Lead AI/ML Engineer - Remote

Requisition Number: 2391205
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.
As a Lead AI/ML Engineer on the AI Platform Team within Optum AI, you will drive the design and development of scalable AI systems to improve patient care. This is a highly hands-on, technical engineering lead role focusing on technical execution, architectural strategy, and technical mentorship of other engineers. Our team delivers complete end-to-end solutions, from healthcare data ingestion and generative agents to AI model deployment, clinical applications, and analytics. Our current initiatives involve both leveraging and building cutting-edge Generative AI and Agentic AI technologies from scratch. We have the data and resources to make an impact on a massive scale, benefiting millions of people globally.
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.
Primary Responsibilities:

• Lead and contribute to the design, hands-on implementation, and deployment of end-to-end AI/ML systems that enable the business to derive critical insights from patient data in a scalable, reliable, and cost-effective manner
• Partner with product managers, data scientists, software engineers, and business stakeholders to translate business requirements into scalable AI systems
• Design, develop, and deploy AI-powered solutions to address complex business challenges with a solid emphasis on the responsible use of AI
• Leverage enterprise-approved and AI-assisted tools to streamline engineering workflows, automate routine tasks, conduct code reviews, perform testing, and drive continuous improvement
• Ensure the delivery of high-quality, maintainable, and efficient code and technical specifications, leading by example to deliver product quality the first time
• Drive architectural decisions and contribute to our long-term technical strategy for AI/ML systems, evaluating emerging trends and research to inform solution design
• Own the full lifecycle of AI/ML initiatives, from problem definition and data exploration to agent development, deployment, and active monitoring
• Define project scope, success metrics, and delivery milestones in collaboration with cross-functional teams, executing with solid engineering rigor through CI/CD, environment readiness, and quality gates
• Stay ahead of the curve on emerging AI/ML technologies, tools, and research, promoting a culture of innovation through rapid iteration, experimentation, and data-driven decision-making
• Act as a key technical resource and trusted advisor on complex or critical issues, actively reviewing the work of others and mentoring engineers to help them reach their full potential without direct administrative/HR management responsibilities

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, Software Engineering, Information Technology, Mathematics, Statistics, or a related quantitative field, or 4+ years of equivalent software engineering experience in lieu of a degree
• 10+ years of experience in Software Engineering, Data Science, or Analytics, with at least 3+ years dedicated to AI/ML engineering or related fields
• 4+ years of experience in a team lead or technical leadership role (guiding technical projects, architectures, and mentoring engineers)
• 4+ years of hands-on experience in modern cloud infrastructure (e.g., AWS, Azure, or GCP)
• 3+ years of hands-on Python programming experience
• 1+ years of experience leveraging Large Language Models (LLMs) or developing generative AI solutions
• Experience designing and delivering at least two complete AI products from ideation to production/release

Preferred Qualifications:

• Master's degree or Ph.D. in Computer Science, Data Science, AI, or a related field
• Hands-on experience working with Google Cloud Platform (GCP)
• Experience with healthcare data standards and interoperability protocols (e.g., FHIR, HL7, HIPAA compliance)
• Experience with the challenges of delivering and monitoring LLM-based cloud systems in a production environment
• Proven knowledge of CI/CD principles with experience designing and operating multiple production-grade pipelines
• Proficiency with GitHub and GitHub Actions, artifact and dependency management, containerization (Docker), and Infrastructure-as-Code (Terraform) to enable reliable, repeatable, and secure deployments
• Demonstrated passion for innovation, staying current with emerging AI/ML trends, and a solid bias for action
• Proven solid communication and presentation skills with the ability to explain complex technical concepts to diverse, non-technical audiences

*All employees working remotely 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 salary for this role will range from $145,500 - $249,500 annually based on full-time employment. We comply with all minimum wage laws as applicable.
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.
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.