Principal Architect - Remote

Optum Tech is a global leader in health care innovation. Our teams develop cutting-edge solutions that help people live healthier lives and help make the health system work better for everyone. From advanced data analytics and AI to cybersecurity, we use innovative approaches to solve some of health care's most complex challenges. Your contributions here have the potential to change lives. Ready to build the next breakthrough? Join us in making healthcare work better for everyone through people-led, responsible AI while Caring. Connecting. Growing together.

As an Enterprise Architect within Optum Enterprise Digital Experience Tech (EDET), you will provide strategic technology leadership across high-priority digital and AI transformation initiatives. This role operates at the convergence of digital platforms, enterprise identity and consent, artificial intelligence, and the modernization of Corporate Functions, establishing the architecture required for a connected, intelligent, secure, and reusable enterprise.

Working across business, product, engineering, security, data, and architecture organizations, you will define target-state architectures, establish reusable enterprise patterns, and translate business strategy into executable technology roadmaps. Serving as a trusted advisor to senior leaders, you will guide technical and business trade-offs while ensuring alignment with enterprise standards for security, privacy, reliability, interoperability, responsible AI, and operational excellence.

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: 

• Define enterprise architecture strategy, capability models, and target-state architectures across digital experiences, identity and consent, AI platforms, and Corporate Functions modernization
• Partner with senior business, product, engineering, security, and data leadership to translate business priorities into capability architectures, multi-year technology roadmaps, and investment plans
• Establish architectural direction for enterprise identity, authentication, authorization, profile, preference, and consent management across digital channels, APIs, platforms, and autonomous AI agents
• Drive architecture for the responsible adoption and scaling of generative AI, agentic systems, and intelligent automation, establishing patterns for orchestration, tool integration (such as MCP), observability, telemetry, safety, and governance
• Define trusted identity and delegated authorization patterns extending into AI interactions, governing how users, employees, services, and machine/agent identities securely access data and execute actions
• Lead architecture for modernizing Corporate Functions by simplifying fragmented systems, rationalizing legacy platforms, automating workflows, and introducing modern digital capabilities
• Develop and champion reusable enterprise reference architectures, standardized APIs, and integration patterns that minimize duplication and accelerate delivery across business units
• Establish architecture principles, guardrails, and Zero Trust security controls that enable rapid innovation while ensuring compliance with privacy, regulatory, data protection, and responsible AI standards
• Conduct architecture and design reviews for mission-critical initiatives, evaluating technical alternatives, assessing enterprise risks, and steering cross-functional alignment
• Serve as a technology thought leader and mentor, evolving architecture practices, tracking industry innovations, and elevating technical capabilities across the organization

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: 

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Information Systems, or a related technical discipline, or 10+ years of equivalent enterprise technology/architecture experience
• 10+ years of progressive experience in enterprise architecture, solution architecture, platform architecture, or enterprise software engineering
• 7+ years of experience defining enterprise architecture strategies, capability architectures, and delivering large-scale enterprise technology solutions
• 5+ years of experience driving architecture across complex, cross-functional organizations and influencing senior business and technology stakeholders
• 5+ years demonstrated experience architecting large-scale digital platforms, distributed systems, APIs, cloud-native architectures (Azure, AWS, or GCP), or enterprise integration ecosystems
• 5+ years of demonstrated track record of leading large-scale platform modernization, application rationalization, or digital transformation programs
• 5+ years of experience evaluating complex technology alternatives and communicating architecture decisions and trade-offs to both technical and executive audiences
• 5+ years of demonstrated ability to influence across organizational boundaries without direct authority and lead large, complex initiatives involving multiple business and technology organizations
• 3+ years proven experience with enterprise identity and access management (IAM), including authentication, federation, SSO, OAuth/OIDC, delegated authorization, fine-grained access control, or consent management
• 3+ years of experience with AI/ML architectures, including generative AI, large language models (LLMs), AI agent platforms, or intelligent automation systems

*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 $134,600 - $230,800 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 help make the health system work better for everyone. Together, we are shaping the future of healthcare by harnessing technology and innovation to make care simpler to navigate, more affordable and more connected for the people we serve. We are committed to creating an inclusive workplace where everyone feels welcomed, valued, heard and respected, empowering people to bring their authentic selves to work and strengthening our collective impact through diverse talents, backgrounds, experiences and perspectives.

UnitedHealth Group and its affiliated brands are 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 and its affiliated brands are a drug-free workplace. Candidates are required to pass a drug test before beginning employment.