Lead AI/ML Engineer - Remote

UnitedHealth Group•Eden Prairie, MN

3d•$145,500 - $249,500•Remote

About The Position

As a Lead AI/ML Engineer within Optum's Musculoskeletal (MSK) team, you will be responsible for the end-to-end delivery, operational stability, and AI-enabled transformation of the MSK platform. You will provide onshore engineering and people leadership for five agile scrum teams, ensuring strong technical governance, business alignment, and execution of critical initiatives such as Duals onboarding, CMS interoperability, platform modernization, and regulatory compliance. This role involves spearheading advanced AI implementation for Therapy and SPJ, enabling workflow automation, improved data-driven decision-making, and highly scalable operations. Utilizing technologies like .NET (C#), Angular, and advanced AI/ML capabilities, you will lead a dedicated team of engineers in creating innovative, reliable, and high-impact health technology solutions. The position offers the flexibility to work remotely from anywhere within the U.S., with the exception that hires in the Minneapolis or Washington, D.C. area will be required to work in the office a minimum of four days per week.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree or 4+ years of equivalent software engineering or technical leadership experience in lieu of a degree
4+ years of direct people management and team leadership experience, with formal responsibility for direct reports, performance management, and career development
4+ years of hands-on software development experience with .NET (C#) and modern application development frameworks
3+ years of experience working in Agile/Scrum environments with direct ownership of end-to-end technical delivery
3+ years of experience in stakeholder management, with a proven ability to translate complex business requirements into high-quality technical delivery plans
2+ years of experience building, deploying, and supporting modern front-end web applications using Angular
2+ years of experience managing production support, incident management, and work prioritization processes
2+ years of experience managing, collaborating with, or overseeing distributed and vendor-led technical teams
1+ years of experience leading, designing, or implementing AI, machine learning, or automation initiatives and successfully integrating them into operational business workflows

Nice To Haves

Experience deploying machine learning models and algorithms in production environments
Experience working with AI/ML techniques such as natural language processing (NLP), natural language understanding (NLU), semantic understanding, intent classification, computer vision, deep learning, or automatic speech recognition (ASR)
Experience working with large-scale computing frameworks and data analysis systems
Experience with healthcare regulatory standards, CMS interoperability compliance, or Duals onboarding
Experience with modernizing legacy platform architectures and migrating software to cloud-native solutions
Proven excellent communication and presentation skills, with the ability to convey complex analytical results and technical concepts to senior leadership and non-technical stakeholders

Responsibilities

Directly manage, mentor, and develop a team of software engineers, including responsibility for conducting performance evaluations, setting clear professional development goals, and supporting career growth
Provide onshore people and technical leadership, guidance, and work prioritization across MSK initiatives and production support for five scrum teams to drive high-quality end-to-end delivery
Establish clear engineering governance, ownership, and tracking models for technical incidents and work intake
Drive AI strategy and implementation across Therapy and SPJ workflows, enabling workflow automation, improved decision-making, and scalable operations
Partner closely with business stakeholders to align software development priorities with key organizational outcomes
Oversee vendor delivery partners, fostering accountability, enhancing code quality, and accelerating development velocity
Ensure strict compliance of platform deliverables with CMS and other relevant healthcare regulatory requirements
Advance modernization efforts to mitigate technical risk, reduce platform complexity, and maximize operational stability
Review the work of other engineers, develop innovative architectural approaches, and serve as a technical expert and mentor
Design, develop, and deploy AI-powered solutions using enterprise-approved tools to address complex business challenges, emphasizing the responsible and ethical use of AI
Integrate enterprise-approved AI tools into development workflows, establishing AI goals in development plans and actively removing technical barriers to accelerate team adoption