Principal Software Engineer

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 Principal Engineer with deep expertise in data platforms, building and operating scalable data services. You will be responsible for architecting, designing, and building highly scalable, resilient data platforms & self-service offerings that power analytical and AI/ML workloads in the enterprise. This role requires hands-on experience with Databricks, Snowflake, and open data lakehouse technologies (Apache Iceberg, Delta Lake, Hudi). As a technical leader, you will collaborate with cross-functional teams to align with the data strategy & solve some of the complex data problems. You will play a key role in defining best practices, guiding engineering teams, and ensuring the robustness of our modern data platforms.

Primary Responsibilities:

• Architect & Develop Scalable Data Platforms: Design and build high-performance, cloud-native data architectures for AI/ML, analytics, and business intelligence
• Reusable frameworks: Build reusable offerings and services that are scalable, resilient and secure for the enterprise users in Kubernetes, Docker, Azure Functions et al
• Data Lakehouse & Open Standards: Drive the adoption of open table formats (Apache Iceberg, Delta Lake, Hudi) to create a scalable, vendor-agnostic data lakehouse architecture
• Cloud & Distributed Systems: Build resilient and scalable data solutions on AWS, Azure, or GCP, leveraging Databricks, Snowflake, and Kubernetes
• Data Governance & Security: Implement best practices for data governance, lineage, observability, and security in regulated environments (e.g., healthcare, finance)
• Performance Optimization: Continuously improve the efficiency, reliability, and scalability of data pipelines, query engines, and AI workloads
• Technical Leadership & Mentorship: Provide technical guidance to engineers, review architecture designs, and contribute to open-source initiatives when applicable

You’ll be rewarded and recognized for your performance in an environment that will challenge you and give you clear direction on what it takes to succeed in your role as well as provide development for other roles you may be interested in.

Required Qualifications:

• 10+ years of experience in data engineering, data platforms, or streaming architectures, with at least 3+ years in a principal or lead engineering role
• 5+ years of experience with Python, Scala, Java, or Go, and familiarity with SQL, Spark, and Flink
• 3+ years of experience with data pipelines, data management and data security 
• 2+ years of experience with Databricks, Snowflake, and open data lake formats (Iceberg, Delta, Hudi)
• 2+ years of experience with distributed systems, data modelling, and cloud computing (AWS, Azure, GCP)

Preferred Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in Software Engineering, Computer Science or related field
• 2+ years of experience with data governance practices

The salary range for this role is $124,500 to $239,400 annually based on full-time employment. Pay is based on several factors including but not limited to local labor markets, education, work experience, certifications, etc. UnitedHealth Group complies with all minimum wage laws as applicable. In addition to your salary, UnitedHealth Group offers benefits such as, a comprehensive benefits package, incentive and recognition programs, equity stock purchase and 401k contribution (all benefits are subject to eligibility requirements). No matter where or when you begin a career with UnitedHealth Group, you’ll find a far-reaching choice of benefits and incentives.

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.
 

 
UnitedHealth Group is an Equal Employment Opportunity employer under applicable law and qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, national origin, religion, age, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, or protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by local, state, or federal laws, rules, or regulations.
 

UnitedHealth Group is a drug-free workplace. Candidates are required to pass a drug test before beginning employment.