Senior Manager, Software Engineering or Technical Product Manager - Contact Center & AI Solutions

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 inclusion, talented peers, comprehensive benefits and career development opportunities. Come make an impact on the communities we serve as you help us advance health optimization on a global scale. Join us to start Caring. Connecting. Growing together.

The Senior Manager, Software Engineering/Technical Product Manager is the onshore technology leader responsible for the strategy, implementation, operations, and continuous evolution of enterprise contact center platforms supporting state and government healthcare programs.

This role serves as the primary technology partner for state clients and internal leadership, providing oversight across Contact Center Digital Development & Implementation (DDI), Maintenance & Operations (M&O), AI transformation initiatives, and solution consulting. The leader will manage cross-functional onshore and offshore teams, drive delivery excellence, support business development activities, and act as a trusted advisor to executive stakeholders.

Additionally, this role serves as the designated back-up to the Contact Center Technology Director, providing leadership continuity for client engagements, delivery governance, operational reviews, staffing decisions, escalation management, and strategic planning activities.

Primary Responsibilities:

• Contact Center Delivery Leadership

• Lead end-to-end delivery of contact center implementations from solution design through go-live, stabilization, and transition to operations

• Own technology delivery across voice, IVR, chat, email, SMS, workforce optimization, analytics, CRM integrations, and digital channels

• Direct implementation teams across architecture, engineering, QA, release management, integration, and operations

• Establish delivery governance, project controls, risk management, and executive reporting

• Ensure successful execution of contact center modernization and cloud transformation initiatives

• Drive accountability across vendors, system integrators, and internal technology teams

• Maintenance & Operations (M&O) Leadership

• Provide executive oversight for day-to-day contact center operations and platform health

• Lead operational reviews covering incident management, problem management, service requests, change controls, releases, and platform performance

• Ensure adherence to contractual SLAs, KPIs, compliance requirements, and service commitments

• Drive operational stability through automation, proactive monitoring, capacity planning, and continuous improvement programs

• Lead major incident response and executive stakeholder communications

• Partner with business and operational teams to optimize customer and agent experiences

• AI & Contact Center Transformation

• Lead strategy and implementation of AI-enabled customer experience capabilities

• Define AI roadmaps, business cases, ROI measures, and governance controls

• Ensure responsible AI practices including security, privacy, compliance, and explainability

• Client Leadership & Executive Engagement

• Serve as the primary onshore technology leader for state and client-facing engagements

• Present solution strategies, roadmaps, implementation progress, and operational performance to executive stakeholders

• Lead governance meetings, steering committees, architecture reviews, and operational reviews

• Build trusted advisor relationships with client leadership teams

• Provide executive-level communication regarding risks, dependencies, mitigation strategies, and program health

• Solutioning, RFP & Business Development Support

• Serve as senior SME for contact center technology pursuits, RFPs, RFIs, and proposal responses

• Define target architectures, staffing models, implementation approaches, and operating models

• Develop effort estimates, assumptions, risks, and mitigation strategies

• Support presentations, oral proposals, demonstrations, and client solution workshops

• Collaborate with sales, consulting, product, security, and enterprise architecture teams to develop winning solutions

• Product & Platform Strategy

• Own technology roadmap and future-state architecture for contact center platforms

• Align platform investments with business objectives and client priorities

• Evaluate emerging technologies and AI capabilities to improve service delivery and member experience

• Define platform standards, governance processes, and modernization priorities

• People Leadership

• Lead, mentor, and develop onshore and offshore technology teams

• Drive workforce planning, staffing strategies, succession planning, and capability development

• Establish engineering standards, quality practices, and delivery methodologies

• Foster a culture of accountability, innovation, operational excellence, and collaboration

• Coach managers, architects, and technical leads to advance into leadership roles

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 degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Information Systems, or related field
• 12+ years of experience leading enterprise contact center technologies and customer experience platforms
• 7+ years of leadership experience managing technology delivery and operational teams
• Proven experience leading contact center implementations and operational support organizations
• Demonstrated experience implementing AI-driven contact center capabilities
• Experience leading onshore and offshore delivery organizations
• Proven solid executive communication, stakeholder management, and client-facing leadership skills

Preferred Qualifications:

• Agile, SAFe, PMP, ITIL, or related certifications
• Solid experience with NICE CXone, Salesforce, CRM integrations, IVR, omnichannel platforms, and cloud-based CCaaS technologies
• Experience with Kore.ai, Microsoft Copilot, Azure AI, OpenAI, or GenAI platforms
• Experience supporting Medicaid, healthcare, government, or public-sector programs
• Experience supporting FedRAMP, HIPAA, CMS, or state regulatory requirements

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 - $193,200 annually based on full-time employment. We comply with all minimum wage laws as applicable.

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.