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 to start Caring. Connecting. Growing together.

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 and evolve enterprise architecture strategy and target-state architectures aligned to
• Optum/UHG technology strategy and business outcomes
• Lead AI-first architecture for clinical and consumer-facing experiences, including conversational AI and agentic patterns where appropriate
• Design integration architectures leveraging healthcare interoperability standards (FHIR/HL7) across EHR ecosystems and partner/vendor platforms
• Establish and govern reference architecture, technology standards, and architecture decision records; ensure consistent adoption across delivery teams
• Partner with product and engineering leaders to define value, evaluate options, and drive cost/benefit analysis and total cost of ownership (TCO)
• Guide solution designs using event-driven architecture, domain APIs, and loosely coupled microservices; enable secure data acquisition and externalization
• Influence delivery practices (Agile/DevOps/CI/CD) to improve reliability, performance, and operational excellence
• Communicate complex technical concepts to executives and non-technical stakeholders; build alignment across lines of business
• Lead enterprise architecture governance boards and architecture review processes.
• Develop and maintain enterprise capability maps aligned to business strategy
• Create transition-state and target-state architecture blueprints for transformation programs
• Drive enterprise technology rationalization and platform consolidation initiatives
• Establish architecture success metrics, adoption measures, and compliance reporting
• Mentor other EAs, SAs and engineering teams across multiple delivery organizations
• Evaluate emerging technologies and develop adoption recommendations for leadership
• Define enterprise patterns for resiliency, observability, and operational excellence
• Lead architecture risk assessments and mitigation planning for strategic programs
• Drive architecture alignment across product, engineering, security, and operations teams

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:

• Undergraduate degree in applicable area of expertise or equivalent experience
• 5+ years of experience developing enterprise application architectures in complex healthcare environments (Payer and/or Provider)
• Multiple years of experience delivering AI solutions (including Agentic AI patterns)
• Cross-Channel Digital experience architecture including AI-Native experiences in the healthcare industry covering multiple or all the following:
  • Identity and Profile in healthcare
  • Consent Management 
  • Multi-Payer Federated Data Exchange and FHIR based solutions
  • Interoperability and Open Healthcare Ecosystem Connectivity
  • Agentic AI, MCP Server and API based Healthcare Service architectures 
  • Real-Time Scheduling & Care Access across EHRs
  • Longitudinal / Single Best Clinical Record design and architecture
  • Intent based benefit aware AI agentic conversational and traditional Care Navigation, Coordination and Delivery experiences
  • Enterprise Trust, Governance & Auditability especially AI end to end Clinical AI Observability in the care domain
• Experience partnering with product/business teams to define outcomes, translate requirements into architecture, and drive measurable business benefits
• Experience creating and executing technology strategies and roadmaps; tracking implementation cost and total cost of ownership (TCO)
• Experience defining and leveraging reference architectures and technology standards, including UI/UX principles that improve user experience

Preferred Qualifications:

• 5+ years of experience with microservices architecture, event-driven patterns, domain APIs, and application integration
• Multiple years of experience with public cloud platforms (e.g., AWS, Azure, GCP) and leveraging open-source software and modern operational practices
• Experience with API management, identity and access management, and security architecture in regulated environments (HIPAA considerations)
• Experience with data/analytics architectures (streaming, data products, governance) supporting AI/ML use cases
• Experience with Agile delivery practices and DevOps/CI/CD
• Consulting experience with Healthcare organization especially payers and providers
• Expertise in FHIR/HL7 integration patterns and EHR ecosystems (e.g., Epic, Cerner/Oracle Health) and cross-EHR workflows
• Deep clinical domain knowledge and experience supporting clinical workflows, data acquisition, and care access experiences (Find Care, Scheduling, Appointments, Care Management etc.)
• Demonstrated solid facilitation skills for architecture reviews, stakeholder workshops, and executive readouts

*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 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.