Distinguished Engineer

The Elevance Health Companies, Inc.; Mendota Heights (MN); Hybrid; USD 255,000 - 382,000; Full time

Job summary

Elevance Health in Mendota Heights, MN seeks a Distinguished Engineer to architect scalable AI solutions and lead enterprise technical direction. You will guide modernization of legacy systems through AI-enabled practices and mentor engineering teams in a hybrid work model.

The role requires a bachelor’s degree and 15+ years in software engineering with distributed systems, APIs, microservices, cloud, CI/CD, and DevOps proficiency.

Qualifications

• Requires a bachelor's degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field.
• Minimum of 15 years of experience in software engineering with distributed systems and large-scale architectures.
• Experience designing, developing, and maintaining software solutions using Python, Java, or comparable OO languages, APIs, microservices, and event-driven architectures; applying cloud, CI/CD, and DevOps practices.

Responsibilities

• Architect and deliver scalable AI solutions using agentic systems, LLMs, distributed systems, and event-driven architectures.
• Define enterprise-wide technical direction, including architecture patterns, integration standards, and reusable platform capabilities.
• Lead AI-driven modernization of legacy systems through automated code transformation, service decomposition, and continuous optimization.
• Design and implement AI-enabled SDLC practices to improve engineering velocity and quality.
• Establish technical standards, governance frameworks, and best practices for AI systems, including monitoring, evaluation, and responsible AI.
• Partner with engineering teams to enable adoption of AI-assisted development and drive continuous improvement in system performance and productivity.
• Provide technical leadership and mentorship while influencing enterprise technology decisions through deep expertise and hands-on engineering.

Skills

AI/ML systems

Distributed systems

Large-scale architectures

Python

Java

APIs & microservices

Event-driven architectures

Cloud & DevOps

Technical leadership

Education

Bachelor's degree in IT/CS/Engineering

Job description

Anticipated End Date: 2026-10-31 Position Title: Distinguished Engineer Job Description: Distinguished Engineer

Note: This position is not eligible for current or future visa sponsorship

Hybrid: This role requires associates to be in-office 3 days per week, fostering collaboration and connectivity, while providing flexibility to support productivity and work-life balance. This approach combines structured office engagement with the autonomy of virtual work, promoting a dynamic and adaptable workplace. Alternate locations may be considered if candidates reside within a commuting distance from an office. Please note that per our policy on hybrid/virtual work, candidates not within a reasonable commuting distance from the posting location(s) will not be considered for employment, unless an accommodation is granted as required by law.

How you will make an impact:

• Architect and deliver scalable, resilient AI solutions leveraging technologies such as agentic systems, large language models (LLMs), distributed systems, and event-driven architectures.
• Define enterprise-wide technical direction, including architecture patterns, integration standards, and reusable platform capabilities.
• Lead AI-driven modernization of legacy systems through automated code transformation, service decomposition, and continuous optimization.
• Design and implement AI-enabled software development lifecycle (SDLC) practices to improve engineering velocity and quality.
• Establish technical standards, governance frameworks, and best practices for AI systems, including monitoring, evaluation, and responsible AI.
• Partner with engineering teams and stakeholders to enable adoption of AI-assisted development and drive continuous improvement in system performance and productivity.
• Provide technical leadership and mentorship while influencing enterprise technology decisions through deep expertise and hands‑on engineering.

Minimum Requirements:

• Requires a bachelor's degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field and a minimum of 15 years of experience in software engineering, including experience leading, designing, implementing, and operating distributed systems and large-scale architectures, or any combination of education and experience which would provide an equivalent background.
• Experience designing, developing, and maintaining software solutions using Python, Java, or comparable object-oriented programming languages also required, as well as experience designing and implementing APIs, microservices, and event-driven architectures, and applying cloud, CI/CD, and DevOps practices.

