Data Engineering Lead – Remote

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.  

As Principal Data Engineer, you will play the lead Data Engineer role in leading the data requirements, ETL design, development, implementation, and operations/maintenance. This position will also support data architecture, assure data quality/integrity for analytics/business intelligence reports. You’ll have the opportunity to work on complex ETL/data development tasks and support a talented team of data engineers. This position will be part of OSGS Data Engineering CoE, helping with implementing Data Engineering solutions for State Medicaid agencies. 

You’ll enjoy the flexibility to work remotely * from anywhere within the U.S. as you take on some tough challenges. 

Primary Responsibilities

• Design and implement data pipelines using Azure Data Factory (ADF) to ingest, transform, and load data from healthcare data sources
• Develop reusable ADF templates and parameterized pipelines for scalable and consistent data integration across multiple healthcare systems
• Implement data quality frameworks to validate and cleanse sensitive healthcare data, ensuring accuracy for downstream analytics and reporting
• Lead a team of data engineers and developers, providing mentorship, code reviews, and architectural guidance
• Oversee the full lifecycle of data engineering projects – from requirements gathering to deployment and monitoring
• Contribute to the CoE’s data Management roadmap and long-term vision
• Evaluate and integrate healthcare-specific tools and standards, such as FHIR, HL7, X12, ICD-10, and SNOMED CT, into data pipelines
• Monitor and optimize ADF pipeline performance, using logging, alerts, and cost management tools in Azure
• Automate deployment of data pipelines and Snowflake objects using GitHub
• Maintain comprehensive documentation for data flows, schemas, and compliance controls to support audits and certifications
• Working with the vendors, DBAs, data managers, data modelers, and application/system administrators to support and maintain Cloud-based Enterprise Data Warehouses employing leading industry level standards and best practices

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, with at least 3+ years in a lead or principal role
• 4+ years of experience with solid SQL skills and experience with Python for data transformation and orchestration
• 3+ years of experience in Azure Data Factory (ADF): building complex, parameterized pipelines, integrating with Azure services
• 3+ years of experience with proficiency in Snowflake: data modeling, performance tuning, Snowpipe, Streams & Tasks, SnowConvert, and security features
• 3+ years of experience with CI/CD pipelines using GitHub Actions
• 3+ years of experience working with healthcare datasets, including claims data, clinical registries, and patient engagement platforms
• Experience with REST APIs and healthcare data APIs for data ingestion and integration
• Proven ability to lead Data Engineering teams, mentor junior engineers, and drive architectural decisions
• Proven solid communication skills to collaborate with technical and non-technical stakeholders

Preferred Qualifications: 

• Experience in Medicaid/Managed Care/health insurance industry
• Experience in scripting language experience (R, SAS, T-SQL, etc.)
• Deep understanding of healthcare data ecosystems, including EHRs, claims data, and clinical workflows
• Familiarity with A.I. and machine learning
• Familiarity with healthcare data standards: EDI, HL7, X12, FHIR, ICD-10, CPT, and HIPAA compliance

*All employees working remotely will be required to adhere to UnitedHealth Group’s Telecommuter Policy

Pay is based on several factors including but not limited to local labor markets, education, work experience, certifications, etc. In addition to your salary, we offer 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 us, you’ll find a far-reaching choice of benefits and incentives. The salary for this role will range from $110,200 to $188,800 annually based on full-time employment. We comply with all minimum wage laws as applicable.

Application Deadline: This will be posted for a minimum of 2 business days or until a sufficient candidate pool has been collected. Job posting may come down early due to volume of applicants. 

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.

Diversity creates a healthier atmosphere: UnitedHealth Group is an Equal Employment Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, protected veteran status, disability status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, marital status, genetic information, or any other characteristic protected by law.

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