Director, Software Engineering - Remote

UnitedHealth Group•Basking Ridge, NJ

2d•$134,600 - $230,800•Remote

About The Position

As the Director of Software Engineering for the Individual & Family Plans (IFP) Technology team, you will lead the charge in redefining how we deliver simplified, affordable, and high-quality health benefits. Individual & Family Plans (IFP) supports individuals and families who purchase their own health insurance (primarily via the ACA Marketplace), covering medical care, prescriptions, and preventive services outside of employer-sponsored plans. Our team is at the forefront of digital transformation, bridging complex healthcare environments with scalable cloud architectures and cutting-edge data solutions. You will lead the execution of our enterprise-aligned AI/ML strategy, transforming technology investments into production-grade outcomes that directly improve the healthcare experience for millions of individuals. This is a unique opportunity to build and mentor a compassionate, high-performing team while driving the adoption of modern engineering and MLOps practices in a highly collaborative and innovative environment. You’ll enjoy the flexibility to work remotely from anywhere within the U.S. as you take on some tough challenges. For all hires in the Minneapolis or Washington, D.C. area, you will be required to work in the office a minimum of four days per week.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree or 4+ years of equivalent software engineering experience
10+ years of professional software engineering experience, with 5+ years in a formal leadership/management role guiding large-scale, distributed engineering teams
3+ years of experience leading the integration and delivery of AI/ML or data-driven capabilities into complex enterprise platforms
Experience working in a regulated environment (healthcare preferred) with hands-on exposure to compliance, governance, and responsible/ethical technology deployment
Demonstrated experience with cloud architecture and distributed systems supporting large-scale workloads (e.g., model deployment, data pipelines, scalable inference)
Solid proficiency with modern engineering practices (Agile, DevOps, CI/CD) and MLOps practices (e.g., model lifecycle management, monitoring, continuous integration/delivery of models)
Experience collaborating directly with data science, product, and business teams to drive strategic alignment and translate technology investments into measurable business outcomes
Highly articulate communication skills, with a proven track record of influencing strategy, investments, and prioritization decisions with senior business leaders and external stakeholders

Nice To Haves

Experience in the healthcare industry, specifically dealing with Individual & Family Plans (IFP) or consumer health insurance platforms
Experience establishing development goals focused on accelerating enterprise AI tool adoption and technical skill building
Expertise in evaluating AI model performance, business impact, and ensuring responsible AI guardrails are embedded in production systems
Passion for compassionate leadership, active mentorship, and building psychologically safe, high-performing engineering cultures
Deep knowledge of scalable data pipelines, feature engineering, and model inference at scale in a cloud environment (e.g., AWS, Azure, GCP)

Responsibilities

Own end-to-end engineering delivery across the Individual & Family Plans (IFP) portfolios, driving strategic roadmaps, backlog prioritization, and execution predictability
Lead cross-application delivery, integration, and dependency management while ensuring high-quality design, engineering standards, and robust governance
Lead the development and execution of the AI/ML strategy for the portfolio, strategically using artificial intelligence to solve complex business problems, unlock new opportunities, and deliver tangible business value
Translate AI investments into production-grade, measurable, and scalable outcomes, preventing fragmented experimentation by driving enterprise-aligned, robust solutions
Champion AI as a core driver of the engineering team's success, proactively shaping how AI technologies are developed, deployed, and utilized
Integrate enterprise AI tools, establish AI-driven development goals within team growth plans, and align hiring with necessary AI competencies while actively removing barriers to accelerate adoption
Champion the ethical and responsible use of AI by embedding transparency, fairness, security, and accountability throughout the entire AI development and model lifecycle
Partner closely with data science, architecture, and data teams for scalable AI integration, as well as business leaders and external stakeholders, serving as the primary IT interface for business, state, and federal interactions where applicable
Influence overall business strategy, prioritization, and investment decisions through articulate and compelling business communications
Cultivate a compassionate, supportive, and high-performing engineering culture that values collaboration, professional growth, and alignment with the enterprise mission