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 diversity and inclusion, talented peers, comprehensive benefits and career development opportunities. Come make an impact on the communities we serve as you help us advance health equity on a global scale. Join us to start Caring. Connecting. Growing together.

ABOUT THE ROLE

The Senior Director of Software Engineering is tasked with providing strategic leadership and direction to large-scale, cross-functional technology teams while championing AI, innovation and collaboration across the OPEN organization. This role involves overseeing the development lifecycle of high-impact product solutions, ensuring technical excellence, scalability, and operational efficiency.
Key responsibilities include shaping engineering design and culture, driving AI strategy to unlock customer and operational value, and aligning technical strategies with broader business goals. The director fosters close partnerships across business units, advocates for cross-functional collaboration, and ensures robust stakeholder management practices.
Talent development is a cornerstone of this role, requiring the creation of growth-oriented plans, including recruitment and mentorship, to build a high-performing team. Additionally, the position demands a focus on operational excellence, integrating modern technologies like cloud-native design, DevOps, and infrastructure automation to deliver reliable and cost-effective solutions.
Reporting to VP of Technology for OPEN team, this senior role plays a critical part in ensuring seamless product launches, influencing business outcomes, and maintaining transparency and trust between technical and business leadership.

PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Provide visionary leadership and direction for the end-to-end development life cycle of a portfolio of high-impact, complex product solutions that deliver significant value to the organization
• Serve as a seasoned and trusted leader, directly responsible for shaping engineering organization design and driving a product engineering culture grounded in innovation, technical excellence, and accountability for outcomes
• Lead large-scale, cross-functional technology teams across multiple disciplines, overseeing design, development, testing, integration, deployment, and ongoing support and maintenance to ensure delivery of robust, scalable, and high-quality products
• Champion close partnership and collaboration with peer OPEN leaders (Product Management, Architecture, Engineering and Portfolio), Business partners and other cross Enterprise teams (e.g. security, analytics, technology, legal, compliance, AI, etc.) to define, prioritize, and execute product roadmaps and technical strategies that advance both business and technology goals
• Drive the evolution and execution of an AI and innovation strategy aimed at improving customer value, operational efficiencies, and future-ready digital capabilities
• Support Director of Architecture in early-stage ideation, technical governance, technical architecture discussions, recommending optimal solutions and innovative approaches while ensuring technical feasibility, scalability, and maintainability
• Foster stakeholder management practices, ensuring transparent communication, trust, and alignment between technology teams and senior business leadership
• Serve as a thought leader and advocate for the benefits of enterprise-wide collaboration, ensuring cohesive engagement across engineering, data, product, and business functions
• Lead the creation and execution of talent development plans, including coaching, mentoring, and career pathing to build a high-performing, engaged, and growth-oriented engineering organization
• Establish and drive operational excellence, ensuring the reliability, performance, and cost-efficiency of production services and solutions
• Take a hands-on role in recruitment, selection, and retention strategies to attract top-tier technical talent and thought leaders into the organization
• Provide executive-level guidance for product launches and customer adoption initiatives, ensuring technology alignment with market and business demands