Senior Software Engineer I

Requisition Number: 2346811
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 seeking a Software Engineer to join the Digital Management Services (DMS) team within Optum. This role is ideal for a well-rounded engineer who combines hands-on development skills with solid product sense, agile delivery experience, and the ability to work across the full stack. You will build and maintain enterprise applications, automate workflows, analyze data, and collaborate closely with cross-functional stakeholders to deliver customer-centric solutions.
Primary Responsibilities:

• Full-Stack Development
  • Develop and maintain applications using Python (Django, Flask), Java (Spring Boot), and JavaScript/TypeScript
  • Build user interfaces, server-side logic, databases, APIs, and deployment processes
  • Automate data extraction and processing workflows, converting unstructured data into actionable insights
  • Modernize legacy systems and optimize batch processing for large-scale data sets
  • Integrate with enterprise systems and third-party platforms as needed
• Data Analysis & Reporting
  • Write and optimize SQL procedures for data processing, accuracy, and operational efficiency
  • Analyze data to develop tailored solutions and generate stakeholder reporting
  • Leverage BI and analytics tools (Power BI or equivalent) to drive evidence-based decision-making
  • Translate complex data into clear visualizations and summaries for technical and non-technical audiences
• Application Lifecycle & Governance
  Support application onboarding, lifecycle governance, and compliance visibility across enterprise platforms
  • Contribute to access control and license enforcement initiatives
  • Assist in defining release controls and deployment strategies
  • Track application health, adoption metrics, and stakeholder reporting accuracy
• Agile Delivery & Product Collaboration
  • Gather and refine requirements across engineering, security, and business stakeholders
  • Contribute to backlog prioritization, sprint execution, and cross-team delivery in a scaled agile environment
  • Participate in PI planning and coordinate dependencies across teams
  • Develop and maintain user stories, acceptance criteria, and technical documentation
  • Facilitate or participate in Scrum ceremonies including sprint planning, grooming, and retrospectives
• CI/CD & Infrastructure
  • Integrate quality gates and security controls into CI/CD pipelines using Jenkins and Git/GitHub
  • Support containerized application deployments using Kubernetes
  • Maintain consistency across development, testing, and production environments
  • Perform analysis, coding, testing, debugging, and documentation of software
• Security & Compliance
  • Embed security best practices including access controls and secure application development
  • Support secrets management, certificate policies, and security initiatives
  • Assist in vulnerability assessment and remediation efforts
• Collaboration & Continuous Improvement
  • Collaborate across cross-functional teams to deliver customer-centric solutions
  • Document systems, processes, and operational procedures using standard collaboration tools
  • Support demos, training sessions, and knowledge-sharing to drive platform adoption
  • Identify opportunities for process improvement and automation
• AI Awareness & Adoption
  • Leverage AI solutions to automate workflows and improve operational efficiency
  • Understand fundamentals of LLMs and generative AI - capabilities, limitations, and practical applications
  • Communicate AI concepts and results to stakeholders
  • Carry out technical risk analysis for AI-integrated systems
• AI User Responsibilities:
  • Uses GitHub Copilot to speed up the creation of boilerplate code
  • Uses M365 Copilot to recap meetings and draft emails
  • Uses a chat-based AI tool to debug code
  • Uses GenAI to create sample test data or test cases
  • Uses StoryCraft to streamline the creation of user stories
• 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 regard 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:

• Undergraduate degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or equivalent professional experience.
• 5+ years of experience as a software engineer producing production-level solutions
• 5+ years of experience programming in at least one high-level language (Python, Java, JavaScript/TypeScript)
• 5+ years of experience with SQL and relational databases (Oracle or equivalent)
• 5+ years of experience with CI/CD tools such as Jenkins, along with proficiency in source control systems such as Git/GitHub
• 5+ years of experience working within Agile teams using Scrum methodologies
• Experience with containers and orchestration platforms such as Kubernetes
• Understanding of core software engineering concepts - data structures, algorithms, design patterns, and object-oriented programming
• Understanding of the full software development lifecycle (SDLC) from requirements through deployment and support

Preferred Qualifications:

• Relevant industry certifications
• Experience with full-stack web application development (Python Django/Flask, Java Spring Boot, JavaScript/TypeScript)
• Experience with cloud computing platforms and DevOps tools
• Experience with application governance, access control, and release management processes
• Experience with data processing, SQL optimization, and analytics (Power BI or equivalent)
• Experience automating data extraction and ETL workflows using Python
• Experience managing product implementations from blueprint to go-live
• Solid verbal, written, and interpersonal communication skills
• Proficiency in stakeholder management, requirement gathering, and product lifecycle management
• Knowledge of API design and lifecycle management (REST)
• Familiarity with Agile tools such as Jira, Rally, and Confluence
• Evidence-based approach to decision-making and problem-solving
• Design mindset with the ability to construct scalable, distributed services

AI Expectation:

• Experience using tools like GitHub Copilot, Cursor, or similar AI coding assistants
• Good understanding of LLMs and generative models
• Solid conceptual grasp of what LLMs are, how they work, and different types of generative models
• Prompt Engineering - how to effectively create prompts to get desired output from generative models
• Working with Generative AI APIs and Frameworks
• Familiarity with frameworks like LangChain, AutoGen, and Microsoft Copilot Studio
• Proficiency with AI-Assisted Development Tools

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.