Director, Software Engineering - 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.

As the Director of Software Engineering for the Individual & Family Plans (IFP) Technology team, you will lead the charge in redefining how we deliver simplified, affordable, and high-quality health benefits. Individual & Family Plans (IFP) supports individuals and families who purchase their own health insurance (primarily via the ACA Marketplace), covering medical care, prescriptions, and preventive services outside of employer-sponsored plans. Our team is at the forefront of digital transformation, bridging complex healthcare environments with scalable cloud architectures and cutting-edge data solutions. You will lead the execution of our enterprise-aligned AI/ML strategy, transforming technology investments into production-grade outcomes that directly improve the healthcare experience for millions of individuals. This is a unique opportunity to build and mentor a compassionate, high-performing team while driving the adoption of modern engineering and MLOps practices in a highly collaborative and innovative environment.

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:

• Own end-to-end engineering delivery across the Individual & Family Plans (IFP) portfolios, driving strategic roadmaps, backlog prioritization, and execution predictability
• Lead cross-application delivery, integration, and dependency management while ensuring high-quality design, engineering standards, and robust governance
• Lead the development and execution of the AI/ML strategy for the portfolio, strategically using artificial intelligence to solve complex business problems, unlock new opportunities, and deliver tangible business value
• Translate AI investments into production-grade, measurable, and scalable outcomes, preventing fragmented experimentation by driving enterprise-aligned, robust solutions
• Champion AI as a core driver of the engineering team's success, proactively shaping how AI technologies are developed, deployed, and utilized
• Integrate enterprise AI tools, establish AI-driven development goals within team growth plans, and align hiring with necessary AI competencies while actively removing barriers to accelerate adoption
• Champion the ethical and responsible use of AI by embedding transparency, fairness, security, and accountability throughout the entire AI development and model lifecycle
• Partner closely with data science, architecture, and data teams for scalable AI integration, as well as business leaders and external stakeholders, serving as the primary IT interface for business, state, and federal interactions where applicable
• Influence overall business strategy, prioritization, and investment decisions through articulate and compelling business communications
• Cultivate a compassionate, supportive, and high-performing engineering culture that values collaboration, professional growth, and alignment with the enterprise mission

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 or 4+ years of equivalent software engineering experience
• 10+ years of professional software engineering experience, with 5+ years in a formal leadership/management role guiding large-scale, distributed engineering teams
• 3+ years of experience leading the integration and delivery of AI/ML or data-driven capabilities into complex enterprise platforms
• Experience working in a regulated environment (healthcare preferred) with hands-on exposure to compliance, governance, and responsible/ethical technology deployment
• Demonstrated experience with cloud architecture and distributed systems supporting large-scale wor