The Role
Leads enterprise-wide site reliability engineering strategy across digital consumer platforms. Establishes reliability, security, observability, automation, SLO, resilience, and operational excellence standards; influences architecture and infrastructure decisions; drives AI-enabled reliability capabilities, self-healing systems, threat detection, resilience testing, and secure development practices. Partners with engineering, security, operations, and platform leaders to improve scalability, availability, risk management, and operational maturity across multiple teams.
Summary Generated by Built In
Requisition Number: 2393631
Optum Tech is a global leader in health care innovation. Our teams develop cutting-edge solutions that help people live healthier lives and help make the health system work better for everyone. From advanced data analytics and AI to cybersecurity, we use innovative approaches to solve some of health care's most complex challenges. Your contributions here have the potential to change lives. Ready to build the next breakthrough? Join us in making healthcare work better for everyone through people-led, responsible AI while Caring. Connecting. Growing together.
We are seeking a highly experienced Principal Site Reliability Engineering (SRE) leader to drive reliability, resilience, and secure software engineering practices across all critical applications within the Digital Consumer Engineering organization using applied AI.
In this role, you will operate at an enterprise and portfolio level, shaping reliability strategy, influencing architectural decisions, and enabling engineering teams to build and operate highly resilient, secure, and scalable platforms. You will play a critical role in advancing operational excellence, strengthening platform resilience, and supporting long-term business growth.
Primary Responsibilities:
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:
Preferred Qualifications:
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 $134,600 - $230,800 annually based on full-time employment. We comply with all minimum wage laws as applicable.
At UnitedHealth Group, our mission is to help people live healthier lives and help make the health system work better for everyone. Together, we are shaping the future of healthcare by harnessing technology and innovation to make care simpler to navigate, more affordable and more connected for the people we serve. We are committed to creating an inclusive workplace where everyone feels welcomed, valued, heard and respected, empowering people to bring their authentic selves to work and strengthening our collective impact through diverse talents, backgrounds, experiences and perspectives.
UnitedHealth Group and its affiliated brands are 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 and its affiliated brands are a drug-free workplace. Candidates are required to pass a drug test before beginning employment.
Optum Tech is a global leader in health care innovation. Our teams develop cutting-edge solutions that help people live healthier lives and help make the health system work better for everyone. From advanced data analytics and AI to cybersecurity, we use innovative approaches to solve some of health care's most complex challenges. Your contributions here have the potential to change lives. Ready to build the next breakthrough? Join us in making healthcare work better for everyone through people-led, responsible AI while Caring. Connecting. Growing together.
We are seeking a highly experienced Principal Site Reliability Engineering (SRE) leader to drive reliability, resilience, and secure software engineering practices across all critical applications within the Digital Consumer Engineering organization using applied AI.
In this role, you will operate at an enterprise and portfolio level, shaping reliability strategy, influencing architectural decisions, and enabling engineering teams to build and operate highly resilient, secure, and scalable platforms. You will play a critical role in advancing operational excellence, strengthening platform resilience, and supporting long-term business growth.
Primary Responsibilities:
- Define and drive enterprise-wide SRE strategy, standards, and operating models across digital consumer platforms
- Establish and champion a culture of reliability engineering, security by design, and operational excellence
- Influence architecture, platform design, and investment decisions to improve reliability, scalability, and resilience at scale
- Partner with senior leaders across engineering, security, and operations to align reliability priorities with business outcomes
- Identify and incubate AI-driven capabilities to advance reliability, observability, automation, and proactive risk management
- Provide technical leadership and governance for reliability practices across systems including SLO frameworks and availability targets
- Drive enterprise-wide adoption of automation and self-healing systems
- Lead proactive risk management including threat modeling and resilience testing
- Establish reliability metrics and reporting frameworks to drive measurable improvements
- Partner with enterprise security leadership to embed security engineering practices into platform design
- Drive proactive threat detection and response strategies leveraging automation and AI
- Influence and standardize secure development and operational practices
- Lead cross-functional initiatives to strengthen preventative security posture
- Partner with platform teams to define scalable and resilient infrastructure strategies
- Drive adoption of infrastructure-as-code and automation practices
- Establish operational maturity and continuous improvement frameworks
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:
- Undergraduate degree in applicable area of expertise or equivalent experience
- 8+ years of relevant experience in SRE, software engineering, or infrastructure engineering
- 5+ years of experience operating at enterprise scale influencing strategy across multiple teams
- 4+ years of experience with in distributed systems, cloud infrastructure, and observability
- Proven track record of driving large-scale reliability or security transformation
- Demonstrated solid leadership and cross-functional influence skills
Preferred Qualifications:
- Advanced degree
- Experience leading enterprise transformation initiatives
- Experience with AI/ML applied to operations or security
- Vendor/platform strategy experience
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 $134,600 - $230,800 annually based on full-time employment. We comply with all minimum wage laws as applicable.
At UnitedHealth Group, our mission is to help people live healthier lives and help make the health system work better for everyone. Together, we are shaping the future of healthcare by harnessing technology and innovation to make care simpler to navigate, more affordable and more connected for the people we serve. We are committed to creating an inclusive workplace where everyone feels welcomed, valued, heard and respected, empowering people to bring their authentic selves to work and strengthening our collective impact through diverse talents, backgrounds, experiences and perspectives.
UnitedHealth Group and its affiliated brands are 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 and its affiliated brands are a drug-free workplace. Candidates are required to pass a drug test before beginning employment.
Skills Required
- Undergraduate degree in an applicable area of expertise or equivalent experience
- 8+ years of relevant experience in site reliability engineering, software engineering, or infrastructure engineering
- 5+ years of experience operating at enterprise scale and influencing strategy across multiple teams
- 4+ years of experience with distributed systems, cloud infrastructure, and observability
- Proven track record driving large-scale reliability or security transformation
- Solid leadership and cross-functional influence skills
- Advanced degree
- Experience leading enterprise transformation initiatives
- Experience applying AI or machine learning to operations or security
- Vendor or platform strategy experience
Optum Compensation & Benefits Highlights
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Leave & Time Off Breadth — PTO is generally described as decent or good, and many note it as a strong part of the package. Actual ability to take time off can depend on workload and team coverage.
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Retirement Support — Offerings include a 401(k) with employer match and access to an employee stock purchase plan, which are highlighted as meaningful components of total rewards. These programs are consistently referenced among core benefits.
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Parental & Family Support — Parental and caregiver leave, along with adoption assistance, are publicly highlighted and viewed as notable elements of the package. Availability can be role-specific, but these supports contribute to overall breadth where offered.
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The Company
What We Do
Optum, part of the UnitedHealth Group family of businesses, 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. At Optum, we support your well-being with an understanding team, extensive benefits and rewarding opportunities. By joining us, you’ll have the resources to drive system transformation while we help you take care of your future. We recognize the power of connection to drive change, improve efficiency and make a difference in health care. Join a team where your skills and ideas can make an impact and where collaboration is key to creating technology that produces healthier outcomes.
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Optum Offices
Hybrid Workspace
Employees engage in a combination of remote and on-site work.
Optum has three workplace models that balance the needs of the business and the responsibilities of each role. These models, core on‑site (5 days/week), hybrid (4 days/week) and telecommute or fully remote, vary by country, role and location.
Typical time on-site:
Not Specified
