Vice President of Software Engineering - Payment Integrity

Optum is a global health care innovation company developing technology, analytics, AI, and cybersecurity solutions to improve the health system. The Vice President of Software Engineering will lead global engineering delivery for the Payment Integrity portfolio, oversee enterprise-scale software releases and operations, accelerate AI/ML adoption, and ensure compliance, security, financial discipline, and engineering excellence in regulated healthcare environments.

Responsibilities:

• Own end-to-end engineering execution and delivery for the Payment Integrity capital projects and operations portfolio, translating multi-year business strategy into predictable, on-time, and on-budget software releases
• Lead, scale, and transform a global engineering organization across onshore and offshore locations, establishing high-performing pod structures, optimal spans-of-control, and clear team accountability
• Integrate enterprise AI tools, set AI goals in team development plans, and align hiring with technical competencies to accelerate adoption while embedding transparency, fairness, and governance into regulated workflows
• Execute within enterprise architecture, security, cloud, and interoperability standards (such as FHIR, X12, and EDI), ensuring seamless integration across claims editing, payment accuracy, and operational platforms
• Partner with Product, Clinical, and Operations executives to align engineering delivery roadmaps with financial baselines, unit-cost targets, and revenue growth commitments
• Drive engineering excellence, modern DevSecOps, automated testing, and FinOps practices, leveraging statistical anomaly detection, automated observability, and daily cost-out disciplines
• Oversee reliability, compliance, and security posture across regulated payer workflows, adhering strictly to HIPAA, HITRUST, PHI/PII protection, and risk management criteria
• Coach, mentor, and elevate senior engineering leaders and directors, fostering a culture of continuous learning, succession planning, and outcome-driven execution

Requirements:

• 15+ years of software engineering experience in enterprise-scale technology environments
• 8+ years of experience leading multi-layer, global engineering organizations (including managing directors and senior engineering managers) across onshore and offshore locations
• 5+ years of experience delivering complex, capital-funded technology portfolios with demonstrated budget and delivery management
• 3+ years of experience adopting and scaling AI/ML models, automated tooling, or AI-native development practices within production environments
• Demonstrated experience operating in a regulated healthcare environment, ensuring compliance with HIPAA, HITRUST, and PHI/PII security requirements
• Deep domain expertise in health plan payer operations, payment integrity, claims editing/coding, clinical validation, or Fraud, Waste, and Abuse (FWA) systems
• Hands-on familiarity with healthcare data and interoperability standards (e.g., FHIR, X12, EDI, HL7)
• Experience implementing human-in-the-loop controls, agentic AI governance, and statistical anomaly detection in operational workflows
• Proven background applying FinOps disciplines and unit-cost governance across cloud and AI infrastructure
• Track record of building succession pipelines and developing strategic technical leaders
• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related technical/business discipline