Senior Director Software Engineering - Remote

Optum; Eden Prairie (MN); Remote; USD 159,000 - 273,000; Full time

Job summary

Optum Technology seeks a Sr. Director of Software Engineering to lead strategic vision, architectural modernization, and delivery of enterprise software across the healthcare platform. You will champion AI/ML initiatives, ensure governance, and drive scalable cloud solutions while mentoring engineering leaders.

This role offers the flexibility to work remotely from anywhere in the U.S., with in-office presence required four days a week for hires in the Minneapolis area (and Washington, D.C.).

Qualifications

• 5+ years leading software engineering teams
• 5+ years in technical strategy, data science, or ML leadership
• 3+ years deploying generative AI frameworks (LangChain, Vertex AI, or RAG)
• 3+ years of MLOps, model monitoring, governance in production
• 3+ years enterprise architecture, cloud-native deployments, and legacy modernization

Responsibilities

• Strategically leverage advanced technologies and ML to solve operational challenges and deliver business value
• Champion AI and modern engineering paradigms to shape architecture, deployment and utilization
• Align team hiring and strategic goals with enterprise objectives
• Ensure ethical deployment with transparency, fairness, accountability, and security
• Direct architecture and modernization of cloud platforms and legacy apps
• Provide coaching and mentorship to engineering managers and teams
• Collaborate with cross-functional leadership to align technical roadmaps

Skills

Software engineering leadership

Technical strategy

Machine learning leadership

Generative AI deployment

Enterprise architecture concepts

Education

Undergraduate degree in CS/DS/SE

Tools

Azure

AWS

GCP

LangChain

Vertex AI

RAG pipelines

AgentForce

MLOps frameworks

Job description

At UnitedHealthcare, we're simplifying the health care experience, creating healthier communities and removing barriers to quality care. The work you do here impacts the lives of millions of people for the better. Come build the health care system of tomorrow, making it more responsive, affordable and optimized. Ready to make a difference? Join us to start Caring. Connecting. Growing together. As a Sr. Director of Software Engineering within Optum Technology, you will lead the strategic vision, architectural modernizations, and execution of high-impact enterprise software engineering solutions. In this role, you will champion the adoption and integration of cutting-edge technologies and advanced intelligent frameworks across software engineering teams to solve complex healthcare challenges, drive operational efficiency, and deliver transformative digital healthcare experiences. You will partner closely with executive business stakeholders, lead multi-disciplinary engineering teams, and establish robust governance and operational standards across large-scale software systems. You'll enjoy the flexibility to work remotely * from anywhere within the U.S. as you take on some tough challenges. For all hires in the Minneapolis or Washington, D.C. area, you will be required to work in the office a minimum of four days per week.

Primary Responsibilities

• Strategically leverage advanced technologies and machine learning solutions to solve complex operational challenges, unlock business opportunities, and deliver tangible business value across the enterprise
• Champion artificial intelligence and modern engineering paradigms as core drivers of team success, proactively shaping how software systems are architected, deployed, and utilized
• Integrate enterprise technology tools, establish strategic development goals within team growth plans, and align team hiring with emerging engineering competencies to accelerate organizational adoption
• Champion the ethical deployment of technology by embedding transparency, fairness, accountability, and security principles throughout the entire software development lifecycle
• Direct the architecture, design, and implementation of highly scalable, resilient cloud enterprise platforms and legacy application modernizations
• Provide strategic leadership, coaching, and mentorship to engineering managers, principal engineers, and software teams, fostering a culture of technical excellence and continuous innovation
• Partner with cross-functional leadership, enterprise architecture teams, and executive stakeholders to align technical roadmaps with overarching business goals

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

• 5+ years of experience leading software engineering teams, driving strategic technical direction, and overseeing enterprise application delivery
• 5+ years of experience in technical strategy, data science, or applied machine learning leadership
• 3+ years of quantifiable experience designing and deploying solutions using generative AI frameworks (such as LangChain, Vertex AI, or Retrieval-Augmented Generation [RAG] pipelines)
• 3+ years of experience with MLOps frameworks, model monitoring, governance, and evaluation protocols in production environments
• 3+ years of experience with enterprise architecture concepts, cloud-native deployments, and legacy software modernization

Preferred Qualifications

• Undergraduate degree in Computer Science, Data Science, Software Engineering, or a related field (or equivalent practical experience)
• Demonstrated experience with agentic frameworks and platforms (such as AgentForce)
• Proven expertise in executive stakeholder engagement, technical communication, and driving cross-organizational alignment
• Broad background in modern cloud architectures (Azure, AWS, GCP) and containerized microservices
• Background or prior experience in healthcare, health tech, or pharmacy technology domains
• 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 $159,300 - $273,200 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.