Principal Data Engineer

UnitedHealth Group; Dublin; Hybrid; EUR 150,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

Optum is seeking a Principal Data Engineer to lead data platform design and development, delivering scalable data products for healthcare analytics. You will work across product, AI, architecture, and security teams to shape pragmatic roadmaps and reusable patterns.

In a hybrid setup, you will split time between Dublin/Letterkenny offices and a home-based office, contributing to data governance, security, and multi-tenant architectures in a dynamic healthcare landscape.

Qualifications

• Proven hands-on experience with Azure data services, Databricks, Apache Spark or similar technologies.
• Proven experience with Snowflake, dbt, Terraform or equivalent technologies.
• Proven experience designing multitenant data platforms with reusable architectures and tenant isolation.
• Experience enabling Generative AI or conversational analytics leveraging enterprise data.
• Knowledge of data cataloging, governance, and security controls for sensitive data.
• Proven experience within the healthcare industry.

Responsibilities

• Serve as the hands-on data engineering lead for strategic initiatives, setting technical direction.
• Design and build scalable data products and platform components using cloud, lakehouse, and software practices.
• Collaborate with product, AI, architecture, security, governance, and engineering to translate needs into technical roadmaps.
• Establish standards for data modeling, quality, lineage, observability, testing, security, and readiness.
• Create reference implementations and reusable patterns to improve delivery.
• Provide mentorship and design guidance to engineers without direct people management.
• Evaluate architectural trade-offs balancing scalability, security, cost, and delivery speed.

Skills

Azure data services

Databricks

Apache Spark

Snowflake

dbt

Terraform

multitenant data platforms

Generative AI

data cataloging

data governance

healthcare industry

Job description

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.

Optum Product Engineering Nexus (OPEN) are looking for a Principal Data Engineer who will lead the design, build, and evolution of data solutions driving new products that serve U.S. healthcare. You will work at the intersection of engineering, analytics, and business strategy-building scalable, trusted data platforms and enabling advanced analytical, data science and artificial intelligence capabilities.

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:

• Serve as the hands-on data engineering lead for strategic initiatives, setting technical direction while designing and delivering critical platform capabilities
• Design and build scalable, reliable data products and platform components using modern cloud, Lakehouse, and software engineering practices
• Partner closely with product, business, AI, architecture, security, governance, and engineering stakeholders to translate complex needs into pragmatic technical roadmaps and solutions
• Establish and champion standards for data modeling, data quality, lineage, observability, testing, security, and operational readiness
• Create reference implementations and reusable engineering patterns that improve delivery consistency and reduce duplication
• Provide technical mentorship, design guidance, and constructive review to engineers, raising capability across the team without direct people-management responsibility
• Evaluate architectural trade-offs and emerging technologies, balancing scalability, reliability, security, cost, and speed of delivery

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:

• Proven hands-on experience with Azure data services, Databricks, Apache Spark, or similar technologies
• Proven experience working with Snowflake, dbt, Terraform, or equivalent technologies
• Proven experience designing multitenant data platforms, including reusable architectures and tenant-isolation patterns
• Demonstrated experience enabling Generative AI or conversational analytics solutions leveraging enterprise data, including retrieval, semantic modeling, grounding, or evaluation techniques
• Demonstrated knowledge of data cataloging, governance, and security controls for sensitive or regulated data
• Proven experience within the healthcare industry

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.

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