Data Architect / Data Engineering Lead

UnitedHealth Group Minnetonka, United States

About the role

This is a principal-level data architecture and engineering leadership role at UnitedHealth Group's Optum/LHI business, based in Minnetonka, Minnesota. You'd own end-to-end architecture and engineering standards for modern data platforms, blending architecture leadership with hands-on pipeline delivery. The role includes mentoring engineers and architects while partnering with product, analytics and engineering teams.

What you’ll do

  • Define and evolve target-state data architecture and platform standards across warehouse/lakehouse ecosystems
  • Lead architectural decisions for cloud data platforms such as Snowflake and Databricks
  • Create technical roadmaps aligning business outcomes with scalable data capabilities
  • Own enterprise and domain data modeling standards including dimensional and canonical models
  • Lead design and build of ELT/ETL pipelines using Python and Spark
  • Drive performance tuning and optimization across pipelines and platforms
  • Design and operationalize workflow orchestration using Apache Airflow and managed platforms like Astronomer
  • Define and implement data quality frameworks and operational monitoring
  • Partner with governance/security stakeholders on compliant data handling and lineage
  • Lead and mentor engineers and architects through design and code reviews

What they’re looking for

  • 8+ years in data engineering and/or data architecture with ownership of enterprise-scale solutions
  • Expert-level data architecture experience designing modern data platforms and integration patterns
  • Solid data modeling expertise across dimensional, normalized and canonical models
  • Advanced proficiency with Python and SQL with strong engineering discipline
  • Proven experience with Snowflake and/or Databricks (Spark-based engineering)
  • Solid workflow orchestration experience with Apache Airflow, including managed platforms such as Astronomer
  • Experience implementing production-grade batch and/or streaming pipelines with CI/CD practices
  • Demonstrated ability to lead technical direction and mentor engineers
  • Willingness to provide extensive personal information for a security clearance if offered the role

Nice to have

  • Bachelor's degree in Information Technology, Computer Science or related field
  • dbt experience
  • Experience with the Snowpark framework
  • Experience with data governance/metadata tools
  • Observability tooling experience
  • Infrastructure-as-code and containerization (Terraform, Docker, Kubernetes)
  • Experience supporting regulated data environments such as healthcare/PII/PHI

What’s on offer

  • $112,700–$193,200 annually
  • Comprehensive benefits package
  • Incentive and recognition programs
  • Equity stock purchase and 401(k) contribution

Questions about this role

Is this role remote?

The posting does not describe remote work; it lists Minnetonka, Minnesota as the primary location with no remote-work provision.

How much does it pay?

$112,700–$193,200 annually.

How many years of experience do I need?

8+ years in data engineering and/or data architecture.

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