Software Engineering Lead

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:

• Design, develop, and maintain scalable, high‑performance Java‑based applications using modern engineering practices and frameworks
• Lead the development and enhancement of microservices architectures using Spring Boot, Spring Cloud, and related technologies
• Build and integrate AI‑powered solutions leveraging machine learning models, large language models (LLMs), and agentic AI frameworks
• Implement and operationalize AI/ML capabilities including NLP, computer vision, deep learning, and automatic speech recognition (ASR)
• Design and implement multi‑agent orchestration systems using the PRAL model (Perception, Reasoning, Action, Learning)
• Integrate LLMs into enterprise platforms for intelligent automation, decision support, and workflow optimization
• Collaborate with product managers, architects, data scientists, and QA teams to deliver secure, scalable, and reliable solutions
• Provide technical leadership and mentorship to junior engineers through code reviews, design guidance, and best‑practice enforcement
• Develop and maintain API frameworks for seamless integration with CRM/EMR systems and external services
• Troubleshoot and resolve complex production and non‑production issues, ensuring system stability and performance
• Implement AI security, compliance, and explainability frameworks, including human‑in‑the‑loop controls and bias mitigation
• Build and maintain CI/CD pipelines and MLOps workflows to support full AI model lifecycle management
• Contribute to technical documentation, architecture diagrams, and design standards
• Actively participate in Agile/Scrum ceremonies, including sprint planning, stand‑ups, reviews, and retrospectives
• Stay current with emerging AI/ML technologies and recommend innovations to improve platform capabilities
• AI Persona: AI Builder
• 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 in Computer Science, Engineering, AI/ML, or equivalent practical experience
• 5+ years of professional software engineering experience in enterprise environments
• Hands‑on experience with Spring Framework (Spring Boot, Spring MVC, Spring Data, Spring Security)
• Experience with machine learning frameworks such as TensorFlow, PyTorch, or Scikit‑learn
• Experience with agentic AI concepts, multi‑agent orchestration, and PRAL‑based workflows
• Hands‑on experience integrating LLMs and prompt‑engineering techniques into applications
• Experience with relational databases (MySQL, PostgreSQL, Oracle) and ORM tools (Hibernate/JPA)
• Experience with CI/CD pipelines, Git‑based workflows, and modern DevOps practices
• Solid background in RESTful API design, microservices, and distributed systems
• Solid expertise in Java (8/11/17) and object‑oriented design principles
• Solid understanding of AI/ML fundamentals, including NLP, computer vision, deep learning, and ASR
• Working knowledge of AWS cloud services, including AI/ML services and scalable infrastructure
• Familiarity with testing frameworks (JUnit, Mockito, pytest) and TDD principles
• Proficiency in Python for AI/ML development and scripting
• Proven solid problem‑solving skills, attention to detail, and ability to operate in complex systems
• Proven excellent communication and collaboration skills

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.