Senior Software Engineer - Data Engineering

Optum is a global organization that delivers care, aided by technology to help millions of people live healthier lives. The Senior Software Engineer - Data Engineering will design and build scalable data engineering platforms, influence data and AI architecture, and mentor engineers to enhance team capabilities.

Responsibilities:

• Design, build, and operate scalable data engineering platforms using modern ETL/ELT frameworks, including Azure Data Factory, Delta Lake, and cloud-native pipelines
• Architect modular, reusable data systems that support batch and streaming workloads, advanced analytics, and AI/ML use cases
• Influence overall data and AI platform architecture, including lakehouse design, metadata management, and data quality frameworks
• Develop and optimize PL/SQL, Python, and Unix-based data processing solutions for high-volume, low-latency data pipelines
• Enable Generative AI use cases by designing structured and unstructured data pipelines to support NLP, prompt engineering, vectorization, and inference workflows
• Drive code reusability and standardized data patterns across teams through shared frameworks, libraries, and design standards
• Ensure mature DevOps and DataOps practices, including CI/CD, automated testing, monitoring, incident response, and cost optimization
• Deeply analyze ambiguous business and data problems, translating them into robust data engineering and AI solutions that deliver measurable business value
• Lead adoption of best practices in data modeling, pipeline design, security, and governance, especially in regulated environments
• Continuously assessing and modernizing existing data platforms, improving performance, reliability, scalability, and AI readiness
• Partner with business, analytics, data science, and product leaders to manage delivery in an agile framework, rapidly delivering insights and AI-enabled capabilities
• Mentor and coach engineers in data engineering, cloud, and Generative AI technologies, raising overall team capability
• Attract and grow talent through strong technical leadership, effective interviewing, community engagement, and training junior interviewers
• Communicate complex data and AI concepts clearly to both technical and non-technical stakeholders, including leadership presentations and solution demos
• Design, develop, and deploy AI-powered solutions to address complex business challenges with emphasis on responsible use of AI

Requirements:

• Bachelor's degree in CS or IT or Software Engineering related field
• 7+ years of Data Engineering experience building enterprise-scale ETL/ELT solutions (e.g., ADF, DataStage, Talend, or equivalent)
• 4+ years of experience with Azure public cloud including Databricks and Snowflake
• 3+ years of hands-on experience with Unix/Linux shell scripting for data processing and automation
• 3+ years of experience with Oracle PL/SQL development for data transformation, performance tuning, and production workloads
• 3+ years of production support experience, including on-call rotations, incident resolution, and root cause analysis
• 2+ years of experience with high-level programming languages, such as Python, Java, or Node.js, with Python preferred
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to explain data and AI concepts clearly
• Prior technical or people leadership experience, including ownership of complex systems
• Demonstrated experience mentoring and developing junior Engineers