Senior tech support specialist

Our Company
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, and data 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.

Position Summary

As a Senior Tech Support Specialist within Optum Technology's Enterprise Security division, you will join an L1.5 technical support call center team operating in a 24/7 fully telecommute / remote environment. Our team culture thrives on collaboration, continuous learning, mutual support, and a shared dedication to protecting enterprise security and data privacy. Serving as an intermediate escalation point for enterprise security, gateway infrastructure, identity/authentication, and privacy-related technical issues, this role requires exceptional critical thinking, multitasking abilities, and fast, accurate typing skills. Positioned between Tier 1 helpdesk agents and specialized Tier 2/3 engineering/compliance teams, you will troubleshoot complex technical escalations, manage real-time call and ticket queues, leverage enterprise-approved digital and AI tools to optimize support workflows, and triage privacy incidents while maintaining strict compliance with closely documented security and privacy standard operating procedures.

You’ll enjoy the flexibility to telecommute* from anywhere within the U.S. as you take on some tough challenges.

Primary Responsibilities

• Serve as an L1.5 subject matter expert and escalation point in a 24/7 technical support call center environment for enterprise security, gateway infrastructure, authentication, and data privacy issues
• Apply strong critical thinking and analytical reasoning to evaluate complex technical escalations, identify potential privacy/security risks, and determine appropriate procedural resolution paths
• Multitask effectively across real-time phone queues, incoming ticket workflows, security monitoring tools, and internal communication channels simultaneously
• Document call notes, incident details, escalation logs, and support tickets rapidly and accurately via keyboard while actively engaged with end-users on phone calls
• Receive, triage, and troubleshoot L1-escalated calls and tickets related to security gateways, identity and access management (IAM), multi-factor authentication (MFA), single sign-on (SSO), and privacy concerns
• Strictly adhere to all closely documented processes, standard operating procedures (SOPs), and compliance workflows for security, access control, and data privacy purposes
• Identify, document, and triage privacy-related incidents, unauthorized access concerns, and data exposure flags in strict accordance with corporate privacy guidelines and regulatory requirements (e.g., HIPAA)
• Leverage enterprise-approved AI tools and digital technologies to streamline support workflows, automate repetitive tasks, and drive continuous operational improvement
• Evaluate emerging trends and technical support insights to inform continuous service improvements across call center operations and incident resolution processes
• Perform initial root cause investigation and technical analysis on security access, gateway connectivity, privacy flags, and authentication failures
• Maintain flexibility to work within a 24/7 support operational schedule, including rotational shifts, nights, weekends, or holidays as required to ensure continuous coverage

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

• High School Diploma / GED required
• 3+ years of technical support, helpdesk, or call center support experience in an IT or technical service desk environment
• 3+ years of experience delivering customer service in a high-stress or high-sensitivity phone environment, with demonstrated ability to de-escalate frustrated callers while maintaining strict procedural, documentation, and compliance accuracy
• 3+ years meeting defined SLA/quality/productivity targets (volume, resolution time, and accuracy) in a high-volume enterprise CRM/ServiceNow environment
• 2+ years of experience troubleshooting enterprise security infrastructure, security gateways, identity/access management (IAM), or authentication platforms (e.g., MFA, SSO, SAML, Active Directory)
• 2+ years of experience working within closely documented operational procedures, compliance workflows, or data privacy guidelines (e.g., HIPAA, PII, PHI guidelines) in technical support operations
• 2+ years of experience in a 24/7, shift-based, or high-volume call center support environment, with demonstrated flexibility to work rotational shifts, nights, or weekends
• 1+ years of experience applying caller/requestor identity verification procedures and recognizing social engineering or unauthorized access attempts in a security or identity support environment
• 65+ WPM typing speed with strong accuracy

Preferred Qualifications

• Associate’s or Bachelor's degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, Cybersecurity, or related field
• 2+ years of experience working successfully in a fully remote / telecommute technical support position
• 1+ years of experience utilizing AI-assisted productivity tools or automated workflow systems to enhance support ticket resolution
• Industry certifications such as CompTIA Security+, Network+, A+, or privacy-related certifications (e.g., CIPP)
• Experience working in a healthcare or HIPAA-regulated technical call center or service desk environment with defined SLA and queue performance targets
• Strong phone presence, active listening skills, and discretion when handling sensitive user data and privacy issues
• Demonstrated ability to multitask efficiently across multiple active communication channels, call queues, and technical applications simultaneously
• Proven critical thinking and problem-solving skills when resolving ambiguous or high-priority technical security and privacy issues
• Maintains a dedicated, private, HIPAA-compliant home workspace and secured network connection in accordance with company remote-work security standards

*All Telecommuters 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 hourly pay for this role will range from $24.00 to $43.00 per hour based on full-time employment. We comply with all minimum wage laws as applicable.

Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.

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.

Diversity creates a healthier atmosphere: UnitedHealth Group is an Equal Employment Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, protected veteran status, disability status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, marital status, genetic information, or any other characteristic protected by law.

UnitedHealth Group is a drug-free workplace. Candidates are required to pass a drug test before beginning employment.

#RPO, #GREEN