Senior Architecture Analyst at Optum in Minnetonka, MN

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.

Primary Responsibilities:

• Design end-to-end architecture solutions for Prior Authorization, Referrals, and Eligibility systems, ensuring alignment with corporate technology and security standards
• Partner with Product Owners and business stakeholders to define scope, assess impact, and translate business objectives into effective design schemas and architectural diagrams
• Bridge the communication gap between technical and non-technical stakeholders, acting as a liaison between business, product, engineering, and external/vendor application teams
• Collaborate closely with Application Development teams to guide implementation, review designs, and resolve technical blockers in a timely manner
• Design, develop, and deploy AI-powered solutions to address complex business challenges, with emphasis on responsible use of AI
• Use enterprise-approved AI tools (Claude, Codex, M365 Copilot, etc.) to streamline workflows, automate tasks, and drive continuous improvement in requirements analysis, documentation, and solutioning
• Evaluate emerging trends — specifically in AI, cloud engineering, and modern application development — to inform solution design and strategic innovation
• Conduct technology evaluations, define architecture patterns, and build technical proofs-of-concept (POCs) to mitigate risks and validate technical choices
• Mentor and provide engineering governance and guidance to developer teams to ensure adherence to established architecture and design patterns
• Perform reviews of system designs to ensure scalability, reliability, maintainability, and security policies are upheld
• Identify risks, dependencies, and trade-offs early in the solutioning process and communicate them clearly to stakeholders to keep development sprints/releases on track

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 opportunities for other roles you may be interested in.

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or a related technical field.
• 6 years of experience in software development, engineering, or systems architecture
• 4 years of experience in US healthcare, with direct exposure to Prior Authorization, Referrals, or Eligibility domains
• 4 years of experience creating architecture diagrams, technical design specifications, and presenting technical solutions to both technical and non-technical stakeholders
• 2 years of experience utilizing and supporting modern automation frameworks, automated development pipelines, or incorporating AI-powered features into application designs
• 2 years of experience with API design, microservices architecture, and modern database systems (SQL and NoSQL)
• 2 years of experience with healthcare data standards and workflows (e.g., HIPAA, X12 EDI transactions such as 278/271/270 or HL7/FHIR)

Preferred Qualifications:

• Hands-on, practical experience using AI tools such as Claude, Codex (or similar AI coding/analysis assistants), and Microsoft 365 (Copilot, Teams, SharePoint, etc.) in day-to-day work
• 3 years of experience designing and implementing scalable enterprise-grade architectures, including cloud environments (e.g., Azure, AWS, GCP)
• Solid understanding of Responsible AI frameworks, machine learning models, and Generative AI integrations
• Architecture certifications (such as TOGAF, AWS/Azure Certified Solutions Architect, etc.)
• Experience working in an Agile/Scrum development environment, collaborating directly with Product Owners and dev teams
• Strong understanding of modern CI/CD pipelines, DevOps practices, and Infrastructure as Code (IaC)
• Ability to influence, mentor, and guide multiple engineering teams towards unified architecture goals
• Prior experience working with claims, utilization management, or care management systems

*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 $91,700 to $163,700 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