Data Engineer

Our Company

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, and data they need to feel their best. Here, you will find a culture guided by diversity and inclusion, talented peers, comprehensive benefits, and career development opportunities. Come make an impact on the communities we serve as you help us advance health equity on a global scale. Join us to start Caring. Connecting. Growing together.

You’ll enjoy the flexibility to telecommute* from anywhere within the U.S. as you take on some tough challenges.

Position Summary

As a Data Engineer on the team at Optum Technology, you will be responsible for architecting, building, and maintaining high-performance ETL/ELT data pipelines to establish a unified, reliable data foundation for advanced analytics and enterprise reporting. In this role, you will integrate data across on-premises and cloud environments using Snowflake, Apache Airflow, Python, and SQL. You will implement robust data quality, de-identification, and data masking controls, automate CI/CD deployments using GitHub Actions, and collaborate with Agile teams to solve complex data challenges.

Primary Responsibilities

• Design, build, and maintain enterprise ETL/ELT data pipelines integrating data from on-premises and cloud platforms into unified data repositories using Snowflake and Apache Airflow
• Develop complex data transformation routines, SQL stored procedures, and Python scripts to clean, normalize, and aggregate high-volume datasets
• Implement data de-identification, row-level security, and data masking mechanisms in accordance with enterprise data governance standards
• Establish automated data quality validation, monitoring, and error-handling routines using tools such as Great Expectations or Soda
• Create logical and physical data models (e.g., dimensional modeling, star schemas, Data Vault) to optimize analytics performance and data integrity
• Support CI/CD pipeline automation and deployment for data engineering workflows using Git and GitHub Actions
• Optimize data pipeline performance, query execution times, and resource utilization in cloud data platforms
• Collaborate within Agile/Scrum cross-functional teams to translate business requirements into scalable technical data architectures
• Design, develop, and deploy AI-powered solutions to address complex business challenges with emphasis on responsible use of AI

You’ll be rewarded and recognized for your performance in an environment that will challenge you and give you clear direction on what it takes to succeed in your role as well as provide development for other roles you may be interested in.

Required Qualifications

• 3+ years Proven hands-on experience in a Data Engineer role building scalable ETL/ELT data pipelines
• 2+ years’ Experience with Azure cloud services (Blob Storage, Azure Data Factory, Azure Functions, Key Vault) or Databricks
• 2+ Experience with version control and CI/CD deployment pipelines using Git and GitHub Actions
• 1+ Proficiency in Python for data processing, scripting, and pipeline automation

Preferred Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or higher in Computer Science, Information Technology, Database Management, or a related field
• In-depth knowledge of Snowflake architecture, performance tuning, data masking, and access control policies
• Experience orchestrating Airflow data tasks to run on Kubernetes and creating Docker containers
• Strong understanding of data modeling techniques (e.g., Star Schema, Dimensional Modeling, Data Vault) and data warehousing principles
• Experience using data quality frameworks such as Great Expectations or Soda
• Familiarity with open-source languages and environments such as Scala, Java, or Linux in Agile/DevOps workflows
• Experience orchestrating data workflows using Apache Airflow

*All Telecommuters will be required to adhere to UnitedHealth Group’s Telecommuter Policy.

Pay is based on several factors including but not limited to local labor markets, education, work experience, certifications, etc. In addition to your salary, we offer benefits such as, a comprehensive benefits package, incentive and recognition programs, equity stock purchase and 401k contribution (all benefits are subject to eligibility requirements). No matter where or when you begin a career with us, you’ll find a far-reaching choice of benefits and incentives. The salary for this role will range from $72,800 to $130,000 annually based on full-time employment. We comply with all minimum wage laws as applicable.

Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.

Application Deadline: This will be posted for a minimum of 2 business days or until a sufficient candidate pool has been collected. Job posting may come down early due to volume of applicants.

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.

Diversity creates a healthier atmosphere: UnitedHealth Group is an Equal Employment Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, protected veteran status, disability status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, marital status, genetic information, or any other characteristic protected by law.

UnitedHealth Group is a drug-free workplace. Candidates are required to pass a drug test before beginning employment.

#RPO, #GREEN