Principal Software Engineer - Hybrid in MN or DC, remote elsewhere

Requisition Number: 2343635
Transform Healthcare Through AI Innovation at Optum
Optum is a global organization delivering care, powered by data and technology, to help millions of people live healthier lives. At Optum.ai, we are not just witnessing the AI transformation in healthcare-we are leading it. Our mission is clear: to simplify healthcare with AI, turning insight into action at a scale few organizations in the world can match.
As part of the Optum.ai team, you'll work at the intersection of cutting-edge artificial intelligence and real-world healthcare impact. From reducing administrative burden for providers to anticipating patient needs and improving access to quality care, your work will help solve some of healthcare's most complex challenges-and directly improve health outcomes for millions of people.
You'll collaborate with world-class talent across data science, engineering, product, and healthcare domains, backed by the reach and stability of Optum and UnitedHealth Group. Here, responsible innovation matters. So do comprehensive benefits, meaningful career growth, and the opportunity to make a tangible difference-advancing health equity and creating a simpler, more connected healthcare experience for everyone.
This is more than a job. It's a chance to shape the future of healthcare through the transformative power of AI. Join us to start Caring. Connecting. Growing together.
Optum AI is UnitedHealth Group's enterprise AI team. We are AI/ML scientists and engineers with deep expertise in AI/ML engineering for healthcare. We develop AI/ML solutions for the highest impact opportunities across UnitedHealth Group businesses including UnitedHealthcare, Optum Financial, Optum Health, Optum Insight, and Optum Rx. In addition to transforming the healthcare journey through responsible AI/ML innovation, our charter also includes developing and supporting an enterprise AI/ML development platform.
As a Principal Software Engineer, you will serve as a senior individual contributor responsible for architecting and delivering enterprise-grade full-stack platforms that power AI-enabled applications across the organization. You will lead architectural decisions across frontend, backend, and cloud infrastructure layers while enabling scalable integration of AI/ML and Generative AI capabilities into production systems. This role requires deep expertise in distributed systems, modern web development frameworks, cloud-native architectures, and AI-powered application development.
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:

• Architect enterprise full-stack platforms spanning frontend interfaces, backend services, APIs, and integrations ensuring scalability, reliability, and performance
• Lead development of modern application frameworks using React or Angular with TypeScript and backend services using frameworks such as FastAPI, Node.js, or equivalent
• Design scalable distributed and cloud-native systems using microservices architectures, event-driven patterns, asynchronous processing, and container-based deployments
• Enable AI and Generative AI capabilities within applications including LLM inference APIs, retrieval-augmented generation pipelines, and AI-powered application features
• Drive platform reliability, security, and compliance including authentication, authorization, identity management, observability, and regulatory requirements
• Define and enforce engineering standards including code structure, testing practices, API standards, performance optimization, and architectural patterns
• Drive DevOps excellence through CI/CD pipelines, containerization, infrastructure automation, and resilient deployment practices
• Serve as a senior technical authority mentoring engineers and collaborating with product, platform, and data science teams to deliver enterprise AI-enabled applications

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:

• 12+ years of experience in software engineering with 9+ years building large-scale full-stack platforms using modern frontend frameworks and backend API architectures
• 8+ years of experience designing distributed systems and cloud-native architectures including microservices, event-driven systems, and containerized applications
• 8+ years of experience developing software in TypeScript/JavaScript or Python using frameworks such as React, Angular, FastAPI, Node.js, or equivalent modern frameworks
• 5+ years of experience implementing DevOps and platform engineering practices including CI/CD pipelines, containerization (Docker), and automated deployment
• 3+ years of experience integrating AI/ML or Generative AI capabilities into production applications including LLM inference APIs, RAG pipelines, or AI-powered features
• 1+ years of experience using AI-assisted development or 'vibe coding' tools such as Codex, Claude Code, Cursor, Windsurf, or similar tools

Preferred Qualifications:

• Master's degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or related discipline
• Experience building AI-powered web applications or AI copilots
• Experience deploying applications on cloud platforms such as AWS, Azure, or GCP
• Experience building systems in regulated environments such as healthcare or financial services
• Experience collaborating closely with data science and ML engineering teams to productionize AI models

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*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 to $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.