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, data and resources 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 are a thought leader who thrives on developing new solutions to solve tough challenges. As a critical member of our reporting & analytics team, you will help rewrite the future of UnitedHealth Group. Here, your data engineering, analytical and innovative skills will help us with our mission of helping people live healthier lives. Yes, we share a mission that inspires. And we need your organizational talents, technical prowess and business discipline to help fuel that mission. Here, innovation is not about another gadget; it is about making health care data available wherever and whenever people need it, safely and reliably.

As a Principal Data Engineer, you will be in a lead role to support the design, implementation, and maintenance of a SQL Server Data Warehouse and ETL processes. You will be responsible for the following: database security and controls, data load strategy and methods, performance tuning and management, validation checks and documentation, etc. In this role you will monitor and assess overall standards and procedures and assist in incorporating and implementing best practices. You will also consult with users, determine requirements and recommend database and query best practices, and support general database administration responsibilities including ongoing production support and system/software upgrades and modernization.

Careers with Optum offer flexible work arrangements and individuals who live and work in the Republic of Ireland will have the opportunity to split their monthly work hours between our Dublin or Letterkenny office and telecommuting from a home-based office in a hybrid work model.

Primary Responsibilities:

• Design, implement and maintain all functions of database systems, including access, methods and time, allocations, validation checks, organization, security, documentation, etc.
• Collaborate with business and technical teams to understand business processes, systems and data needs for reporting & analytics
• Develop, monitor & troubleshoot ETL and SQL data warehouse processes, including maintenance and system updates
• Evaluate, test and provide recommendations for the selection, user and deployment of DBMS software, data engineering & management tools and utilities, data warehouse and replication tools, etc.
• Lead SQL Query Optimization, Performance & Tuning Efforts; Develop & implement best practices & standards
• Support issue/problem resolution; Identify, communicate, escalate & resolve, database/server issues and risks appropriately
• Automate repeatable tasks; Support and participate in data warehouse modernization efforts to minimize data and process duplication and redundancies

You will 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 providing development for other roles you may be interested in.

Required Qualifications:

• Demonstrated extensive experience as a MS SQL Server DBA (including E2E administration, performance management and general maintenance of MS SQL databases)
• Proven experience in on-call application support to monitor ETL jobs and databases for performance, and troubleshoot database problems
• Proven experience in scripting languages (such as Python, SAS, T-SQL, etc.)
• Proven experience with ETL and enterprise data warehouse technical development
• Proven experience with Visual Studio SSIS (SQL Server Integration Services)
• Proven experience with Redgate SQL Monitor and/or other MS SQL DB performance monitoring tools
• Demonstrated solid understanding of execution plans, identifying redundant and faulty processes for optimization opportunities, performing load balancing, parallel processing, partitioning and indexes

Preferred Qualifications:

• MCDBA Certification
• Proven experience with Snowflake
• Proven experience with Agile/Scrum
• Proven experience with TFS (Team Foundation Server) and SQL Agent tools

Please note you must currently be eligible to work and remain indefinitely without any restrictions in the country to which you are making an application. Proof will be required to support your application.

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: Optum is an Equal Employment Opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to gender, civil status, family status, sexual orientation, disability, religion, age, race, and membership of the Traveller community, or any other characteristic protected by law. Optum is a drug-free workplace. © 2025 Optum Services (Ireland) Limited. All rights reserved.

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