Director, Inventory Management, Pharmacy Care Services (PCS)
Dublin / Letterkenny, Ireland – Salary £175,000.00-£200,000.00 (estimated)
Optum is a global organisation 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.
Position Summary
As a Fortune 5 business, we are one of the world’s leading healthcare companies. There are no limits here on the resources you will have or the challenges you will encounter.
The Director, Inventory Management will report to the Sr. Director and lead a team of direct reports. The Associate Director will create a new business planning function within OptumRx’s Procurement department. This integrated business planning (IBP) function will consist of sales & operations planning (S&OP), forecasting and demand planning, inventory planning, and supplier collaboration. The role is to ensure success for Optum’s advanced planning and collaboration solution and needs a strategically minded leader who can also manage the ongoing processes involved with forecasting demand, adjusting demand based on sales inputs, and aligning demand with available supply in the supply chain.
Primary Responsibilities
Deploy a new demand forecasting and supplier collaboration system.
Deep knowledge of S&OP process, forecasting systems, inventory planning, and matching demand with supply.
Develop and execute a clear demand planning strategy and manage a high‑performing team charged with all aspects of demand planning.
Partner with business leaders to develop a thorough understanding of clients, members, market dynamics, trends, and marketing strategies designed to drive demand forecasting effectively and achieve business objectives.
Ensure the demand planning process delivers the business plan with operational excellence.
Own processes building aligned plans for product including life cycle, seasonality, new and lost business volume, and new product launches.
Engage business leaders to resolve strategic demand issues through in‑depth analysis and marketplace assessment to understand risk/benefit trade‑offs between various approaches and opportunities.
Act as a key liaison between the executive leadership team and operational teams.
Lead and support sustainable process improvement by diagnosing complex business problems and recommending plans to deliver improvements through Lean Six Sigma principles.
Business ownership of all demand and supply planning systems, Procure to Pay system functionality, and improvements.
Facilitate and own the S&OP monthly cycle.
Work closely with operations, fulfillment, and procurement teams to optimize inventory levels and minimize lead times.
Lead the implementation of advanced planning applications such as Kinaxis.
Implement forecasting tools and methodologies to improve accuracy.
Implement supplier collaboration tools and methodologies to improve service levels and reduce out‑of‑stocks.
Lead the supplier collaboration process: work with each supplier to develop, implement, and execute a suitable collaboration process.
Provide leadership and subject‑matter expertise to teams across global sites regarding SIOP, materials planning, inventory management, and supplier collaboration.
Direct supervision and best‑practice training of Demand Planners and Analysts, initiating continuous‑improvement programs focused on inventory optimisation with cost reduction.
Lead, manage, and develop the Demand Planners and Senior Analysts, including goal setting, performance review, hiring decisions, culture, etc. to support job satisfaction, retention, and career development.
Develop functional, market‑level, or site strategy, plans, production and organisational priorities.
Identify and resolve technical, operational, and organisational problems outside your own team.
Required Qualifications
Proven experience in forecasting and supply chain, preferably within healthcare or pharmaceuticals.
Extensive experience leading people and managing teams.
Experience with demand planning software.
Experience with or exposure to S&OP, SIOP, or CPFR processes and procedures.
Experience in supply‑chain aspects such as planning, fulfillment operations, purchasing, warehousing, and inventory management is ideal.
Experience in change management and work redesign initiatives.
Preferred Qualifications
Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience.
Familiarity with forecasting software platforms.
Advanced level of Excel.
Exceptional analytical and problem‑solving skills.
Highly collaborative leadership style and excellent facilitation skills.
Ability to lead effectively and handle conflict in a cross‑functional integration role.
Solid influence‑management skills.
Ability to manage cross‑operating group/cross‑functional resources without direct reports.
Ability to interact with various organisational levels.
Ability to communicate at all levels of the organisation.
Leadership Competencies
Ability to think strategically with a results‑oriented mindset.
Skilled in influencing and building consensus across senior leadership.
High emotional intelligence and situational awareness.
Ability to lead through change and foster innovation.
Please note you must currently be eligible to work and remain indefinitely in the country to which you are applying. 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 marginalised 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—a 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. © 2025 Optum Services (Ireland) Limited. All rights reserved.
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