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.
Optum is seeking a Senior Engineering Manager to lead a global engineering organization of 20-25 engineers delivering scalable, secure, and AI-enabled healthcare technology solutions. This leader will be responsible for people leadership, technical direction, execution excellence, and modernization initiatives across distributed teams.
Primary Responsibilities:
- Lead, mentor, and develop a globally distributed team of engineers, technical leads, and engineering managers through direct and matrix leadership
- Drive delivery of strategic technology initiatives while ensuring quality, scalability, reliability, and security
- Provide technical leadership across architecture, application development, cloud transformation, and engineering best practices
- Champion AI-enabled software engineering through adoption of AI DLC, ChatGPT, Claude Code, GitHub Copilot, and modern developer productivity tools
- Partner with Product, Architecture, Operations, and Business stakeholders to translate business priorities into technology solutions
- Foster a culture of innovation, continuous improvement, accountability, and engineering excellence
- Drive operational excellence, production stability, risk management, and talent development
- Comply with all applicable Company policies, procedures, and business directives, changes including those relating to work location, team assignments, work schedules, and flexible work arrangements
Required Qualifications:
- Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or related field
- 15+ years of software engineering experience with progressive leadership responsibilities
- 8+ years of experience leading large engineering teams
- Proven experience managing global teams of 20+ engineers through direct and dotted-line leadership models
- Solid experience delivering enterprise-scale applications using Agile methodologies
- Demonstrated success leading technology modernization and cloud transformation initiatives
- Demonstrated excellent communication, stakeholder management, and executive influence skills
- Technical Skills
- Knowledge of Java, Spring Boot, Microservices
- Knowledge of React JS / TypeScript
- Knowledge of Snowflake, Databricks
- Knowledge of Azure Cloud (preferred), AWS, or GCP
- Knowledge of Kubernetes, Docker
- Knowledge of CI/CD, DevOps, SRE, Observability
- Knowledge of Distributed Systems and Enterprise Architecture
- AI & Emerging Technologies
- Knowledge of AI Development Lifecycle (AI DLC)
- Knowledge of ChatGPT
- Knowledge of Claude Code
- Knowledge of GitHub Copilot / AI-assisted development
- Knowledge of Agentic AI, RAG, LLM integration patterns
- Knowledge of AI Governance and Responsible AI practices
Preferred Qualifications:
- Master's degree in a related field
- Healthcare, payer, provider, or pharmacy domain experience
- Experience leading AI-driven engineering transformation initiatives
- Exposure to healthcare interoperability standards (FHIR/HL7)
What Success Looks Like
- High-performing and engaged engineering teams
- Predictable delivery of business-critical roadmaps
- Accelerated engineering productivity through AI adoption
- Improved platform reliability, scalability, and operational excellence
- Solid partnership and influence across technology and business organizations
At Optum, you'll help transform healthcare through technology, cloud, data, and AI while leading teams that deliver meaningful impact at scale.
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.
Skills Required
- Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field
- 15+ years of software engineering experience with progressive leadership responsibilities
- 8+ years of experience leading large engineering teams
- Experience managing global teams of 20+ engineers through direct and dotted-line leadership models
- Experience delivering enterprise-scale applications using Agile methodologies
- Experience leading technology modernization and cloud transformation initiatives
- Excellent communication, stakeholder management, and executive influence skills
- Knowledge of Java, Spring Boot, and Microservices
- Knowledge of React.js and TypeScript
- Knowledge of Snowflake and Databricks
- Knowledge of Azure Cloud, AWS, or GCP
- Knowledge of Kubernetes and Docker
- Knowledge of CI/CD, DevOps, SRE, and Observability
- Knowledge of Distributed Systems and Enterprise Architecture
- Knowledge of AI Development Lifecycle, ChatGPT, Claude Code, and GitHub Copilot or AI-assisted development
- Knowledge of Agentic AI, RAG, and LLM integration patterns
- Knowledge of AI Governance and Responsible AI practices
- Master's degree in a related field
- Healthcare, payer, provider, or pharmacy domain experience
- Experience leading AI-driven engineering transformation initiatives
- Exposure to healthcare interoperability standards such as FHIR and HL7
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.
Optum Insights
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.