Senior Software Engineer I

Requisition Number: 2350961
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 Senior SDET (Software Development Engineer in Test) who brings a solid engineering mindset to quality, with deep expertise in test automation, framework design, CI/CD integration, and modern testing practices. This role will lead test automation initiatives, drive quality engineering standards, and partner closely with development teams to ensure scalable, reliable, and high-quality software delivery.
The ideal candidate is passionate about building robust automation solutions, leveraging AI-driven testing, and embedding quality throughout the SDLC rather than validating it at the end.
Primary Responsibilities:

• Automation & Quality Engineering
  • Architect, design, and implement scalable test automation frameworks for UI, API, and backend systems
  • Develop high-quality automated tests for functional, regression, integration, and end-to-end scenarios with a solid focus on maintainability and reusability
  • Lead automation efforts using tools such as Selenium, AccelQ (model-based automation), and custom frameworks
  • Apply test pyramid principles and shift-left testing strategies to improve early defect detection
• CI/CD & DevOps Integration
  • Integrate automation suites seamlessly into CI/CD pipelines (e.g., Jenkins, GitLab CI) with clear reporting and failure analysis
  • Work closely with DevOps and engineering teams to enable continuous testing and faster feedback cycles
  • Ensure automation supports parallel execution, environment resilience, and pipeline stability
• API, Database & Backend Validation
  • Design and execute API test automation using REST clients/tools (Postman, REST libraries, or frameworks)
  • Perform database validation and data integrity checks using SQL / PL-SQL
  • Enable data-driven and service-level testing for complex workflows
• AI-Driven & Modern Testing Practices
  • Explore, adopt, and optimize AI/ML-based testing capabilities (including AccelQ Autopilot or similar) to improve test coverage, efficiency, and maintenance
  • Continuously evaluate new automation tools, techniques, and patterns to enhance the overall quality ecosystem
• Defect Management & Quality Metrics
  • Own defect lifecycle management using tools like JIRA, Rally etc. ensuring high-quality defect reporting and root cause analysis
  • Analyze automation and test execution results to identify systemic quality issues and drive improvement actions
  • Define and track automation effectiveness metrics (coverage, stability, execution time, defect leakage)
• Technical Leadership & Collaboration
  • Act as a quality engineering champion, influencing best practices across teams
  • Mentor and guide junior SDETs and automation engineers on framework design, coding standards, and testing strategies
  • Participate actively in design reviews, code reviews, sprint planning, and test strategy discussions
  • Collaborate with product owners, developers, and architects to ensure testability is built into system design
• Release & Production Support
  • Provide automation and validation support for high-impact releases, production deployments, and hotfixes
  • Assist in production validation, monitoring, and defect triage as needed
• Comply with the terms and conditions of the employment contract, company policies and procedures, and any and all directives (such as, but not limited to, transfer and/or re-assignment to different work locations, change in teams and/or work shifts, policies in regards to flexibility of work benefits and/or work environment, alternative work arrangements, and other decisions that may arise due to the changing business environment). The Company may adopt, vary or rescind these policies and directives in its absolute discretion and without any limitation (implied or otherwise) on its ability to do so

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, or related field (B.Tech / M.Tech / MCA / M.Sc) or equivalent practical experience
• 8+ years of experience in software testing, with 3+ years of hands-on test automation or SDET roles
• Proven experience in automation framework development and maintenance
• Solid understanding of SDLC, STLC, Agile methodologies, and defect lifecycle
• Solid background in API testing, database testing, and backend validation
• Solid programming/scripting skills and solid understanding of object-oriented design concepts
• Proven excellent analytical, problem-solving, and communication skills
• Willingness to support rotational or night shifts when required

Preferred Qualifications:

• Hands-on experience with AccelQ (model-based automation, Autopilot, AI-assisted testing)
• Hands-on experience with autonomous or semi-autonomous agents using LLMs, copilots, or rule-based intelligence for testing or quality engineering
• Experience testing large-scale, web-based healthcare or enterprise applications
• Experience working in Agile/Scrum teams with close developer collaboration
• Experience integrating agents with automation frameworks, CI/CD pipelines, or test management systems
• Knowledge of test data management and environment orchestration
• Familiarity with Git-based version control, branching strategies, and code review practices
• Familiarity with concepts such as agent orchestration, prompt engineering, decision logic, and feedback loops in testing contexts
• Exposure to AI/ML-driven testing tools, self-healing automation, or intelligent test generation
• Proven ability to design and build AI-driven test agents for scenario generation, test execution, validation, or self-healing automation

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.