Senior Data Engineer

Job ID: 100685631376Posted: 2026-10-16Location: Chicago, Illinois, United StatesSalary: $91,700 - $163,700/yearJob Area: TechnologyCompany: UnitedHealth GroupOur CompanyOptum Rx is helping people access safe and effective prescription medications and therapies at more affordable costs than those charged by manufacturers as part of Optum's mission to help millions of people live healthier lives. The work you do with our team supports better health outcomes by connecting people to the pharmacy benefits, medications, and services they need to feel their best. Join us to start Caring. Connecting. Growing together.Position SummaryAs a Senior Data Engineer on the Optum Rx Data Engineering Ops team, you will be responsible for ensuring the reliability, operational excellence, and continuous performance of critical data systems and pipelines. You will lead data loads monitoring, incident resolution, data quality checks, and process automation. In this role, you will leverage enterprise-approved AI tools to automate routine operational tasks, streamline incident triage, and enhance workflow efficiencies, while evaluating emerging technologies to drive strategic innovation across our healthcare data ecosystem.You'll enjoy the flexibility to telecommute* from anywhere within the U.S. as you take on some tough challenges.Primary Responsibilities:Monitor complex enterprise data loads and automated data pipelines to ensure high availability, system stability, and timely SLA executionLead proactive incident triage, troubleshooting, root-cause analysis, and resolution for production data pipeline failures and operational issuesImplement, automate, and refine robust data quality checks, validation rules, and monitoring frameworks across pharmacy data environmentsDrive continuous process automation to optimize operational workflows, reduce manual overhead, and accelerate incident recoveryUse enterprise-approved AI tools to streamline operational workflows, automate tasks, and drive continuous improvement across data engineering operationsEvaluate emerging trends and operational technologies to inform solution design, system optimization, and strategic innovationEstablish operational best practices, documentation, and data governance standards to ensure secure and reliable data deliveryYou'll be rewarded and recognized for your performance in an environment that will challenge you and give you clear directions on what it takes to succeed in your role as well as provide development for other roles you may be interested in. Required Qualifications:10+ years of IT experience working in software engineering, data engineering, or technology operations environments5+ years of experience in data loads monitoring, operational data support, or production pipeline incident resolution5+ years of experience designing and implementing automated data quality checks, data validation frameworks, and pipeline automation using Scala or Pyspark, and SQL5+ years of experience working with enterprise cloud data platforms Azure and relational/distributed databases5+ years of experience using data orchestration, scheduling, and monitoring platforms (e.g., Airflow, ADF and Databricks)Preferred Skills:Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Data Engineering, or a related field (or equivalent practical experience)Experience in the pharmacy benefits management (PBM), healthcare, or life sciences industry working with healthcare data domain modelsIndustry technical certifications in cloud platforms or data engineering (e.g., AWS Certified Data Engineer, Snowflake Certified, or Databricks Certified)Demonstrated experience utilizing enterprise-approved AI or automation tools to streamline technical workflows and daily operational tasksShould have fair understanding of Snowflake*All Telecommuters 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 $91,700 to $163,700 annually based on full-time employment. We comply with all minimum wage laws as applicable. Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records. 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.#RPO #GREEN