Senior Principal Software Engineer

Requisition Number: 2356934
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 design, development, and production deployment of AI/ML solutions, translating models and algorithms into scalable, secure, and reliable software used in enterprise systems
• Serve as a technical lead for complex AI/ML initiatives, owning end-to-end implementation from design through deployment and operational support
• Apply advanced knowledge of machine learning, deep learning, statistics, and experimental methodologies to build high-quality, data-driven solutions
• Partner closely with product, business, and engineering stakeholders to identify high-value use cases and deliver AI solutions that solve real OptumRx business problems
• Drive modern engineering practices across teams, including automation-first development, code reuse, observability, and CI/CD adoption for AI systems
• Champion AI/MLOps best practices, ensuring models and pipelines are production-ready, monitored, and continuously improved
• Influence architectural decisions by applying broad domain and technology expertise to balance performance, scalability, security, and maintainability
• Enforce and promote enterprise security, privacy, and quality standards within AI/ML solutions, proactively identifying and mitigating risk
• Mentor and guide engineers across teams, acting as a subject-matter expert and escalation point for AI/ML engineering challenges
• Communicate complex AI/ML concepts and results clearly to technical and non-technical audiences, including senior leadership
• 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 or higher in Computer Science, Engineering, Data Science, or a related technical field, or equivalent practical experience
• Deep, hands-on experience designing, developing, and deploying AI/ML solutions into production, including translating models and algorithms into scalable software systems
• Extensive experience with modern AI/ML engineering stacks, including large-scale compute and data frameworks, and building reusable AI-enabled services and pipelines. [AI/ML Engi...ring (AIM) | SharePoint]
• Experience partnering with product, business, and engineering stakeholders to translate business problems into AI/ML-driven solutions and measurable outcomes
• Solid understanding of security, privacy, and quality standards as they apply to AI/ML systems, with experience designing solutions that meet enterprise and regulatory expectations
• Proven solid foundation in machine learning, deep learning, statistics, optimization, probability theory, and experimental methodologies, with the ability to apply these concepts in real-world engineering environments
• Demonstrated ability to lead complex technical initiatives end-to-end, serving as a technical owner or lead engineer for high-impact AI systems
• Proven expertise in modern software engineering practices, including automation-first development, CI/CD, observability, and operational readiness for production AI workloads
• Proven ability to apply broad technical and domain knowledge to architectural decision-making, balancing performance, scalability, maintainability, and business value
• Proven excellent communication skills, with the ability to explain complex AI/ML concepts clearly to both technical and non-technical audiences, including leadership

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.