Lead Software Engineer

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.

We are looking for a Lead Software Engineer to join the Claims Preprocessing team. The role involves managing operational development and support, including application deployments, production support, and implementing machine learning solutions such as generative AI to improve Priority 1 application support. The position requires knowledge of both traditional software development life cycle methods and modern AI algorithms, proficiency in Java Full Stack, Kafka, React, , experience with the GenAI stack (including RAG and agents), expertise in AI evaluation tools and techniques, and an ongoing commitment to responsible use of AI within regulated healthcare environments.

You'll enjoy the flexibility to work remotely * from anywhere within the U.S. as you take on some tough challenges.

Primary Responsibilities:

• The availability, performance, and scalability of critical systems by implementing best practices in site reliability engineering
• Drive the design and evolution of observability systems by building scalable, extensible solutions using Open Telemetry (OTEL) and other modern observability tools
• Champion innovation in monitoring, distributed tracing, and logging strategies to provide deep visibility into system behavior. Continuously evaluate and integrate emerging technologies to improve observability maturity and reduce mean time to detect (MTTD) and resolve (MTTR)
• Lead and contribute to projects such as performance testing, CI/CD tooling, and infrastructure/application migrations with focus to migrate from on-prem to cloud solutions
• Participate in incident response, troubleshooting, and post-mortem analysis to identify root causes and prevent future occurrences
• Develop and maintain automation tools to reduce manual effort, streamline processes, and enhance system reliability
• Collaboration: Work closely with other SREs, engineers, and stakeholders across time zones to align on goals, strategies, and ensure smooth project execution
• Identify opportunities to improve system reliability, performance, and operational efficiency, and implement changes as needed
• Provide guidance and mentorship to junior engineers on the team, fostering a culture of learning and growth
• Leverage AI-powered tools and platforms to enhance observability, incident response, and operational efficiency
• Design, develop and deploy AI powered solutions using no code, low code and advanced platforms, translating business needs into scalable applications that enhance products, workflows, and decision making

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 equivalent experience
• 12+ years of experience in Site Reliability Engineering, DevOps, or a similar function
• Experience architecting and implementing observability platforms using Open Telemetry, Splunk, Grafana, or similar tools
• Experience with CI/CD tools like Jenkins, GitHub Actions, and related automation pipelines
• Knowledge of public cloud platforms, preferably Azure, and expertise in On-Prem to Cloud migrations
• Deep understanding of systems architecture, cloud infrastructure, networking, and automation tools
• Demonstrated ability to innovate in this space-whether by building custom telemetry pipelines, integrating AI/ML for anomaly detection, or developing new approaches to visualize and interpret system health

Preferred Qualifications:

• Payer Claims domain experience in 837, 835 and 277, 271
• AI Tools: Proven exposure to AI tools and their application in SRE workflows for faster delivery and smarter operations
• Proven solid in scripting/programming skills (Python, Go, PowerShell, Bash, etc.), and experience with infrastructure-as-code tools like Terraform and Ansible

• Proven excellent communication and collaboration skills, with the ability to work effectively in a distributed team across time zones

• 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 $110,200 to $188,800 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.