VP Software Engineering

Vice President, Software Engineering

UnitedHealth Group – Eden Prairie, Minnesota, United States

About UnitedHealth Group

UnitedHealth Group is a leading health‑care and well‑being company dedicated to helping people live healthier lives and improving the health‑system for everyone. With more than 340,000 colleagues across two complementary businesses—Optum and UnitedHealthcare—we deliver modern, high‑performing solutions that enhance access, affordability, outcomes, and experiences for over 147 million individuals. Our mission, values, and diverse culture drive us to provide compassionate, equitable care to the communities we serve.

Position Overview

As the Vice President of Software Engineering, you will lead a large, high‑impact engineering organization that powers critical health‑care and data‑driven platforms. You will set technical vision, champion cloud‑native and AI/ML innovations, and ensure delivery excellence across a portfolio of microservices, legacy modernization, and platform engineering initiatives.

Employment Type: Full‑time

Location: Eden Prairie, Minnesota (Minnetonka, MN)

Salary: $200,400 – $343,500 per year (USD)

Benefits: Competitive health, dental, vision, retirement, paid time‑off, tuition assistance, and additional UnitedHealth Group employee wellness programs.

Key Responsibilities

• Define and execute a multi‑year technology roadmap aligned with UnitedHealth Group’s strategic objectives.
• Lead, mentor, and scale senior engineering managers, architects, and technical staff across multiple product lines.
• Drive adoption of cloud‑native architectures (AWS, Azure, GCP) and micro‑service design patterns to enable rapid, reliable delivery.
• Champion DevOps, SRE, and AIOps practices to improve system reliability, performance, and operational efficiency.
• Oversee AI/ML and Generative AI initiatives, integrating advanced analytics and machine learning models into health‑care solutions.
• Partner with product, data, security, and compliance teams to ensure solutions meet regulatory, privacy, and quality standards.
• Manage end‑to‑end software development lifecycle (SDLC) processes, fostering an environment of continuous improvement and innovation.
• Lead legacy modernization programs, migrating critical workloads to modern platforms while minimizing risk.
• Represent the engineering organization to executive leadership, investors, and external partners.
• Promote a culture of diversity, inclusion, and psychological safety, aligning with UnitedHealth Group’s core values.

Essential Qualifications

• Minimum 15 years of progressive software engineering experience, with at least 8 years in senior leadership roles.
• Proven track record of building and scaling large, distributed engineering teams (500+ engineers).
• Deep expertise in cloud‑native technologies (AWS, Azure, GCP) and container orchestration (Kubernetes, Docker).
• Strong background in microservices architecture, API design, and platform engineering.
• Extensive experience with DevOps, SRE, CI/CD pipelines, and AIOps tools.
• Hands‑on knowledge of AI/ML and Generative AI model development, deployment, and monitoring.
• Demonstrated success in legacy modernization and migration to cloud platforms.
• Exceptional strategic thinking, communication, and stakeholder management skills.
• Ability to navigate complex regulatory environments (HIPAA, HITECH) and safeguard patient data.

Desired Experience & Skills

• Experience in health‑care, insurance, or related regulated industries.
• Advanced degree (MS, MBA, or PhD) in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field – not mandatory but preferred.
• Proficiency in modern programming languages (Java, Go, Python, Scala) and cloud‑native frameworks.
• Successful delivery of large‑scale, mission‑critical systems with high availability requirements.
• Leadership in fostering inclusive, high‑performance cultures and talent development.

Application Process

Interested candidates should submit their resume and a cover letter highlighting relevant leadership achievements and technical expertise through our careers portal: careers.unitedhealthgroup.com .

UnitedHealth Group is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees.