Lead AI/ML Engineer

UnitedHealth Group•Eden Prairie, MN

11h•$145,500 - $249,500•Remote

About The Position

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 in making healthcare work better for everyone through people-led, responsible AI while Caring. Connecting. Growing together. The Optum Technology Digital team is on a mission to disrupt the healthcare industry, transforming UHG into an industry-leading Consumer brand. We deliver hyper-personalized digital solutions that empower direct-to-consumer, digital-first experiences, educating, guiding, and empowering consumers to access the right care at the right time. Our mission is to revolutionize healthcare for patients and providers by delivering cutting-edge, personalized and conversational digital solutions. We’re Consumer Obsessed, ensuring they receive exceptional support throughout their healthcare journeys. As we drive this transformation, we're revolutionizing customer interactions with the healthcare system, leveraging AI, cloud computing, and other disruptive technologies to tackle complex challenges. Serving UnitedHealth Group's digital technology needs, the Consumer Engineering team impacts millions of lives through UnitedHealthcare & Optum. The Optum Technology Chief Digital Office (CDO) Leadership team is transforming Optum to be an industry-leading Consumer brand. We are on a journey towards delivering a best-in-the-industry consumer experience to our patients and providers by delivering personalized digital solutions that support our consumers throughout their healthcare journeys. This team is transforming to meet the moment – to begin radically altering the way our customers engage with the healthcare system using modern tech to solve some of the most complex problems experienced along the way. Serving all of UnitedHealth Group’s digital technology needs, the CDO team is responsible for driving outcomes across nearly 30 million+ human lives with UnitedHealthcare insurance, a number which puts UHC at the top of the pack as the largest managed care provider in the United States.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Data Science, or related field
7+ years of hands-on software engineering experience in deploying distributed systems and cloud-native solutions
7+ years of engineering experience with solid technical proficiency in Python or equivalent programming language
Experience building and deploying AI/ML solutions, including familiarity with LLMs, prompt engineering, and model deployment patterns
Experience structuring ambiguous problems and driving them to clear, actionable solutions
Experience working with infrastructure as code in cloud environments, especially Azure
Proficiency in modern development frameworks, APIs, and data integration approaches
Proven advanced knowledge and experience with AI-DLC
Proven ability to lead client engagements, including discovery, solution design, and delivery
Proven solid stakeholder management skills, with the ability to influence both technical and executive audiences

Nice To Haves

Master’s degree in a technical discipline (AI/ML, Data Science, Software Engineering)
Experience with front-end development frameworks such as React and NextJS
Familiarity with healthcare data, regulatory requirements, and interoperability considerations
Ability to be comfortable operating in fast-paced, ambiguous environments with evolving requirements
Experience implementing or working with enterprise Marketing Technology solutions such as Adobe Experience platform
Proven excellent communication and storytelling skills, with the ability to adapt messaging to different audiences

Responsibilities

Design scalable, secure, and compliant agentic solutions aligned to healthcare industry requirements
Architect end-to-end systems integrating LLMs, machine learning models, APIs, and enterprise platforms
Evaluate trade-offs between approaches (e.g., build vs. orchestrate, model selection, latency vs. accuracy) and communicate recommendations clearly to stakeholders
Ensure solutions are designed for real-world deployment, maintainability, and integration with existing client ecosystems
Build and deploy production-grade AI applications, including LLM-based workflows, copilots, and intelligent automation solutions
Integrate AI agents and automation into client environments, optimizing for performance, scalability, and reliability
Rapidly prototype solutions to validate concepts, iterate with client feedback, and accelerate time-to-value
Troubleshoot complex technical challenges across distributed systems and cloud platforms
Build and maintain evaluation datasets, scoring rubrics, agent-performance tests, and failure-mode analysis tools
Bridge business, clinical, and technical perspectives—translating between stakeholders to ensure alignment and clarity
Collaborate with product, platform, and engineering teams to bring reusable capabilities into client deployments
Communicate complex technical concepts in a way that is accessible and actionable for non-technical stakeholders