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 inclusion, talented peers, comprehensive benefits and career development opportunities. Come make an impact on the communities we serve as you help us advance health optimization on a global scale. Join us to start Caring. Connecting. Growing together.
The Lead Data Engineer is a strategic technical leader responsible for designing, building, and maintaining enterprise-scale data platforms and pipelines that support clinical, operational, and financial excellence across 300+ ASCs. This role embodies our corporate values - Clinical Quality, Service Excellence, Teamwork, Integrity, Accountability, Continuous Improvement, and Inclusion - and behavioral expectations of Leadership, Urgency, Positivity, Respect, and Service. Success in this role means delivering secure, scalable, and high-performing data solutions that empower decision-making, elevate patient care, and foster a culture of trust and innovation.
Primary Responsibilities:
-
Enterprise Data Architecture and Strategy
-
Values: Clinical Quality, Integrity, Accountability / Behaviors: Leadership, Respect
-
Architect and evolve enterprise data platforms that support clinical and operational analytics
-
Lead with clarity and conviction, ensuring data models reflect accuracy, reliability, and traceability
-
Document architecture using Archimate and communicate decisions respectfully and transparently
-
Uphold data integrity and compliance with HIPAA, ITIL, and internal governance standards
-
Data Pipeline Engineering and Orchestration
-
Values: Service Excellence, Accountability, Continuous Improvement / Behaviors: Urgency, Positivity
-
Build and optimize ETL/ELT pipelines using SSIS, Azure Data Factory, Airflow, and dbt
-
Act with urgency to ensure timely, secure, and accurate data delivery across systems and partners
-
Implement proactive monitoring and alerting via Grafana and DataHub, celebrating reliability wins
-
Continuously refine pipeline performance through automation, feedback, and a positive mindset
-
Platform Development and Maintenance
-
Values: Integrity, Accountability, Continuous Improvement / Behaviors: Leadership, Service
-
Develop and maintain data platforms using SQL Server, Azure SQL, Snowflake, and Kubernetes
-
Lead by example in managing CI/CD pipelines with Azure DevOps, GitHub Enterprise, and Azure Pipelines
-
Ensure platform scalability, security, and performance through rigorous testing and documentation
-
Serve internal teams by delivering stable, well-documented systems that reduce friction and risk
-
Reporting and Visualization
-
Values: Clinical Quality, Service Excellence, Inclusion / Behaviors: Positivity, Respect
-
Deliver enterprise reporting via SSRS, Power BI, Tableau, and custom dashboards
-
Collaborate with analytics teams to ensure insights are accessible, inclusive, and actionable
-
Validate data accuracy and ensure visualizations support clinical and operational excellence
-
Respect diverse user needs and promote self-service analytics with a positive, enabling approach
-
Governance, Security and Compliance
-
Values: Integrity, Accountability, Inclusion / Behaviors: Leadership, Service
-
Implement robust data security protocols aligned with HIPAA and ITIL
-
Manage encryption, access controls, and audit trails across platforms
-
Partner with ServiceNow and IT teams to resolve incidents and maintain compliance
-
Lead with integrity and serve stakeholders by ensuring inclusive, secure data governance
-
Collaboration and Leadership
-
Values: Teamwork, Inclusion, Continuous Improvement / Behaviors: Leadership, Positivity, Respect
-
Lead technical design reviews, sprint planning, and mentoring sessions
-
Foster a collaborative environment that values diverse perspectives and shared success
-
Communicate with positivity and respect across technical and non-technical teams
-
Encourage feedback, celebrate wins, and model a growth mindset
-
Comply with the terms and conditions of the employment contract, company policies and procedures, and any and all directives (such as, but not limited to, transfer and/or re-assignment to different work locations, change in teams and/or work shifts, policies in regards to flexibility of work benefits and/or work environment, alternative work arrangements, and other decisions that may arise due to the changing business environment). The Company may adopt, vary or rescind these policies and directives in its absolute discretion and without any limitation (implied or otherwise) on its ability to do so
Required Qualifications:
-
Technical Proficiency
-
Databases - SQL Server, Azure SQL, Snowflake
-
ETL/ELT - SSIS, Azure Data Factory, Airflow, DBT
-
Reporting - SSRS, Power BI, Tableau
-
DevOps and CI/CD - Azure DevOps, GitHub Enterprise, Azure Pipelines
-
Monitoring and Metadata - Grafana, DataHub
-
Modeling and Architecture - Archimate, ER/Studio, Visio
-
Cloud and Containers - Azure, Kubernetes
-
Security and Compliance - HIPAA, ITIL, SFTP, ServiceNow
-
Other Tools - Redgate Toolbelt, Power Automate
General Knowledge Expectations
-
Values: Clinical Quality, Integrity, Continuous Improvement / Behaviors: Leadership, Service
-
Networking fundamentals and cloud architecture
-
Data APIs and integration patterns
-
Operational data stores and warehousing best practices
-
Data governance, lineage, and cataloging
-
Pattern abstraction and reusable design components
Performance Expectations
-
Values: Accountability, Service Excellence, Continuous Improvement / Behaviors: Urgency, Positivity, Leadership
-
Delivery
-
Timely execution of data engineering tasks with minimal rework
-
Quality
-
High standards for code quality, documentation, and testing
-
Collaboration
-
Proactive communication and cross-team alignment
-
Innovation
-
Continuous improvement of data platforms and processes
-
Accountability
-
Ownership of assigned systems, pipelines, and deliverables
Accountability Metrics
-
Values: Accountability, Integrity, Service Excellence / Behaviors: Leadership, Urgency
-
% of successful pipeline executions (target: >98%)
-
Data latency and refresh SLAs met (target: >95%)
-
Number of resolved data incidents within SLA
-
Peer-reviewed code contributions and documentation completeness
-
Stakeholder satisfaction from quarterly feedback surveys
Team Integration Guidance
-
Values: Teamwork, Inclusion, Continuous Improvement / Behaviors: Positivity, Respect, Service
-
Participate in daily standups, sprint planning, and retrospectives
-
Document all architectural decisions and pipeline designs
-
Share knowledge through internal wikis, lunch-and-learns, and mentoring
-
Escalate blockers early and propose solutions collaboratively
-
Support a culture of psychological safety, respect, and shared learning
-
Serve teammates and stakeholders with empathy, responsiveness, and professionalism
Behavioral Feedback and Coaching Guide
-
Role: Lead Data Engineer
-
Purpose: To support consistent, values-aligned feedback and coaching across the Enterprise Data and Analytics team
Foundations of Feedback
All feedback should be:
-
Respectful - Honor the individual's dignity and contributions
-
Timely - Delivered close to the observed behavior or outcome
-
Specific - Focused on observable actions and impact
-
Actionable - Includes guidance or suggestions for improvement
-
Balanced - Recognizes strengths and opportunities
Behavioral Expectations and Coaching Prompts
-
Leadership
-
Leads with clarity, confidence, and accountability
-
Positive Indicators:
-
Takes initiative on complex projects
-
Guides others through ambiguity
-
Owns outcomes and communicates decisions transparently
-
Feedback Prompts:
-
"You demonstrated solid leadership by…"
-
"Let's explore how you could take more ownership in…"
-
"How might you clarify your direction for others next time?"
-
Urgency
-
Acts with purpose and responsiveness to business needs
-
Positive Indicators:
-
Prioritizes effectively under pressure
-
Delivers timely solutions without sacrificing quality
-
Escalates blockers early and proactively
-
Feedback Prompts:
-
"Your quick response helped us avoid…"
-
"What could help you accelerate delivery in similar situations?"
-
"Let's talk about how to balance speed with thoroughness."
-
Positivity
-
Fosters optimism, resilience, and solution-oriented thinking.
-
Positive Indicators:
-
Maintains a constructive tone in challenges.
-
Celebrates team wins and progress.
-
Encourages others with a growth mindset.
-
Feedback Prompts:
-
"Your attitude really lifted the team during…"
-
"How might you reframe this challenge to inspire others?"
-
"Let's explore ways to stay solution-focused when things get tough."
-
Respect
-
Treats others with professionalism, empathy, and fairness
-
Positive Indicators:
-
Listens actively and responds thoughtfully
-
Honors diverse perspectives and contributions
-
Communicates with emotional intelligence
-
Feedback Prompts:
-
"I appreciated how you handled that disagreement with respect."
-
"Let's reflect on how tone and timing affect collaboration."
-
"How might you create more space for others' ideas?"
-
Service
-
Acts in service of teammates, stakeholders, and organizational goals
-
Positive Indicators:
-
Anticipates stakeholder needs and follows through
-
Supports teammates with empathy and responsiveness
-
Builds systems that reduce friction and improve outcomes
-
Feedback Prompts:
Integrating Corporate Values
-
Clinical Quality - "How does this solution support patient care or clinical integrity?"
-
Service Excellence - "What would elevate this experience for our stakeholders?"
-
Teamwork - "How are you contributing to shared success?"
-
Integrity - "Are we being transparent and ethical in our approach?"
-
Accountability - "What outcomes are you owning, and how are you tracking them?"
-
Continuous Improvement - "What did we learn, and how will we apply it?"
-
Inclusion - "Who might be missing from this conversation or solution?"
Coaching Conversation Template
-
Observation: "Last week during the dashboard rollout, I noticed…"
-
Impact: "This helped the team move quickly, but also created confusion for stakeholders."
-
Alignment: "This touches on our values of Service Excellence and Accountability."
-
Coaching Prompt: "What might you do differently next time to ensure clarity and alignment?"
-
Support Offer: "I'm happy to help you map out a stakeholder communication plan."
At UnitedHealth Group, our mission is to help people live healthier lives and make the health system work better for everyone. We believe everyone-of every race, gender, sexuality, age, location and income-deserves the opportunity to live their healthiest life. Today, however, there are still far too many barriers to good health which are disproportionately experienced by people of color, historically marginalized groups and those with lower incomes. We are committed to mitigating our impact on the environment and enabling and delivering equitable care that addresses health disparities and improves health outcomes - an enterprise priority reflected in our mission.
