Senior Director Software Engineering - Remote

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 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 start Caring. Connecting. Growing together.

The Optum Technology Digital team is on a mission to disrupt the healthcare industry, transforming UHG into an industry-leading Consumer brand. We deliver hyper-personalized digital solutions that empower direct-to-consumer, digital-first experiences, educating, guiding, and empowering consumers to access the right care at the right time. Our mission is to revolutionize healthcare for patients and providers by delivering cutting-edge, personalized digital solutions. We're Consumer Obsessed, ensuring they receive exceptional support throughout their healthcare journeys. As we drive this transformation, we're revolutionizing customer interactions with the healthcare system, leveraging AI, cloud computing, and other disruptive technologies to tackle complex challenges. Serving UnitedHealth Group's digital technology needs, the Consumer Engineering team impacts millions of lives through UnitedHealthcare & Optum.

We are seeking a dynamic individual who embodies modern engineering culture-someone with deep engineering expertise within a digital product model, a passion for innovation, and a relentless drive to enhance the consumer experience. Our ideal candidate thrives in an agile, fast-paced environment, embraces DevOps and continuous integration/continuous deployment (CI/CD) practices, and champions the Voice of the Customer. If you are driven by the pursuit of excellence, eager to innovate, and excited to make a tangible impact within a team that embraces modern technologies and consumer-centric strategies, while prioritizing robust cyber-security protocols, we invite you to explore this exciting opportunity with us. Join our team and be at the forefront of shaping the future of healthcare, where your unique skills will not only be recognized but celebrated.

The Optum Technology Chief Digital Office (CDO) Leadership team is transforming Optum to be an industry-leading Consumer brand. We are on a journey towards delivering a best-in-the-industry consumer experience to our patients and providers by delivering personalized digital solutions that support our consumers throughout their healthcare journeys. This team is transforming to meet the moment - to begin radically altering the way our customers engage with the healthcare system using modern tech to solve some of the most complex problems experienced along the way.

Serving all of UnitedHealth Group's digital technology needs, the CDO team is responsible for driving outcomes across nearly 30 million+ human lives with UnitedHealthcare insurance, a number which puts UHC at the top of the pack as the largest managed care provider in the United States.

The Consumer Engineering (CE) team is responsible for building all consumer-facing experiences. We are expanding our capabilities to power the next generation of AI-driven consumer experiences that surprise and delight. We plan to achieve this by building innovative new platforms, frameworks, and solutions designed to make healthcare easy and personalized.

Candidates for this role will need to be seasoned engineering leaders with deep expertise in cross team digital product delivery, have proven experience designing and executing on cross brand and/or line of business mobile and web properties, deep understanding of direct-to-consumer digital products and ecosystems, and how to optimize cost and reuse for multiple brands.

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

Primary Responsibilities:

• Lead and manage a team of engineers that focus on solving our most difficult challenges through the lens of AI
• Design, build, and deploy machine learning models and AI-powered systems (including LLM-based applications) for consumer-facing platforms and solutions
• Engage in the full AI lifecycle: from brainstorming and conceptualization, through rapid prototyping and experimentation, to writing robust production code
• Architect and manage cloud infrastructure for AI solutions, deploying applications reliably using Infrastructure as Code principles
• Develop and maintain reusable AI/ML platforms and frameworks to accelerate innovation across the Consumer Engineering team
• Collaborate closely with product managers, designers, and other engineers to translate complex requirements into scalable, impactful AI solutions
• Stay current with the latest advancements in AI/ML, evaluating and championing new techniques to tackle healthcare challenges
• Effectively communicate complex AI concepts and technical details to diverse audiences, including technical peers, product stakeholders, and leadership
• Contribute to a team culture focused on technical excellence, continuous learning, and curiosity

Key Challenges

• Simplifying Healthcare Complexity: Apply cutting-edge AI/ML techniques to navigate the intricate healthcare landscape, making it easier for millions of users to access the care and resources they need
• Building Scalable AI Systems: Design and deploy robust, production-grade AI solutions capable of handling large volumes of data and user interactions within consumer-facing applications
• Rapid Innovation: Stay ahead of the curve in the fast-evolving field of AI, identifying and applying new advancements (like LLMs) to solve real-world healthcare problems effectively and ethically
• Cross-Functional Integration: Seamlessly integrate AI capabilities into broader consumer experiences, collaborating effectively with product, design, and engineering counterparts

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, Data Science, or a related field, or 7+ years of equivalent experience
• 7+ years of professional software engineering experience leading a team with a significant focus on building and deploying enterprise-scale AI/ML models and systems
• Experience with core artificial intelligence and machine learning principles, including models, algorithms, and their practical applications. Must be able to clearly articulate complex technical concepts to both technical and non-technical stakeholders, adapting communication style to suit diverse audiences
• Experience leading large, multidisciplinary teams in the development of AI-driven consumer experiences
• Experience building LLM-powered applications and deploying them in a production environment (considering aspects like load balancing, containerization, serverless components, networking, etc.)
• Proven knowledge about various machine learning domains such as Natural Language Processing (NLP), Computer Vision, Personalization & Recommendation systems, and/or Anomaly Detection
• Proven ability to quickly learn new technologies and methodologies, comfortable working on tasks outside your immediate expertise

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience building large-scale, consumer-facing applications
• Ability to contribute to relevant open-source projects, building any demo-worthy side projects, and/or experience scaling SaaS products
• Proven knowledge of technical capabilities surrounding AI and software engineering in general, as well as the ability to lead efforts in multiple areas surrounding AI
• Ability to be self-driven, take immense pride in your work, proactively tackle problems, and find satisfaction in building impactful solutions
• Possess a desire to understand *how* and *why* things work, not just accepting that they do
• Demonstrated familiarity with other relevant technologies like front-end frameworks (e.g., React Native), CI/CD pipelines, REST/WebSocket API development, and general software engineering best practices

*All employees working remotely will be required to adhere to UnitedHealth Group's Telecommuter Policy.

The salary range for this role is $150,200 to $288,500 annually based on full-time employment. Pay is based on several factors including but not limited to local labor markets, education, work experience, certifications, etc. UnitedHealth Group complies with all minimum wage laws as applicable. In addition to your salary, UnitedHealth Group 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). No matter where or when you begin a career with UnitedHealth Group, you'll find a far-reaching choice of benefits and incentives.

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.