gadget; it is about making health care data available wherever and whenever people need it, safely and reliably. There is no room for error. If you are looking for a better place to use your passion and your desire to drive change, this is the place to be. It's an opportunity to do your life's best work.(sm)

Advisory Board is a best practice research firm that was acquired by Optum in 2017. For over 40 years, Advisory Board research has been the health care industry’s guiding light, bringing our provider and service provider members closer to best practice performance. We help leaders and future leaders in the health care industry work smarter and faster by providing provocative insights, actionable strategies, and practical tools to support execution. Learn more about Advisory Board.

Our Custom Services team conducts tailored engagements that are scoped to solve health care organizations’ greatest challenges and strategic questions. We serve Advisory Board’s top clients spanning provider, payer, life sciences, and internal UHG partners. Consultants on Advisory Board’s Custom Services team typically manage 2-3 research engagements at a time; these projects can vary in length between one to six months. Using Advisory Board’s rigorous research methodology, including surveys, in-depth interviews, and data analysis, our custom research studies provide clients with actionable, data-driven insights to inform decision-making about business strategy and operations. We also develop customized training and education and design custom events to extend the reach and application of our research and industry expertise.

Consultants are responsible for leading custom engagements end-to-end, including developing and managing the work plan, leading the research cycle, providing oversight and guidance to junior team members, and serving as the main point of contact for our clients. The Consultant manages all aspects of the research study as the team conducts primary and secondary research, hypothesis generation and testing, rigorous analysis of findings, developing polished deliverables, and presenting them to the client. Consultants are assigned to specific projects based on experience, areas of expertise, need, timing, and preference.

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

Primary Responsibilities:

Key skills to succeed in this role include:

• Project management


• Client management


• Team leadership


• Cross-functional stakeholder management


• Strategic and root cause analysis


• Inductive and deductive reasoning


• Hypothesis generation


• Ability to formulate and defend original points of view


• Synthesis of complex ideas


• Persuasive writing


• Effective use of graphics and visuals to communicate ideas and information

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:

• Bachelor’s Degree


• 3+ years of relevant experience in any of the following 3 areas: research, consulting, and academics


• Experience conducting long-term research OR conducting primary and secondary research


• Experience managing projects


• Ability to develop deliverables of varying types and for varying audiences - most often - power point - written research decks, white pagers - scheduling virtual events and sharing research and facilitating dialog


• Full COVID-19 vaccination is an essential job function of this role. Candidates located in states that mandate COVID-19 booster doses must also comply with those state requirements. UnitedHealth Group will adhere to all federal, state and local regulations as well as all client requirements and will obtain necessary proof of vaccination, and boosters when applicable, prior to employment to ensure compliance. Candidates must be able to perform all essential job functions with or without reasonable accommodation

Preferred qualifications:

• MBA, MPH, or other advanced degree


• Experience conducting surveys and quantitative analyses


• Experience conducting root-cause analysis


• Experience working with clients in a consultative role


• Experience working on the clinical or business sides of health care


• Ability to quickly determine appropriate analyses and direct analysts to conduct them

To protect the health and safety of our workforce, patients and communities we serve, UnitedHealth Group and its affiliate companies require all employees to disclose COVID-19 vaccination status prior to beginning employment. In addition, some roles and locations require full COVID-19 vaccination, including boosters, 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 with Optum. Here's the idea. We built an entire organization around one giant objective; make health care work better for everyone. So when it comes to how we use the world's large accumulation of health-related information, or guide health and lifestyle choices or manage pharmacy benefits for millions, our first goal is to leap beyond the status quo and uncover new ways to serve. Optum, part of the UnitedHealth Group family of businesses, brings together some of the greatest minds and most advanced ideas on where health care has to go in order to reach its fullest potential. For you, that means working on high performance teams against sophisticated challenges that matter. Optum, incredible ideas in one incredible company and a singular opportunity to do your life's best work.(sm)

Colorado, Connecticut or Nevada Residents Only: The salary range for Colorado residents is $82,100 to $146,900. 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 by law.

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

Recommended Skills

• Clinical Works
• Consulting
• Deductive Reasoning
• Graphic Design
• Leadership
• Microsoft Power Point