Principal Cloud Data 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 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.
As a Principal Data/Cloud Engineer at Optum, you will lead the design and implementation of scalable, high-performance data platforms that enable advanced analytics and actionable insights. This role blends deep technical expertise with strategic business acumen to shape our data ecosystem and drive data-driven decision-making across the organization.
Careers with Optum offer flexible work arrangements and individuals who live and work in the Republic of Ireland will have the opportunity to split their monthly work hours between our Dublin or Letterkenny office and telecommuting from a home-based office in a hybrid work model.
Primary Responsibilities:
Engineering & Administration

• Architect and optimize cloud-based data platforms (Azure, Databricks) for large-scale analytics and machine learning workloads
• Design and implement advanced data pipelines for batch and real-time ingestion, transformation, and delivery
• Integrate data platforms with other cloud services and enterprise systems
• Establish monitoring and observability for data pipelines and platform health, leveraging tools like Azure Monitor and custom alerting frameworks
• Automate end-to-end workflows using CI/CD pipelines (Azure DevOps, GitHub Actions) and orchestration tools (Airflow, Data Factory), including automated testing, alerting and deployment
• Define and enforce best practices for data architecture, governance, security, and compliance (GDPR, HIPAA)
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to align data solutions with business objectives and ensure scalability, reliability, and cost efficiency

Business Understanding and Stakeholder Management

• Develop a deep understanding of the U.S. healthcare landscape, with a focus on Risk Adjustment
• Analyze and translate business requirements into clear, actionable technical solutions for the tech team
• Effectively communicate complex concepts to non-technical stakeholders in a clear and concise manner

Security, Governance & Compliance

• Enforce enterprise security policies and audit logging to enable best practices
• Implement governance practices: masking, cataloging, lineage tracking, and classification
• Ensure compliance with GDPR, HIPAA, and internal standards

You will 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 providing development for other roles you may be interested in.
Required Qualifications:

• A bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Management, Statistics, or a comparable discipline with prior experience in data analysis or a related field being advantageous
• Proven expertise in Cloud and Data engineering projects, handling large volumes of data and varied data sources
• Proven experience in data engineering, including solid experience in a principal or technical leadership role
• Exhibit exceptional analytical abilities to compile, structure, examine, and present substantial data sets with precision and thoroughness
• Demonstrated solid project management skills and experience in leading data analysis projects and solutions
• Proven ability to work well under pressure in a fast-paced environment while demonstrating good level of maturity

Preferred Qualifications:

• Cloud Technologies certification
• Experience with Agile development methodology
• Healthcare / Pharmacy experience

Please note you must currently be eligible to work and remain indefinitely without any restrictions in the country to which you are making an application. Proof will be required to support your application.
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.
Diversity creates a healthier atmosphere: Optum is an Equal Employment Opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to gender, civil status, family status, sexual orientation, disability, religion, age, race, and membership of the Traveller community, or any other characteristic protected by law. Optum is a drug-free workplace. © 2025 Optum Services (Ireland) Limited. All rights reserved.