Senior Manager 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.

Primary Responsibilities

• Lead multiple cross-functional software engineering teams responsible for delivering and supporting business-critical applications across the Government Programs Digital (Medicare and Retirement)
• Drive end-to-end software delivery, including solution design, development, testing, deployment, operational support, and continuous improvement
• Champion AI-enabled engineering practices and AIDLC adoption to improve developer productivity, quality, and delivery velocity
• Lead modernization initiatives, including cloud transformation, platform upgrades, technical debt reduction, and application rationalization efforts
• Establish and enforce engineering governance, architecture standards, security controls, and operational excellence practices
• Partner with business stakeholders, product owners, architects, and technology leaders to define roadmaps, priorities, and strategic technology investments
• Oversee application health, availability, incident management, vulnerability remediation, compliance, and audit readiness
• Manage engineering capacity, financial planning, vendor partnerships, and resource allocation to ensure successful delivery of strategic initiatives
• Develop and mentor engineering talent through coaching, succession planning, performance management, and career development programs
• Foster a culture of innovation, accountability, collaboration, and continuous learning across the organization
• Track and drive key performance indicators related to delivery commitments, quality, operational stability, and customer satisfaction
• Communicate program status, risks, dependencies, and business impacts to senior leadership and executive stakeholders
• Provides leadership to and is accountable for the performance of managers and/or senior level professional staff
• Impact of work is most often at the operational or local business unit or market level
• Comply with all applicable Company policies, procedures, and business directives, changes including those relating to work location, team assignments, work schedules, and flexible work arrangements

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Information Technology, or related field
• 14+ years of progressive software engineering experience, including application development, delivery, and production support
• 3+ years of experience leading software engineering teams, managers, or large cross-functional technical organizations
• Experience delivering enterprise-scale applications using Java, Spring Boot, Microservices, APIs, Cloud, and modern software development practices
• Experience managing application availability, incident management, vulnerability remediation, compliance, and operational excellence
• Experience leading complex technology transformation and modernization initiatives
• Solid understanding of Agile, DevOps, CI/CD, Site Reliability Engineering (SRE), and software quality practices
• Demonstrated solid people leadership skills including coaching, mentoring, talent development, succession planning, and performance management
• Proven ability to influence and collaborate with business leaders, architects, product teams, and executive stakeholders
• Proven excellent verbal and written communication skills with the ability to present to senior leadership

Preferred Qualifications

• Master's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, AI/ML, Business Administration, or related field
• Industry certifications in Cloud, AI/ML, Agile, Scrum, SAFe, or Engineering Leadership
• Experience leading AI-enabled software development initiatives, Generative AI programs, AI agents, Copilot solutions, or AI-driven engineering transformations
• Experience with cloud platforms such as Azure, AWS, or GCP and large-scale cloud migration programs
• Experience managing healthcare, claims processing, payer, or insurance technology platforms
• Experience managing geographically distributed teams and vendor partnerships
• Experience driving engineering governance, portfolio management, financial planning, and strategic technology roadmaps
• Knowledge of cybersecurity practices, vulnerability remediation programs, risk management, and regulatory compliance requirements

AI Skills

Experience using GitHub Copilot, Microsoft 365 Copilot, and other enterprise-approved AI tools

Leverages AI for coding, testing, documentation, and analysis

Solid adoption of AI-assisted development practices (target 90%+ weekly usage)

Demonstrates continuous learning and adoption of emerging AI capabilities

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.