Director, Software Engineering - AI Platform, FSE

UnitedHealth Group; Eden Prairie (MN); On-site; USD 135,000 - 231,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Comprehensive benefits

Equity stock purchase

401k contribution

Job summary

UnitedHealth Group's Optum Tech unit in Eden Prairie, MN seeks a Director of Software Engineering to lead AI-first, full stack platform capabilities enabling enterprise-scale case management intelligence and decisioning.

You will guide technical direction and people leadership, building teams that deliver secure, scalable software while aligning architecture with business priorities and regulatory compliance in healthcare.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in CS, Engineering, or related field.
• 12+ years of software engineering experience.
• 5+ years leading engineering teams.
• Experience with CI/CD, DevOps tooling, and cloud platforms.
• Experience with AI/ML governance, data management, and responsible AI practices.
• Experience leveraging AI-assisted development tools to improve delivery efficiency.
• Solid experience with Java, Python, Nodejs, and modern full stack frameworks (React/Angular, REST, GraphQL).

Responsibilities

• Lead and scale engineering teams across full stack and AI platform development.
• Drive hiring, coaching, and performance management.
• Own end-to-end delivery of engineering roadmaps with quality and reliability.
• Define AI strategy to accelerate development and efficiency.
• Govern AI models and ensure compliance in CI/CD workflows.
• Oversee end-to-end full stack solutions and platform enablement.
• Influence stakeholders and communicate progress to executives.

Skills

Java

Python

Node.js

Full stack

React/Angular

CI/CD

DevOps

AI governance

Microservices

Distributed systems

Education

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or related field

Tools

CI/CD tooling

Cloud platforms

GraphQL

REST

Job description

Optum Tech is a global leader in health care innovation. Our teams develop cutting-edge solutions that help people live healthier lives and help make the health system work better for everyone. From advanced data analytics and AI to cybersecurity, we use innovative approaches to solve some of health care's most complex challenges. Your contributions here have the potential to change lives. Ready to build the next breakthrough? Join us in making healthcare work better for everyone through people-led, responsible AI while Caring. Connecting. Growing together.

As Director of Software Engineering, you will lead the development and delivery of AI-first, full stack platform capabilities that enable enterprise-scale case management intelligence, optimization, and decisioning. You will be responsible for both technical direction and people leadership, building and scaling high-performing teams that deliver secure, scalable, and compliant software solutions.

This role combines engineering leadership, AI platform strategy, and execution excellence, ensuring alignment across architecture, engineering, and business priorities.

Primary Responsibilities:

• Engineering Leadership & Organization Management
  • Build, lead, and scale high-performing engineering teams across full stack and agentic AI platform development
  • Drive hiring, coaching, and performance management to develop solid engineering talent aligned to AI-first capabilities
  • Lead teams that build ML models for risk scoring and identification A good understanding ML model lifecycle and ML Ops
  • Establish clear ownership, accountability, and delivery governance across teams
• Technology & Architecture Leadership
  • Define and govern architecture for AI-driven applications, full stack platforms, APIs, and microservices ecosystems
  • Partner with product and architecture leaders to align technical strategy with business outcomes
• Delivery & Execution Accountability
  • Own end-to-end delivery of engineering roadmaps with a focus on quality, speed, and reliability
  • Manage cross-team dependencies and ensure alignment across engineering, data science, and platform teams
  • Define and own the engineering AI strategy to measurably accelerate software development, quality, reliability, and operational efficiency through the use of AI agents
  • Partner with engineering teams to analyze current workflows, development activities, and pain points across the SDLC, identifying high value opportunities where AI agents can deliver meaningful impact
• AI/ML Governance & Compliance
  • Ensure governance and oversight of AI models, training data, and externally exposed capabilities
  • Drive adoption of compliance-as-code practices embedded into CI/CD and SDLC workflows
• Platform Engineering & Full Stack Enablement
  • Oversee development of end-to-end full stack solutions (UI, APIs, services, and data layers)
  • Enable scalable platforms supporting AI-driven use cases, analytics, and decision intelligence
  • Champion adoption of AI-assisted development tools (LLMs, coding agents) to accelerate engineering productivity
  • Drive engineering excellence through automation, reusable patterns, and modern development practices
• Stakeholder Engagement & Influence
  • Partner with business, product, and executive stakeholders to translate strategy into execution
  • Communicate progress, risks, and outcomes to senior leadership
  • Influence enterprise decisions on engineering standards and AI adoption

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 in Computer Science, Engineering, or related field
• 12+ years of experience in software engineering, including full stack development
• 5+ years of experience leading engineering teams and managing large-scale delivery
• Experience with CI/CD, DevOps tooling, and cloud platforms
• Experience with AI/ML model governance, data management, and responsible AI practices
• Experience leveraging AI-assisted development tools to improve delivery efficiency
• Solid experience with Java, Python, Nodejs, and modern full stack frameworks (React/Angular, REST, GraphQL)
• Proven experience leading AI-enabled platform and full stack engineering teams
• Deep expertise in microservices architecture and distributed systems
• Proven track record of delivering multi-quarter, cross-team engineering programs

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience with AI/ML platforms, LLM-based applications, or agentic systems
• Experience building enterprise-scale platforms for analytics, optimization, or decision intelligence
• Experience in regulated industries (healthcare, financial services, etc.)
• Knowledge of responsible AI, model lifecycle management, and governance frameworks

Pay is based on several factors including but not limited to local labor markets, education, work experience, certifications, etc. In addition to your salary, we offer 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 us, you'll find a far-reaching choice of benefits and incentives. The salary for this role will range from $134,600 - $230,800 annually based on full-time employment. We comply with all minimum wage laws as applicable.

At UnitedHealth Group, our mission is to help people live healthier lives and help make the health system work better for everyone. Together, we are shaping the future of healthcare by harnessing technology and innovation to make care simpler to navigate, more affordable and more connected for the people we serve. We are committed to creating an inclusive workplace where everyone feels welcomed, valued, heard and respected, empowering people to bring their authentic selves to work and strengthening our collective impact through diverse talents, backgrounds, experiences and perspectives.

UnitedHealth Group and its affiliated brands are an Equal Employment Opportunity employer under applicable law and qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, national origin, religion, age, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, or protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by local, state, or federal laws, rules, or regulations.

UnitedHealth Group and its affiliated brands are a drug-free workplace. Candidates are required to pass a drug test before beginning employment.