Director Data Engineering - Remote

Optum is a health care innovation organization developing data analytics, AI, cybersecurity, and other solutions to improve the health system. The Director of Data Engineering will lead cloud-based clinical data engineering and DevOps delivery, manage engineering teams, and drive resilient data architecture, FHIR adoption, and AI-enabled workflows. The role also partners with stakeholders and auditors to ensure high-quality, audit-ready clinical data execution.

Responsibilities:

• Serve as the Engineering and DevOps delivery lead for Clinical data provisioning to all UHC Line of Business HEDIS data processing teams, delivering scalable, cloud-based data engineering solutions
• Lead, coach, and mentor a team of data engineers and functional/technical subject matter experts across multiple skill levels to drive accountability and continuous operational performance
• Design, develop, and deploy AI-powered solutions, workflows, and enterprise-approved tools to streamline processes, automate tasks, and address complex business challenges with an emphasis on responsible AI practices
• Evaluate emerging technology trends, FHIR standards, Quality measures, and NCQA regulatory changes to inform solution design and strategic data architecture innovations
• Manage communications and relationships with business stakeholders, product managers, data source teams, and auditors regarding functional logic, issue tracking, and system dependencies
• Engage in high-stakes discussions across executive leadership, demonstrating solid leadership presence to guide technical strategy, challenge assumptions, and navigate organizational complexity
• Ask insightful, forward-looking questions to proactively identify and mitigate technical and functional risks, gaps, and architectural bottlenecks
• Establish robust CI/CD, unit testing, test-driven development (TDD), automated testing, and code review standards across cloud data stores and storage ecosystems

Requirements:

• • 8+ years of experience in the health insurance industry with deep expertise in Clinical data engineering and data platform architecture
• • 8+ years of hands-on experience using enterprise SQL databases across cloud and on-premise environments in research, consulting, or production settings
• • 5+ years of experience working with Clinical data, FHIR resources, interoperability standards, and HEDIS data domains (Member, Eligibility, Medical, Rx, Clinical) across Medicare, Medicaid, and Commercial lines of business
• • 5+ years of personnel management experience, including leading, coaching, and mentoring engineering teams and data SMEs
• • 5+ years of Agile/Kanban delivery leadership utilizing software engineering best practices (CI/CD, TDD, automated testing, pair programming, code reviews)
• • 1+ years incorporating Generative AI and Agentic AI workflows into cloud platforms, databases, and automated engineering pipelines
• • Comprehensive understanding of HEDIS engines in the market and in-depth expertise in HEDIS quality measures
• • Advanced experience designing and deploying custom GenAI solutions and Agentic AI capabilities in automated data engineering workflows
• • Proven excellent communication and presentation skills, with a proven ability to articulate complex technical concepts and analytical insights to non-technical executive stakeholders and auditors