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

Role

As a Principal Software Engineer on Optum.ai, you will be a senior individual contributor responsible for architecting and delivering enterprise-grade full‑stack platforms that power AI-enabled healthcare applications. You will lead architectural decisions across frontend, backend, and cloud infrastructure while enabling scalable integration of AI/ML and Generative AI capabilities into production systems.

Key Responsibilities

• Architect enterprise full‑stack platforms including frontend interfaces, backend services, APIs, and integrations for scalability, reliability, and performance.
• Lead development of modern application frameworks using React or Angular with TypeScript and backend frameworks such as FastAPI or Node.js.
• Design distributed, cloud‑native systems using microservices, event‑driven patterns, asynchronous processing, and containerized deployments.
• Enable AI and Generative AI features including LLM inference APIs and retrieval‑augmented generation (RAG) pipelines.
• Drive platform reliability, security, compliance, authentication/authorization, identity management, and observability.
• Define and enforce engineering standards: code structure, testing practices, API standards, and performance optimization.
• Drive DevOps practices through CI/CD pipelines, containerization, infrastructure automation, and resilient deployments.
• Mentor engineers and collaborate with product, platform, and data science teams to productionize AI solutions.

Requirements

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

Preferred Qualifications

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

Location & Work Arrangement

• Remote work available anywhere in the U.S.; hires in Minneapolis or Washington, D.C. must be in‑office a minimum of four days per week.
• All remote employees must adhere to UnitedHealth Group’s Telecommuter Policy.

Compensation & Benefits

• Salary range: $134,600 to $230,800 annually (full‑time). Pay is based on factors including location, experience, and education.
• Benefits include a comprehensive benefits package, incentive and recognition programs, equity stock purchase, and 401(k) contribution. Eligibility rules apply.