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.

We are seeking an experienced Principal Software Engineer professional to lead reliability, security, and operational excellence across critical applications in our Digital Consumer Engineering organization. This role combines strategic leadership with hands-on technical expertise to ensure our platforms are resilient, secure, and scalable-supporting millions of users and driving business growth.

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:

• Leadership & Strategy
  • Champion a culture of reliability, security, and continuous improvement across engineering teams
  • Collaborate with cross-functional stakeholders to embed best practices into product and platform development
  • Explore innovative approaches, including AI-driven solutions, to enhance security and reliability
• Site Reliability Engineering (SRE)
  • Ensure high availability and performance through proactive risk modeling and mitigation
  • Automate operational tasks to improve efficiency and reduce manual intervention
  • Define and monitor SLAs, SLOs, and SLIs to drive reliability improvements for critical customer journeys
• Security Operations (SecOps)
  • Implement proactive threat detection and automated response strategies
  • Partner with enterprise security and application teams to strengthen prevention capabilities
  • Utilize advanced security tools and processes for consistent protection across systems
• Technology Operations (TechOps)
  • Oversee infrastructure stability, scalability, and resilience across hardware, software, and networks
  • Develop robust processes for provisioning, configuration, and maintenance
  • Drive continuous improvement and accelerate technology delivery through automation and innovation

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, Information Technology, or related field (or equivalent experience)
• 12+ years of experience in SRE, cloud engineering, security operations, or technology operations
• Solid knowledge of CI/CD pipelines, observability, and incident management
• Familiarity with operational and security tools (e.g., monitoring systems, automation tools, SIEM, IDS/IPS)
• Proven success in global digital consumer environments
• Proven expertise in cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, GCP), container orchestration (Kubernetes), and automation scripting (Python, Go, Bash)
• Proven excellent communication, leadership, and collaboration skills
• Proven ability to thrive in a fast-paced environment and manage multiple priorities

Preferred Qualifications:

• Advanced degree in a related field
• Experience with AI-driven reliability or security solutions
• Minneapolis presence

*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 $132,200 to $226,600 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.