Principal Data Engineer

Job Description:

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Join Humana in our mission to put health first by advancing data-driven, connected care across the healthcare ecosystem.

This is not a typical data engineering role.

As a Principal Data Engineer, you will build and lead an enterprise Integration & Interoperability Center of Excellence (COE)-owning the architecture that connects claims, clinical, pharmacy, and provider workflows at scale, and delivers real-time insights into EMRs at the point of care.

If you've worked on platforms at Optum, Change Healthcare, CVS Health, or Elevance Health-this role gives you end-to-end ownership to define the next-generation interoperability layer vs. optimizing a single piece of it.

Why This Role is Different
* Own the full integration fabric (not just one pipeline or domain)
* Move from batch-heavy ecosystems → real-time, event-driven healthcare data
* Directly impact Stars, HEDIS, and risk adjustment performance
* Build point-of-care experiences inside EMRs, not just downstream analytics
* Stand up a COE that scales across the enterprise, not siloed teams

What You'll Own

Build the Integration & Interoperability COE
* Stand up and lead a centralized COE for integrations, interoperability, and data exchange
* Define enterprise standards across:
* FHIR-first and API-first architectures
* Event-driven patterns (Kafka, streaming, real-time triggers)
* Canonical data models across payer + provider domains
* Rationalize and modernize legacy integration patterns (ETL, flat files, point-to-point)

Next-Gen Data Ingestion & Exchange
* Architect pipelines across:
* Claims (837/835), Eligibility (834), Authorizations, Encounters
* Clinical data (Epic, Cerner, Athena)
* Pharmacy (PBM), labs, ADT feeds, HIE integrations
* Enable near real-time ingestion and bidirectional data exchange
* Solve for identity, matching, and longitudinal member record creation

Point-of-Care Integration (Where Others Fall Short)
* Push insights directly into EMRs:
* Care gaps (HEDIS) surfaced during visits
* Suspected conditions (HCC) at time of documentation
* Utilization signals (ED/IP events) via ADT feeds
* Build FHIR APIs, SMART on FHIR integrations, and event triggers that actually get used by providers

Value-Based Care & Quality Enablement
* Build data products that influence:
* Star Ratings performance (Medicare Advantage)
* HEDIS gap closure at scale
* Risk adjustment accuracy and recapture
* Move from retrospective reporting → prospective, actionable insights

Platform & Architecture Leadership
* Design cloud-native platforms leveraging:
* AWS / Azure / GCP
* Spark, Kafka, Databricks, Delta Lake
* Implement:
* Data observability (freshness, lineage, quality)
* Scalable API layers and microservices
* Ensure HIPAA-compliant, secure, governed architectures

Enterprise Influence
* Act as a bridge between engineering, clinical, and business teams
* Influence roadmap across interoperability, data platforms, and AI
* Mentor teams and elevate engineering standards across the org

Use your skills to make an impact

Required Qualifications
* 10+ years in data engineering, with deep healthcare experience
* Experience at scale in organizations like:
* Optum / Change Healthcare
* CVS Health / Elevance Health
* Proven track record building integration platforms, not just pipelines
* Strong expertise in:
* FHIR (R4), HL7v2, CCDA, ADT, APIs
* Streaming + batch architectures
* Hands-on with:
* Python / Scala / Java
* Spark, Kafka, SQL
* Cloud-native data platforms
* Deep understanding of:
* Claims, clinical, and pharmacy data models
* HEDIS, Star Ratings, Risk Adjustment (HCC)
* Experience integrating with EMRs and provider workflows

What Will Make You Stand Out
* You've tried to modernize legacy healthcare integrations-and know where they break
* You've seen the gap between data platforms and provider adoption
* You want to build systems that actually change behavior at the point of care
* You're ready to move from incremental improvements → foundational transformation

Additional Information

Location/Work Style: Remote in Frisco/Dallas, TX area

Work at Home Guidance
To ensure Home or Hybrid Home/Office associates' ability to work effectively, the self-provided internet service of Home or Hybrid Home/Office associates must meet the following criteria:
* At minimum, a download speed of 25 Mbps and an upload speed of 10 Mbps is recommended; wireless, wired cable or DSL connection is suggested
* Satellite, cellular and microwave connection can be used only if approved by leadership
* Associates who live and work from Home in the state of California, Illinois, Montana, or South Dakota will be provided a bi-weekly payment for their internet expense.
* Humana will provide Home or Hybrid Home/Office associates with telephone equipment appropriate to meet the business requirements for their position/job.
* Work from a dedicated space lacking ongoing interruptions to protect member PHI / HIPAA information

SSN Alert Statement
Humana values personal identity protection. Please be aware that applicants may be asked to provide their Social Security Number, if it is not already on file. When required, an email will be sent from Humana@myworkday.com with instructions on how to add the information into your official application on Humana's secure website.

Travel: While this is a remote position, occasional travel to Humana's offices for training or meetings may be required.

Scheduled Weekly Hours
40

Pay RangeThe compensation range below reflects a good faith estimate of starting base pay for full time (40 hours per week) employment at the time of posting. The pay range may be higher or lower based on geographic location and individual pay will vary based on demonstrated job related skills, knowledge, experience, education, certifications, etc.

$172,200 - $236,900 per year

This job is eligible for a bonus incentive plan. This incentive opportunity is based upon company and/or individual performance.

Description of BenefitsHumana, Inc. and its affiliated subsidiaries (collectively, "Humana") offers competitive benefits that support whole-person well-being. Associate benefits are designed to encourage personal wellness and smart healthcare decisions for you and your family while also knowing your life extends outside of work. Among our benefits, Humana provides medical, dental and vision benefits, 401(k) retirement savings plan, time off (including paid time off, company and personal holidays, volunteer time off, paid parental and caregiver leave), short-term and long-term disability, life insurance and many other opportunities.

About us

About Humana: Humana Inc. (NYSE: HUM) is a leading U.S. healthcare company. Through our Humana insurance services and our CenterWell healthcare services, we make it easier for the millions of people we serve to achieve their best health - delivering the care and service they need, when they need it. These efforts are leading to a better quality of life for people with Medicare and Medicaid, families, individuals, military service personnel, and communities at large. Learn more about what we offer at Humana.com and at CenterWell.com.

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Equal Opportunity Employer

It is the policy of Humana not to discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment because of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, marital status, genetic information, disability or protected veteran status. It is also the policy of Humana to take affirmative action, in compliance with Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act and VEVRAA, to employ and to advance in employment individuals with disability or protected veteran status, and to base all employment decisions only on valid job requirements. This policy shall apply to all employment actions, including but not limited to recruitment, hiring, upgrading, promotion, transfer, demotion, layoff, recall, termination, rates of pay or other forms of compensation and selection for training, including apprenticeship, at all levels of employment