Sr Dir Software Engineering - Remote

UnitedHealth Group•Basking Ridge, NJ

16h•Remote

About The Position

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.

Requirements

12+ years of progressive software engineering experience, including 5+ years in senior people leadership roles managing managers
Demonstrated ownership of a platform modernization and transformation, large scale integration with a externally hosted SaaS platform, accountable end to end from architecture through production
Demonstrated experience modernizing or scaling a transaction heavy platform that could not meet business growth, performance, or reliability needs
Proven direct leadership of 15–25 engineers, including 3–4 direct manager reports within a multi-layer organization
Proven end to end platform accountability for reliability, stability, availability, observability and operational health of mission critical systems
Demonstrated hands on technical leadership capability—able to direct teams on architectural and technical decisions and operate credibly with senior engineers
Experience integrating internal platforms with third party SaaS vendors, serving as the technical and execution bridge between systems
Proven deep understanding of secure SDLC and DevSecOps practices, with experience operating in regulated environments (e.g., PCI, SOC, HIPAA)
Experience leading cross‑functional delivery across Product, Architecture, Operations, and Security, serving as the primary engineering counterpart for senior business stakeholders on platform roadmap, delivery milestones, and operational outcomes
Ability to represent the platform in senior leadership forums, including architecture reviews and executive updates; occasional travel for leadership meetings
Demonstrated scaled engineering leadership capability by hiring, developing, and retaining managers and senior engineers, including ownership of succession planning, performance management, and leadership readiness

Nice To Haves

Experience with commercial payment networks or financial transaction platforms
Leadership of platform integration teams responsible for external data exchange, validation, and vendor testing
Demonstrated background in SaaS to enterprise integration models, including shared responsibility vendor operating models
Experience leading distributed or hybrid teams across multiple locations
Accountability for platform modernization initiatives replacing or augmenting legacy systems
Demonstrated familiarity with high availability, high correctness platforms where uptime and data integrity are critical

Responsibilities

Engineering Leadership & Delivery Excellence
Provide enterprise engineering leadership for the OCPN platform, overseeing 10–12 cross‑functional teams across Software Engineering, QA, DevOps, and Site Reliability Engineering
Own end‑to-end accountability for delivery of client enhancements, regulatory mandates, new product capabilities, and strategic modernization initiatives
Establish, enforce, and continuously evolve engineering standards, SDLC governance, and quality frameworks to ensure reliability, maintainability, security, and audit readiness
Drive predictable, metrics‑based execution using delivery, quality, reliability, and cost efficiency indicators (e.g., velocity, defect trends, availability, DORA metrics)
Partner with Product Management and Architecture to define and execute multi‑year platform roadmaps aligned to business strategy and enterprise technology direction
Set technical direction and ensure adoption of modern engineering practices including cloud‑native architectures, CI/CD automation, API‑first design, and scalable platform patterns
Build organizational engineering capability by continuously improving tools, practices, and technical standards across the platform
Platform Operations & Reliability
Own production stability, availability, and operational health for the OCPN platform across all client implementations
Lead enterprise‑grade incident management, root‑cause analysis, and continuous improvement initiatives to reduce MTTR and prevent recurrence
Ensure platform compliance with PCI, SOC, HIPAA (as applicable), and enterprise security standards for sensitive financial and healthcare payment data
Champion best practices in observability, monitoring, capacity planning, and operational readiness
Drive high‑availability, resiliency, and disaster recovery strategies aligned with Optum enterprise resilience requirements
Maintain solid operational governance and transparency around risk posture and remediation plans
Modernization & Technology Strategy
Lead transformation of legacy systems through cloud migration, architectural modernization, and platform re‑architecture initiatives
Drive adoption of automation‑first engineering practices to improve developer productivity, operational efficiency, and delivery speed
Sponsor and govern the use of AI/ML‑enabled engineering tools to enhance productivity, quality assurance, risk detection, and delivery forecasting
Partner with Enterprise Architecture to ensure alignment with Optum technology standards, security frameworks, and long-term digital strategy
Balance modernization execution with production stability and regulatory delivery commitments
People Leadership & Organizational Development
Build, develop, and retain high‑performing engineering leaders, managers, and senior technical talent
Foster a culture of accountability, inclusion, continuous learning, and operational ownership.
Lead workforce planning, talent acquisition, performance management, and succession planning
Drive organizational maturity across Agile execution, DevSecOps, and platform ownership models
Establish scalable leadership structures and operating models to support platform growth and increasing complexity
Executive & Cross‑Functional Engagement
Partner with Business, Product, Operations, Security, Compliance, and Finance leaders to align engineering outcomes with enterprise objectives
Communicate delivery health, risk posture, operational performance, and modernization progress to executive stakeholders
Represent OCPN Engineering in strategic planning forums, governance councils, and enterprise transformation initiatives
Ensure transparent risk management, proactive mitigation planning, and informed executive decision‑making