Internships at Optum. If you want an intern experience that will dramatically shape your career, consider a company that’s dramatically shaping our entire health care system. Optum, part of the UnitedHealth Group family of companies, is a leading health services and innovation company dedicated to helping make the health system work better for everyone. With more than 94,000 people collaborating worldwide, Optum combines people, technology, data and action to improve the delivery, quality and efficiency of health care. Our internship opportunities provide a view of a rapidly evolving, incredibly challenging marketplace of ideas, products and services. Here, you’ll work with some of the smartest people in the business on assignments that matter. Join us in making healthcare work better for everyone through people-led, responsible AI while Caring. Connecting. Growing together.
What is it like to be an Intern in Technology at Optum:
Combine two of the fastest-growing fields on the planet - technology and health care - with a culture of performance, collaboration, and opportunity and this is what you get: leading-edge solutions that improve the lives of millions. At Optum, our approach to technology isn't about designing another app to fix health care. It's about connecting patients to their physician and connecting a disconnected health system so that it works better for the people it was created to serve.
Our global technology team consists of more than 35,000 innovators from around the world passionate about using technology to improve the lives of people and communities. We are modernizing the health care system through modern and innovative technologies, AI, comprehensive clinical expertise, and extensive experience in improving operational and clinical performance. Global Technology Services (GTS) keeps that system running. GTS operates the cloud, infrastructure, networks, platforms and services that every Optum and UnitedHealth Group business depends on, and is shifting that work from manual operations toward AI-enabled, automated and self-service technology services.
The GTS Infrastructure and Engineering Development Program:
The GTS Infrastructure and Engineering Development Program is a 10-week, in-office experience designed for students who want to build a career operating and automating enterprise technology. Interns are embedded with a GTS team, sit alongside the technologists and operators who run our services day to day, and are accountable for one visible project they present at the end of the summer. Each intern is paired with a formal mentor and joins a cohort of fellow GTS interns for networking, learning and senior-leader exposure. The program is designed around how our technology organization actually runs: build to operate, not build to build. Interns use AI tools as their default way of working, learn to translate business needs into technology outputs, and see how reliability, security, cost and end-user experience shape real operational decisions. The intent of our internship program is to create a pipeline for future opportunities, including return internships or full-time employment at Optum, depending on eligibility, performance, and business needs. We encourage students to apply after their second and/or third year of study. Please note: this program develops talent for AI-enabled IT and technology services disciplines. Students pursuing software engineering or AI/ML engineering careers should apply to Optum's Technology Development Program (TDP) internship, which serves those capabilities.
Internship Focus Areas The Infrastructure and Engineering Development Program spans the following focus areas; all built on a common technical foundation. Interns are placed into a team and focus area based on business needs and where the work is happening at the time of the internship.
- AIOps and AI for IT Operations - work in this area involves building and operating AI agents within the UHG framework and applying the AI development lifecycle, prompt engineering, and model evaluation and monitoring to modernize IT operations
- Automation, DevOps and Tooling - work in this area centers on deterministic and agentic automation, CI/CD pipelines, infrastructure as code, and self-service technology services
- Infrastructure and Cloud Operations - work in this area covers cloud operations foundations; compute, storage and data center operations; infrastructure as code; and automation with Python
- Site Reliability Engineering, Observability and Resiliency - work in this area focuses on observability, reliability and resiliency patterns, ITSM, CMDB, and database operations that keep critical systems healthy and performant
- Identity, Access and Employee Experience - work in this area includes network engineering; identity and access management with MFA, SSO and device registration; and developer productivity that simplifies the experience for users
Key Information Regarding the GTS Infrastructure and Engineering Development Program:
- Interns begin with a structured onboarding covering AI fundamentals and AI productivity tools, cloud and infrastructure basics, security awareness, and how GTS operates, then join their assigned team
- Each intern is embedded in day-to-day operational work with a GTS team and owns a dedicated project, with the opportunity to present that work to mentors and leaders on multiple occasions
- Each intern is paired with a formal mentor and apprenticed to senior technologists on the team
- This full-time intern position will start on Tuesday, June 1, 2027, and end on August 6, 2027. Alternate start and end dates are not available
- The GTS Intern will be required to work in-office five days a week
- The GTS Internship is available at Eden Prairie / Minneapolis, MN
- Housing assistance may be available for those who meet eligibility requirements
- Sponsorship is not available for this position
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:
- Currently pursuing a 2-year technical college degree, bachelor's or master's degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Software Engineering, Information Technology, Management Information Systems, or another technology-focused discipline
- Foundational understanding of Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine Learning (ML), and Large Language Models (LLMs), with demonstrated ability to leverage AI tools to enhance productivity and problem-solving
- Must be actively enrolled in an accredited college/university or 2-year technical college during the duration of the internship. Internships are not intended for graduating seniors
- Demonstrated problem solving and analytical thinking, collaboration and teamwork, adaptability and learning agility, and curiosity
- Must be eligible to work in the U.S. without company sponsorship, now or in the future, for employment-based work authorization. F-1 visa holders with Curricular Practical Training (CPT) or Optional Practical Training (OPT) who require visa sponsorship, TN visa holders, current H-1B visa holders, and/or those requiring green card sponsorship will not be considered
Preferred Qualifications:
- Completion of at least two years of study, with the ability to return for a second aligned internship cycle
- Coursework or project experience in networking, systems administration, cloud, or site reliability engineering
- Working knowledge of at least one scripting or programming language used in technology operations (Example: Python, PowerShell, Bash, Java, C#, JavaScript)
- Exposure to cloud technologies such as AWS, Azure, or Google Cloud Platform, and to containers and Kubernetes
- Familiarity with source code control systems (i.e. Git, GitHub), CI/CD pipelines and infrastructure as code
- Data literacy and analytics skills, including the ability to work with operational data
- Demonstrated capability to accomplish the following:
- Apply AI-enabled tools and automation to support analysis, reporting, monitoring or problem-solving in technology operations
- Build effective prompts and use AI-enabled tools to explore data, summarize technical information, or generate insights
- Integrate AI into workflows such as reporting, dashboards and operations processes
- Collaborate with teams to identify opportunities where technology and AI can improve processes or user experiences
- Basic familiarity with responsible, compliant and secure use of AI tools
- Understanding of Agile frameworks, methodologies, roles, and tools (Kanban, Scrum, SAFe, LeSS, etc.)
- Involvement in additional technical activities (technology clubs, hackathons, home lab, side projects, GitHub, etc.) and/or technology-related employment experience
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 $18 - $32 per hour 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 help make the health system work better for everyone. Together, we are shaping the future of healthcare by harnessing technology and innovation to make care simpler to navigate, more affordable and more connected for the people we serve. We are committed to creating an inclusive workplace where everyone feels welcomed, valued, heard and respected, empowering people to bring their authentic selves to work and strengthening our collective impact through diverse talents, backgrounds, experiences and perspectives.
UnitedHealth Group and its affiliated brands are 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 and its affiliated brands are a drug-free workplace. Candidates are required to pass a drug test before beginning employment.