Principal Quality Engineer - Remote

Optum Tech is a global leader in health care innovation. Our teams develop cutting-edge solutions that help people live healthier lives and help make the health system work better for everyone. From advanced data analytics and AI to cybersecurity, we use innovative approaches to solve some of health care's most complex challenges. Your contributions here have the potential to change lives. Ready to build the next breakthrough? Join us to start Caring. Connecting. Growing together.
The Principal Quality Engineer (PQE) is a senior technical leader responsible for driving quality engineering strategy, automation excellence, and continuous improvement across complex, large scale Prior Authorization systems within the UHC Provider ecosystem. This role partners closely with engineering, product, and platform teams to ensure high quality delivery through modern automation frameworks, CI/CD pipelines, cloud based testing, and AI enabled quality practices. The PQE operates with significant autonomy, influences standards and best practices, and serves as a technical mentor across teams.
You'll enjoy the flexibility to work remotely * from anywhere within the U.S. as you take on some tough challenges. For all hires in the Minneapolis or Washington, D.C. area, you will be required to work in the office a minimum of four days per week.
Primary Responsibilities:

• Lead and execute quality engineering and testing strategies across UI, API, and mobile platforms
• Design, build, and maintain scalable automation frameworks using the following tools or equivalent technologies:
  • Automation: Playwright
  • Scripting: JavaScript
  • CI/CD: GitHub Actions (YAML pipelines)
  • AI Enablement: GitHub Copilot
  • Database: MongoDB
  • Runtime Environment: Node.js
  • Reporting: Allure
  • Logging: Winston
• Implement and manage testing in cloud based environments such as Sauce Labs.
• Integrate automated testing into CI/CD pipelines, ensuring quality gates are enforced throughout the delivery lifecycle
• Drive in sprint automation, aligning test coverage with agile delivery timelines
• Partner with QE and Development Leads to define and validate clear, testable acceptance criteria
• Perform and guide load, stress, and performance testing using tools such as JMeter
• Leverage Generative AI and AI assisted testing techniques to improve test effectiveness, coverage, and efficiency
• Contribute to and evolve quality initiatives, standards, and reusable automation solutions
• Develop and maintain QE technical documentation, including frameworks, patterns, and best practices
• Stay current with industry trends and emerging QE technologies, particularly in AI, cloud, and DevOps, and apply them pragmatically
• Act as a subject matter expert for complex, ambiguous quality challenges
• Mentor and support other QE engineers; serve as a trusted technical resource across teams
• Promote a culture of continuous learning, knowledge sharing, and quality ownership
• Comply with company policies, procedures, and evolving business directives related to work environment, assignments, and organizational needs

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:

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field
• 5+ years of experience in Quality Engineering and software testing
• 2+ years of experience with cloud based testing platforms (e.g., Sauce Labs)
• 2+ years of experience integrating automated testing into CI/CD pipelines
• 2+ years of experience in API testing and automation
• Solid hands-on experience with modern automation frameworks, including:
  • Playwright and JavaScript
  • GitHub Actions (YAML pipelines)
  • Node.js based test execution
  • MongoDB test validation
  • Allure reporting and structured logging (e.g., Winston)
• Hands-on experience with performance testing tools such as JMeter
• Experience applying AI driven or AI assisted testing techniques
• Experience testing high volume, customer facing applications
• Experience working with applications deployed in private and/or public cloud environments

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience operating in a Principal level role, influencing QE strategy across multiple teams or platforms
• Experience testing transaction intensive or clinical/healthcare domain systems, including provider workflows, data, or integrations
• Experience driving quality transformation initiatives or modernizing legacy testing practices
• Demonstrated experience coaching and mentoring engineers on advanced QE and automation practices
• Familiarity with test data management, service virtualization, and contract testing
• Exposure to AI/ML enabled products or platforms in a quality engineering capacity
• Proven solid problem solving skills with the ability to navigate less structured, complex problem spaces
• Proven excellent verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to influence both technical and non technical stakeholders

*All employees working remotely 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 $112,700 to $193,200 annually based on full-time employment. We comply with all minimum wage laws as applicable.
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.
UnitedHealth Group is an Equal Employment Opportunity employer under applicable law and qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, national origin, religion, age, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, or protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by local, state, or federal laws, rules, or regulations.
UnitedHealth Group is a drug-free workplace. Candidates are required to pass a drug test before beginning employment.