Director, Enterprise Architecture - 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. 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.

Strategy & Business Alignment Define and evangelize the enterprise AI and GenAI vision, translating business strategy and outcomes into a coherent, prioritized technology roadmap Partner with business, product, and executive stakeholders to identify high-value AI opportunities and build the case for investment, including ROI and risk trade-offs Act as the primary bridge between business leadership and technical teams - able to speak fluently in both business value and technical feasibility Continuously scan the AI/GenAI landscape (models, platforms, frameworks, vendors) and translate emerging capabilities into practical business opportunity Architectural Direction (not detailed design) Set enterprise-level direction and guardrails for AI architecture patterns (e.g., RAG, agent frameworks, model orchestration, foundation model selection) without owning detailed solution design Evaluate and recommend AI platforms, foundation models, and tooling based on enterprise fit, cost, scalability, and risk - partnering with solution/technical architects to execute Establish enterprise standards, reference patterns, and decision frameworks that solution architects and engineering teams use to design and build Provide 'second opinion' architectural judgment on major AI initiatives - enough technical depth to ask the right questions and stress-test decisions, without being the implementer Governance & Responsible AI Define enterprise-level principles and guardrails for Responsible AI - privacy, fairness, explainability, model risk, auditability - and ensure they're embedded across initiatives Partner with legal, compliance, and security to ensure AI initiatives meet regulatory and governance standards at a portfolio level Establish a lightweight governance model (not heavy process) for how new AI use cases get vetted, approved, and scaled Communication & Influence Build and deliver executive-level presentations and narratives that make AI strategy and value tangible to non-technical stakeholders Serve as a trusted advisor and thought leader to business unit leaders on 'what's possible, what's practical, and what's next' in AI Facilitate alignment across cross-functional and onshore/offshore teams, ensuring shared understanding of AI direction and priorities Represent AI strategy in forums, steering committees, and business reviews Adoption & Change Leadership Drive organizational AI adoption and literacy - helping business and technical teams understand how to work with AI-first tools and practices (e.g., Copilot-assisted development, agentic workflows) Identify modernization opportunities where GenAI can meaningfully improve automation, insight generation, or user experience Track and communicate the business impact of AI initiatives, refining the roadmap based on outcomes and adoption patterns Cross-Org Alignment & Reuse Stay closely connected to AI and technology initiatives across other domains and business units to identify reuse, avoid duplication, and align on shared direction before work kicks off Build a solid peer network across the enterprise to enable early collaboration, and represent domain AI strategy in cross-functional architecture forums Flag and help resolve misalignment or