Senior Director Software Engineering - Digital Transformation, AI

Requisition Number: 2375618
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.
Primary Responsibilities:

• Lead the strategy, architecture, delivery, modernization, and operational excellence of OptumRx Clinical Technology Platforms, Client & Operations Experience platforms, and the Pharmacy Portal
• Own end-to-end technology outcomes across clinical programs, utilization management, decision support, client self-service, operational workflows, and pharmacy-facing capabilities
• Partner closely with Product, Clinical, Operations, and Executive leadership to translate business priorities into scalable, secure, and innovative technology solutions
• Drive large-scale modernization initiatives, including cloud transformation, platform simplification, technical debt reduction, and adoption of modern engineering practices
• Champion an AI-first engineering strategy by leveraging Agentic AI and AI-DLC capabilities to automate workflows, improve decision-making, enhance user experiences, and increase operational efficiency
• Lead the design and implementation of Digital Workers that augment clinical, client, and operational processes while ensuring safety, compliance, trust, and regulatory adherence
• Build, develop, and inspire high-performing engineering teams across multiple locations, fostering a culture of accountability, collaboration, innovation, and continuous improvement
• Establish and promote a modern engineering culture that is product-centric, platform-oriented, secure-by-design, data-driven, and AI-enabled
• Ensure delivery excellence through predictable execution, effective portfolio management, strong governance, and proactive risk management across business-critical programs
• Maintain high standards for application reliability, performance, scalability, resiliency, and production stability
• Drive simplification of complex business and technology processes to accelerate time-to-market and improve customer, client, and operational experiences
• Provide executive-level technology leadership and influence strategic decisions that support business growth, affordability goals, regulatory commitments, and market competitiveness
• Ensure compliance with healthcare regulations, security requirements, audit standards, and enterprise governance policies
• Develop future technology leaders and create a culture focused on talent growth, engagement, inclusion, and organizational excellence
• 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 degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Information Systems, or a related field; advanced degree preferred
• 16+ years of progressive technology leadership experience, including leading large-scale software engineering organizations and mission-critical platforms
• Proven experience delivering complex enterprise applications within highly regulated, healthcare, pharmacy benefit management (PBM), insurance, financial services, or similarly complex industries
• Experience leading large, geographically distributed engineering teams across U.S. and global delivery models
• Solid experience driving digital transformation initiatives and modernizing legacy technology landscapes
• Experience establishing governance, risk management, security controls, and compliance processes for regulated technology environments
• Demonstrated knowledge and practical application of Artificial Intelligence, Agentic AI, Generative AI, and AI-assisted software development methodologies
• Deep understanding of modern software engineering practices, including cloud-native architectures, microservices, APIs, DevSecOps, platform engineering, and site reliability principles
• Demonstrated success leading end-to-end software delivery, including strategy, architecture, engineering, quality, platform operations, and modernization
• Proven track record of translating emerging technologies into measurable business outcomes, including improvements in efficiency, quality, customer experience, and operational performance
• Proven exceptional executive communication, stakeholder management, and influencing skills, with the ability to partner effectively across business, clinical, operations, and technology functions
• Proven solid strategic thinking and business acumen, coupled with the ability to drive execution and deliver results in complex and ambiguous environments
• Proven ability to build high-performing teams, develop talent, and create a culture of accountability, innovation, and continuous improvement
• Demonstrated success balancing long-term vision with operational excellence and delivery rigor
• Proven passion for leveraging technology to improve healthcare outcomes, client experiences, operational effectiveness, and business performance 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.