Preferred Skills, Capabilities, and Experiences:

• Experience designing and delivering enterprise AI solutions that drive measurable business outcomes across healthcare domains including medical cost management, payment integrity, utilization management, claims, care management, pharmacy, and clinical operations.
• Deep expertise in agentic AI, LLMs, retrieval-augmented generation (RAG), knowledge graphs, semantic layers, ontologies, conversational analytics, AI orchestration, and intelligent automation.
• Experience defining enterprise data strategies and modern data architectures, including open table formats (Apache Iceberg), data catalogs and catalog federation, metadata management, semantic models, data products, and interoperable multi-platform data ecosystems.
• Experience building enterprise AI platforms and reusable capabilities, including AI gateways, semantic models, vector databases, governance, security, and responsible AI.
• Healthcare payer experience, including healthcare data, FHIR/HL7 interoperability, and regulated environments.
• Demonstrated ability to partner with business, clinical, and technology leaders to translate business strategy into scalable AI-enabled products and enterprise capabilities.
• Recognized technical leader with experience defining enterprise architecture, influencing technology strategy, and driving adoption of modern AI engineering practices.
• Experience designing, building, and operating large-scale distributed systems and cloud-native applications.
• Experience developing software using Python, Java, or comparable object-oriented programming languages.
• Experience designing APIs, microservices, event-driven architectures, and implementing CI/CD and DevSecOps practices.
• Experience leading architecture and technical design for complex enterprise software platforms and mentoring engineering teams.
• Experience applying AI, machine learning, or generative AI technologies to develop production software solutions.

For candidates working in person or virtually in the below locations, the salary* range for this specific position is $254,584.00 - $ 381,876.00 USD Annual.

Location: Mendota Heights, MN

In addition to your salary, Elevance Health 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).

The salary offered for this specific position is based on a number of legitimate, non-discriminatory factors set by the Company. The Company is fully committed to ensuring equal pay opportunities for equal work regardless of gender, race, or any other category protected by federal, state, and local pay equity laws.

* The salary range is the range Elevance Health in good faith believes is the range of possible compensation for this role at the time of this posting. This range may be modified in the future and actual compensation may vary from posting based on geographic location, work experience, education, and/or skill level. Even within the range, the actual compensation will vary depending on the above factors as well as market/business considerations. No amount is wages or compensation until such amount is earned, vested, and determinable under the terms and conditions of the applicable policies and plans. The amount and availability of any bonus, commission, benefits, or any other form of compensation and benefits that are allocable to a particular employee remains in the Company's sole discretion unless and until paid and may be modified at the Company’s sole discretion, consistent with the law.

Job Level: Non-Management Exempt

Workshift: Job Family: IFT > IT Architecture

Elevance Health is an Equal Employment Opportunity employer, and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, citizenship status, color, creed, disability, ethnicity, genetic information, gender (including gender identity and gender expression), marital status, national origin, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, veteran status or any other status or condition protected by applicable federal, state, or local laws.

Applicants who require accommodation to participate in the job application process should submit the following form: Accessibility Accommodation Request Form and a member of the team will be in contact.

Qualified applicants with arrest or conviction records will be considered for employment in accordance with all federal, state, and local laws, including, but not limited to, the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance and the California Fair Chance Act.

Prospective employees required to be screened under Florida law should review the education and awareness resources at HB531 | Florida Agency for Health Care Administration.

NOTE: Workday keeps job postings active through 11:59:59 PM on the day before the listed end date. Example: If the end date is 3/13, the posting will automatically come down on 3/12 at 11:59:59 PM. In other words — the job is posted until 3/13, not through 3/13.

Elevance Health is a health company dedicated to improving lives and communities – and making healthcare simpler. Previously known as Anthem, Inc., we have evolved into a company focused on whole health and updated our name to better reflect the direction the company is heading.

Join our Talent Community and stay connected with company news, information, and future job opportunities.

Fueled by our bold purpose to improve the health of humanity, we are transforming from a traditional health benefits organization into a lifetime trusted health partner.Our nearly 100,000 associates serve approximately 100M+ people, at every stage of health. We address a full range of needs with an integrated whole health approach, powered by industry-leading capabilities and a digital platform for health.

Elevance Health is an Equal Employment Opportunity employer, and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, citizenship status, color, creed, disability, ethnicity, genetic information, gender (including gender identity and gender expression), marital status, national origin, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, veteran status or any other status or condition protected by applicable federal, state, or local laws.

Applicants who require accommodation to participate in the job application process should submit the following form: Accessibility Accommodation Request Form and a member of the team will be in contact.

Qualified applicants with arrest or conviction records will be considered for employment in accordance with all federal, state, and local laws, including, but not limited to, the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance and the California Fair Chance Act.

Prospective employees required to be screened under Florida law should review the education and awareness resources at HB531 | Florida Agency for Health Care Administration

Please visit the Contract Worker Community Page. Elevance Health is an Equal Opportunity Employer/Disability/Veterans.