Director, Technology Delivery and AI Engineering - Remote

Optum; Eden Prairie (MN); Hybrid; USD 135,000 - 231,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Comprehensive benefits package

Equity stock purchase program

401k contribution

Job summary

Optum is seeking a Director of Technology Delivery & AI Engineering to lead data engineering, AI platforms, and client delivery initiatives that impact growth and efficiency. You will shape roadmaps, manage execution risks, and drive AI-enabled modernization across portfolios.

The role requires strong delivery leadership, deep technical expertise, and experience guiding large, cross-functional teams in a hybrid, US-based setting.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or 4+ years of equivalent software leadership experience.
• 10+ years of progressive technology leadership in engineering or delivery.
• 7+ years leading large-scale programs and distributed teams.
• Experience managing manager-of-managers organizations.
• Experience with Agile delivery and governance frameworks.
• Financial planning, forecasting, and ROI ownership for multi-million portfolios.
• Deep data engineering tech exposure and cloud modernization.

Responsibilities

• Own end-to-end delivery outcomes for data engineering and AI programs.
• Lead roadmaps, investments, and execution plans with senior leaders.
• Drive cloud, data platform, and AI transformation initiatives.
• Establish delivery governance including reporting and risk management.
• Champion responsible AI governance and software delivery lifecycle.

Skills

Delivery leadership

Executive communication

Strategic thinking

Risk & governance

Team leadership

Education

Bachelor's degree or 4+ years of leadership experience

Tools

Azure Data Factory

Databricks

Delta Lake

Snowflake

APIs / modern data architectures

CI/CD / DevOps

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

At Optum, technology is transforming the way healthcare organizations operate and deliver value. As Director of Technology Delivery & AI Engineering, you will lead a portfolio of strategic data engineering, AI-powered platforms, and client delivery initiatives that directly impact business growth, operational efficiency, and client satisfaction.

This role provides executive leadership across Data Engineering Capital and O&M portfolios. You will drive predictable, high-quality delivery while accelerating the adoption of AI-powered engineering practices, automation, and AI-DLC methodologies. Working closely with business partners, product leaders, architects, and engineering teams, you will shape roadmaps, manage execution risks, and ensure critical business commitments are delivered on time and at scale.

The successful candidate will combine strong delivery leadership, technical expertise, and AI transformation capabilities to modernize platforms, improve delivery velocity, and maximize business value realization.

If you are located in MN or DC, you will have the flexibility to work remotely* as you take on some tough challenges. This position follows a hybrid schedule with four in-office days per week.

Primary Responsibilities

• Own end-to-end delivery outcomes for a portfolio of data engineering, AI automation, and client implementation programs, ensuring alignment to business objectives, revenue realization targets, and enterprise priorities
• Lead strategic execution across Contract & Policy Intelligence, Client Engineering, and implementation initiatives while driving accountability for scope, schedule, quality, and operational excellence
• Partner with senior business and technology leaders to develop roadmaps, investment strategies, and execution plans supporting enterprise growth and modernization goals
• Drive large-scale cloud, data platform, and AI-enabled transformation initiatives leveraging Azure Data Factory, Databricks, Delta Lake, Snowflake, APIs, and modern engineering practices
• Establish delivery governance frameworks including executive reporting, RAG management, dependency tracking, milestone execution, and risk mitigation
• Utilize AI-powered delivery practices, agentic tooling, and AI-DLC methodologies to improve resource planning, risk management, delivery predictability, and engineering productivity
• Champion responsible AI adoption by embedding governance, transparency, accountability, and compliance throughout the software and AI development lifecycle
• Lead financial planning, budget management, forecasting, and ROI tracking for multi-million-dollar portfolios
• Build and lead high-performing teams through a manager-of-managers model, fostering a culture of innovation, accountability, continuous learning, and AI-first delivery
• Collaborate with onshore and offshore teams while maintaining strong engagement with business stakeholders during U.S. business hours
• Influence engineering standards, platform modernization strategies, DevOps maturity, CI/CD adoption, and enterprise architecture decisions
• Ensure operational excellence through production stability, observability, service reliability, and continuous improvement initiatives
• Evaluate emerging technologies, AI capabilities, and industry best practices to drive innovation and competitive advantage

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or 4+ years of equivalent software engineering, data engineering, or technology leadership experience
• 10+ years of progressive technology leadership experience with increasing responsibility across engineering, delivery, or product organizations
• 7+ years leading large-scale programs, portfolios, or technology organizations with responsibility for delivery outcomes
• Experience managing manager-of-managers organizations and globally distributed teams
• Experience implementing Agile delivery practices and enterprise-scale governance frameworks
• Experience leading multi-million-dollar portfolios with accountability for financial planning, forecasting, and value realization
• Deep expertise in data engineering technologies including Azure Data Factory (ADF), Databricks, Delta Lake, Snowflake, ETL frameworks, APIs, and modern data architectures
• Proven success delivering complex enterprise programs involving cloud modernization, data platforms, integration ecosystems, or AI-enabled solutions
• Demonstrated success managing risks, dependencies, budgets, and executive stakeholder communications
• Demonstrated solid executive presence with the ability to influence and align senior leaders across business and technology functions

Preferred Qualifications

• Healthcare, payer, provider, or healthcare technology experience
• Experience leading AI engineering, AI automation, agentic workflows, or enterprise AI transformation programs at scale
• Experience implementing AI-Driven Development Lifecycle (AI-DLC) methodologies and AI-assisted software delivery practices
• Experience supporting client onboarding, implementations, and customer-facing technology organizations
• Experience operating in highly regulated environments with governance, compliance, and security requirements
• Familiarity with enterprise-approved AI tools, copilots, agent frameworks, and AI governance processes
• Solid understanding of DevOps, CI/CD, platform engineering, observability, and Site Reliability Engineering (SRE) practices
• Demonstrated success driving large-scale organizational change and technology adoption initiatives

Leadership Competencies

• Strategic Thinking
• Delivery Excellence
• AI-First Leadership
• Executive Communication
• Financial Acumen
• Organizational Development
• Risk & Compliance Management
• Stakeholder Influence
• Operational Excellence
• Innovation & Continuous Improvement
• All employees working remotely will be required to adhere to UnitedHealth Group's Telecommuter Policy

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.

No matter where or when you begin a career with us, you'll find a far-reaching choice of benefits and incentives.

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.

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