Asymmetric Defense Engineer - Remote or Office-Based in MN or DC

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 an Asymmetric Defense Engineer on the Cyber Operations Group team, you will play a critical role in counter-adversary engineering, and defense strategy development. In this role, you will analyze emerging cyber threat vectors, simulate complex adversary techniques, and design innovative defensive mechanisms to protect critical healthcare technology infrastructure. You will leverage cutting-edge security analytics, automation, and threat intelligence platforms to anticipate, mitigate, and neutralize sophisticated cyber risks across our global enterprise ecosystem.

You'll enjoy the flexibility to work remotely * from anywhere within the U.S. as you take on some tough challenges. For all hires in the Minneapolis or Washington, D.C. area, you will be required to work in the office a minimum of four days per week.

Primary Responsibilities:

• Design, build, and deploy proactive asymmetric defensive strategies and counter-adversary capabilities across enterprise environments
• Perform advanced threat research, adversary behavior analysis, and proactive threat hunting to detect and mitigate complex cyber threats
• Develop custom scripts, automation tools, and detection logic to enhance incident detection and response workflows
• Partner with Threat Intelligence, and Incident Response units to analyze attack surfaces and engineer defensive countermeasures
• Evaluate enterprise architecture to identify security gaps, zero-day vulnerabilities, and potential attack vectors, implementing robust mitigations
• Drive telemetry and monitoring enhancements to improve visibility across network, cloud, and endpoint security layers
• Provide expert guidance and mentorship to security team members on threat mitigation techniques and defensive engineering 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:

• 5+ years of cybersecurity engineering, threat hunting, or defensive security operations experience
• 3+ years of experience developing security automation scripts (e.g., Python, PowerShell, Go, or Bash)
• 3+ years of experience analyzing adversary Tactics, Techniques, and Procedures (TTPs) using the MITRE ATT&CK framework
• 3+ years of experience working with enterprise SIEM, EDR, and network security monitoring tools
• Demonstrated experience designing defensive countermeasures against advanced persistent threats (APTs) and zero-day vulnerabilities

Preferred Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Cybersecurity, Information Technology, or a related field (or equivalent practical experience)
• Professional security certifications such as CISSP, OSCP, GIAC (e.g., GDAT, GCDA, GCIH), or equivalent credentials
• Experience deploying, operating, and optimizing network or endpoint security sensors
• Experience with cloud security platforms (AWS, Azure, GCP) and containerized environment security
• Experience applying artificial intelligence or machine learning techniques to automated threat detection and anomaly analysis
• Cyber Red Team experience
• Consulting or solution engineering experience in a large enterprise or customer facing roles
• Proven ability to communicate complex technical security risks and defensive strategies to diverse technical and leadership audiences

*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 $112,700 - $193,200 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.

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.