VP Software Engineering

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.

The Vice President of Software Engineering is accountable for enterprise-scale product engineering, platform modernization, and delivery of revenue-enabling technology capabilities across UnitedHealthcare Employer & Individual (E&I). This leader sets the engineering vision, standards, operating model, and performance expectations for large, distributed engineering organizations delivering mission-critical platforms that power employer, broker, and consumer experiences. The role’s impact is direct and measurable: improving revenue growth and retention, increasing market responsiveness, strengthening resiliency and compliance, and reducing cost-to-serve through modernization and operational excellence-while modeling UnitedHealth Group values of Integrity, Quality, Inclusion, Compassion, Relationships, Innovation, and Performance.

Primary Responsibilities:

• Enterprise engineering strategy & leadership: Define and execute engineering strategy for business-critical platforms; lead multiple engineering organizations (hundreds of engineers across geographies/time zones) with accountability for delivery, quality, reliability, and outcomes; establish a scalable operating model with clear ownership, transparency, and performance management; influence enterprise-wide engineering standards and practices
• Lead AI Adoption and Transformation: AI-First Leader who models AI Usage, embeds it into management and delivery systems, removes barriers, aligns AI to business outcomes and leads responsibly
• Product enablement & revenue impact: Partner with Product, Business, and Finance to ensure technology directly enables revenue generation, retention, and growth; own platforms/services supporting employer and broker onboarding, enrollment, renewals, consumer digital experiences/servicing, eligibility, billing, and downstream integrations; translate product roadmaps into resilient, scalable architectures that support growth without proportional cost increases; quantify business value from technology investments (revenue enablement, efficiency, cost optimization)
• Scale, complexity & operational excellence: Provide leadership for high-volume transaction platforms and peak business cycles; ensure 24×7 reliability, resiliency, and regulatory compliance; balance “run-the-business” stability with “change-the-business” modernization; establish and manage KPIs for availability, delivery predictability, quality, and customer experience
• Modernization, architecture & innovation: Lead migration from legacy systems to cloud-native, API-first, event-driven architectures; drive DevSecOps adoption, automation, and engineering productivity improvements; partner with architecture and security to ensure secure, compliant, scalable solutions; champion pragmatic innovation that improves outcomes for customers, partners, and teams
• Financial, risk & performance accountability: Own and manage large engineering budgets with disciplined prioritization and cost efficiency; implement governance to manage technology, operational, and regulatory risk; drive transparency through metrics and reporting; ensure compliance with enterprise policies, healthcare regulations, and security standards
• Talent development & organizational leadership: Build and sustain a solid leadership bench (VP/AVP/Director) with succession planning; set expectations for engineering excellence and leadership maturity; attract, retain, and develop top talent; foster a culture of ownership, collaboration, continuous improvement, and inclusion
• 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:

• 20+ years of progressive technology leadership experience, including senior leadership of large, complex engineering organizations
• Demonstrated track record leading enterprise-scale platforms with direct business and revenue impact
• Deep expertise in modern software engineering practices, cloud technologies, and large-scale modernization
• Proven ability to partner effectively with Product, Business, Finance, and Executive stakeholders to deliver measurable outcomes
• Demonstrated people leadership experience building and leading senior leadership teams; ability to set standards, drive accountability, and develop talent

Preferred Qualifications:

• Undergraduate degree or equivalent experience
• Experience operating in regulated environments (healthcare, financial services, or similar), including compliance, security, and audit readiness
• Experience leading global/distributed engineering organizations across multiple time zones and delivery models
• Experience modernizing legacy platforms to cloud-native architectures (API-first, event-driven) supporting high-volume transactions and peak cycles
• Demonstrated success implementing DevSecOps, SRE/operational excellence practices, and engineering productivity programs at scale
• Solid financial acumen managing large budgets, investment governance, and cost optimization tied to business value

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.