Python Software Engineer

UnitedHealth Group•Chicago, IL

12h•Hybrid

About The Position

Optum Tech is a global leader in health care innovation. Our teams develop cutting-edge solutions that help people live healthier lives and help make the health system work better for everyone. From advanced data analytics and AI to cybersecurity, we use innovative approaches to solve some of health care’s most complex challenges. Your contributions here have the potential to change lives. Ready to build the next breakthrough? Join us to start Caring. Connecting. Growing together. Role is for a hands on Python Software Engineering Manager who can lead a team of engineers while actively contributing to the design and development of scalable platforms. This role requires solid Python development expertise and a solid understanding of Infrastructure as Code using Terraform to support modern cloud-native architectures This position follows a hybrid schedule with three in-office days per week. Prefers someone in Chicago, IL

Requirements

8+ years of software engineering experience
5+ years of experience with cloud platforms (AWS preferred), including services such as Lambda, API Gateway, DynamoDB, or EC2
5+ years of experience designing and building APIs, microservices, and distributed systems in production environments
3+ years of hands-on Python development in production environments (eg, FastAPI, Flask)
2+ years of experience leading or managing engineering teams (minimum team size of 3+)
2+ years of hands-on experience with Terraform for infrastructure provisioning and automation
2+ years of experience implementing CI/CD pipelines using tools such as GitHub Actions, Jenkins, or similar
1+ years of experience working with containerization technologies (Docker, Kubernetes)

Nice To Haves

Experience building platform or developer tooling
Familiarity with AI/ML or LLM-based systems and modern automation frameworks
Experience in high-scale enterprise environments
Proven excellent problem-solving, communication, and technical leadership skills

Responsibilities

Lead and mentor a team of software engineers while remaining actively involved in coding and technical design
Design, build, and maintain backend services and automation frameworks using Python
Develop and manage Infrastructure as Code (IaC) using Terraform to provision and manage cloud environments
Collaborate with architecture, DevOps, and platform teams to build secure, scalable, and resilient systems
Establish engineering best practices for code quality, CI/CD pipelines, testing, and observability
Review code, guide system design decisions, and ensure adherence to modern engineering standards
Drive technical execution and delivery across multiple initiatives while balancing hands-on development and team leadership
Partner with product and business stakeholders to translate requirements into technical solutions