Lead Software Engineer

Optum; Basking Ridge (NJ); Remote; USD 113,000 - 193,000; Full time

Job summary

Optum is seeking a Lead Software Engineer to drive enterprise-scale software development, platform reliability, and AI-powered automation across high-consequence applications.

As Site Leadership Owner, you will orchestrate release management, incident response, DR exercises, and collaboration across Dev, DevOps, and Security to modernize legacy systems while ensuring security, availability, and performance. Telecommuting from anywhere in the U.S. is supported.

Qualifications

• 10+ years with Java, RESTful APIs, and microservices architectures.
• 2+ years leading engineering teams or site ownership functions (SLO).
• 2+ years managing production support operations, P1/P2 war rooms, RCA.
• 2+ years of database design, SQL Server, and cloud platforms (Azure preferred).
• 1+ years designing or deploying AI-powered tools or ML integrations.
• 1+ years CI/CD, ITIL change management (ServiceNow), and enterprise observability tools.

Responsibilities

• Design, develop, and deploy enterprise-scale software and AI-powered platform automations.
• Lead production war rooms and drive rapid service restoration with RCA publishing.
• Coordinate end-to-end release activities and change management workflows.
• Evaluate emerging tech trends to inform architecture, modernization, and cloud adoption.
• Plan Disaster Recovery exercises and implement business continuity strategies.
• Collaborate with Dev/DevOps to perform automated security scans and remediations.
• Oversee data streaming platforms (e.g., Kafka) and vendor service requests.

Skills

Java

REST APIs

Microservices

Team leadership

Production support

P1/P2 incident handling

RCA

SQL Server

Azure

AI-powered tools

CI/CD

ITIL change management

Observability tools

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science/related field

Tools

Kafka

Datadog

Dynatrace

Splunk

App Insights

Job description

Improve the lives of others while Caring. Connecting. Growing together.

Job Description - Lead Software Engineer (2374549)

Lead Software Engineer - 2374549

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, and data 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 startCaring. Connecting. Growing together.

As a Lead Software Engineer on our technology team, you will drive operational excellence, platform reliability, and system performance across high-consequence enterprise applications. In this technical leadership role, you will serve as a Site Leadership Owner (SLO), orchestrating release management, incident response, and Disaster Recovery while designing, developing, and deploying enterprise-scale software and AI-powered solutions. You will collaborate across Development, Operations, DevOps, and Security teams to modernize legacy systems, automate workflows, and ensure the highest standards of availability, security, and scalability.

You will enjoy the flexibility to telecommute* from anywhere within the U.S. as you take on some tough challenges.

Primary Responsibilities:

• Design, develop, and deploy enterprise-scale software solutions and AI-powered platform automations to address complex operational and business challenges with emphasis on responsible AI use
• Leverage enterprise-approved AI tools to automate deployment tasks, streamline incident response workflows, and drive continuous system optimization
• Lead production war rooms for critical P1 and P2 incidents, driving rapid service restoration, comprehensive Root Cause Analysis (RCA) publishing, and leadership presentations
• Coordinate end-to-end release activities, including change ticket management, deployment planning, execution, and approval follow-ups
• Evaluate emerging technical trends and AI solutions to inform architecture design, platform modernization, and legacy-to-cloud transformations
• Plan and execute Stage and Production Disaster Recovery (DR) exercises, business continuity failover plans, and system availability strategies
• Collaborate with Dev and DevOps teams to perform automated security scans, remediate application vulnerabilities, and coordinate product lifecycle management (PLM) activities
• Manage message streaming platforms (e.g., Kafka topic onboarding and data pipeline mappings) and oversee vendor partner service requests
• Participate in and lead Site Leadership Owner (SLO) governance meetings, operational discussions, and periodic health reviews

You’ll be rewarded and recognized for your performance in an environment that will challenge you and give you clear directions on what it takes to succeed in your role as well as provide development for other roles you may be interested in.

Required Qualifications:

• 10+ years with expertise in Java, RESTful APIs, and microservices architectures
• 2+ years of experience leading engineering teams, technical initiatives, platform ownership functions, or site operational leadership (SLO)
• 2+ years of experience managing production support operations, leading P1/P2 war rooms, managing change approval workflows, and conducting Root Cause Analysis (RCA)
• 2+ years of experience with database design, tuning, and troubleshooting (SQL Server) and cloud platforms (Azure preferred)
• 1+ years of experience designing, developing, or deploying AI-powered tools, automations, or machine learning integrations within enterprise workflows
• 1+ hands-on experience with CI/CD pipelines, ITIL change management processes (e.g., ServiceNow), and enterprise observability platforms (e.g., Datadog, Dynatrace, Splunk, App Insights)

Preferred Qualifications:

• 15+ years of software engineering experience in enterprise-scale applications (or Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science/related field plus 8+ years of experience)
• Demonstrated experience leading legacy transformations, stored procedure-to-API migrations, and modern cloud platform adoptions
• Experience managing event-driven streaming platforms (e.g., Kafka) and data integration pipelines
• Proven track record of planning and executing Disaster Recovery (DR) testing and high-availability failover strategies
• Industry technical certifications in Cloud Architecture (Azure/AWS), DevOps, or ITIL Frameworks

*All Telecommuters 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 $112,700 - $193,200 annually based on full-time employment. We comply with all minimum wage laws as applicable.

Application Deadline: This will be posted for a minimum of 2 business days or until a sufficient candidate pool has been collected. Job posting may come down early due to volume of applicants.

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.

UnitedHealth Group is committed to working with and providing reasonable accommodations to individuals with physical and mental disabilities. If you need special assistance or accommodation for any part of the application process, please call 1-866-566-8715 to be connected to Recruitment Services. Recruitment Services hours of operation are 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. CT, Monday through Friday.

UnitedHealth Group is a registered service mark of UnitedHealth Group, Inc. The UnitedHealth Group name with the dimensional logo, as well as the dimensional logo alone, are both service marks for the UnitedHealth Group, Inc.

Diversity creates a healthier atmosphere: UnitedHealth Group is an Equal Employment Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, protected veteran status, disability status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, marital status, genetic information, or any other characteristic protected by law.

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