Senior Software Engineering Lead - Python, Gen AI, LLM

Optum is a global organization that delivers care, aided by technology to help millions of people live healthier lives. The work you do with our team will directly improve health outcomes by connecting people with the care, pharmacy benefits, data and resources they need to feel their best. Here, you will find a culture guided by inclusion, talented peers, comprehensive benefits and career development opportunities. Come make an impact on the communities we serve as you help us advance health optimization on a global scale. Join us to start Caring. Connecting. Growing together.

The AI Builder will be responsible for designing, building, operationalizing, and supporting AI solutions that enable enterprise adoption of Generative AI capabilities through the United AI Studio (UAIS) platform.

Primary Responsibilities:

• AI Solution Development & Enablement
  • Design, develop, configure, and deploy AI-powered solutions using approved enterprise AI platforms and tools
  • Partner with business teams to identify, assess, and implement AI use cases that improve productivity and operational efficiency
  • Create, test, and optimize prompts, workflows, AI agents, and knowledge-grounded AI applications
  • Support the development and implementation of Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) and AI automation solutions
• Platform Operations & Support
  • Support day-to-day operations of AI solutions running on the UAIS platform
  • Monitor application performance, model behavior, service health, reliability, and usage trends
  • Troubleshoot AI application, API, integration, authentication, and platform-related issues
  • Participate in incident management, root cause analysis, and service restoration activities
• Automation & Process Improvement
  • Identify opportunities to automate manual business and operational processes using AI technologies
  • Develop AI-driven workflows that improve accuracy, efficiency, and scalability
  • Drive continuous improvement initiatives to enhance platform usability and operational effectiveness
• AI Governance, Security & Compliance
  • Ensure AI solutions comply with Responsible AI, security, privacy, and governance requirements
  • Support implementation of guardrails, content filtering, monitoring, and risk mitigation controls
  • Participate in security reviews, compliance assessments, and audit activities related to AI services
• Integration & Technical Delivery
  • Build and support integrations with enterprise applications, APIs, and data sources
  • Develop and maintain AI solution components using cloud-native services and automation tools
  • Collaborate with engineering teams on platform enhancements and production deployments
  • Support testing, validation, and release management activities
• Stakeholder Engagement
  • Work closely with business stakeholders, product owners, engineering teams, and operational teams to deliver AI solutions
  • Provide technical guidance and recommendations on AI capabilities and best practices
  • Facilitate onboarding and adoption of AI services across the organization
• Documentation & Knowledge Management
  • Create and maintain technical documentation, implementation guides, operational runbooks, and knowledge articles
  • Document AI solution architectures, support processes, and governance requirements
  • Share best practices and lessons learned to improve organizational AI maturity
• Expected Outcomes
  • Accelerate enterprise AI adoption and onboarding
  • Improve operational efficiency through AI-driven automation
  • Reduce manual effort and support costs
  • Enhance reliability, governance, and scalability of AI solutions
  • Deliver measurable business value through secure and responsible use of Generative AI technologies
• Comply with the terms and conditions of the employment contract, company policies and procedures, and any and all directives (such as, but not limited to, transfer and/or re-assignment to different work locations, change in teams and/or work shifts, policies in regards to flexibility of work benefits and/or work environment, alternative work arrangements, and other decisions that may arise due to the changing business environment). The Company may adopt, vary or rescind these policies and directives in its absolute discretion and without any limitation (implied or otherwise) on its ability to do so

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Engineering, Data Science, or a related field, or equivalent work experience
• Experience developing, implementing, or supporting AI, automation, or cloud-based solutions
• Experience working with Generative AI, Large Language Models (LLMs), and AI-powered applications
• Experience with Azure OpenAI Service, Azure AI Foundry, or similar enterprise AI platforms
• Experience working with Microsoft Azure cloud services and cloud-native architectures
• Experience using automation and workflow technologies such as Power Automate, Logic Apps, or similar platforms
• Experience supporting production applications and resolving operational issues
• Knowledge of AI governance, security, privacy, and Responsible AI practices
• Solid understanding of prompt engineering, AI model capabilities, and AI solution design principles
• Proficiency in Python, REST APIs, JSON, and application integrations
• Proven solid analytical, troubleshooting, and problem-solving skills
• Proven excellent verbal and written communication skills with the ability to collaborate across technical and business teams

Preferred Qualifications:

• Microsoft Azure certifications, AI certifications, or cloud certifications preferred
• Experience building AI copilots, AI agents, chatbots, or Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) solutions
• Experience with vector databases, embeddings, knowledge grounding, and semantic search technologies
• Experience with DevOps practices, CI/CD pipelines, Git, and Agile development methodologies
• Experience with AI platform operations, governance processes, and production AI deployments
• Healthcare industry experience or experience working within a regulated environment
• Familiarity with AI observability, monitoring, and operational support tools
• Knowledge of enterprise security controls, authentication mechanisms, and API management platforms

Core Competencies:

• Generative AI and LLM Development
• Prompt Engineering
• AI Agent and Workflow Development
• AI Governance and Responsible AI
• Cloud Computing (Azure)
• API Integration and Automation
• Data Analysis and Problem Solving
• Platform Operations and Support
• Stakeholder Collaboration
• Operational Excellence and Continuous Improvement

Desired Characteristics:

• Passion for AI innovation and emerging technologies
• Ability to quickly learn and adapt to evolving AI platforms and capabilities
• Proven solid customer-focused mindset
• Self-motivated with the ability to work independently and manage multiple priorities
• Continuous improvement mindset with a focus on quality, reliability, and business value delivery

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.