Senior Director, AI/ML Engineering - Remote

UnitedHealth Group•Austin, TX

2d•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 to start Caring. Connecting. Growing together. Optum AI is UnitedHealth Group’s enterprise AI team. We are AI/ML scientists and engineers with deep expertise in AI/ML engineering for health care. We develop AI/ML solutions for the highest impact opportunities across UnitedHealth Group businesses including UnitedHealthcare, Optum Financial, Optum Health, Optum Insight, and Optum Rx. In addition to transforming the health care journey through responsible AI/ML innovation, our charter also includes developing and supporting an enterprise AI/ML development platform. Optum AI team members: Have impact at scale: We have the data and resources to make an impact at scale. When our solutions are deployed, they have the potential to make health care system work better for everyone Do ground-breaking work: Many of our current projects involve cutting edge ML, NLP and LLM techniques. Generative AI methods for working with structured and unstructured health care data are continuously being developed and improved. We are working in one of the most important frontiers of AI/ML research and development Partner with world-class experts on innovative solutions: Our team members are developing novel AI/ML solutions to business challenges. In some cases, this includes the opportunity to file patents and publish papers about the methods we develop. We also collaborate with AI/ML researchers at some of the world’s top universities We are seeking a dynamic and visionary Sr Director of AI/ML Engineering to lead the development and execution of a transformative AI strategy within the healthcare sector. This role blends strategic leadership with deep technical expertise, requiring hands-on involvement in designing and deploying advanced AI and machine learning solutions that drive clinical and operational excellence. You will spearhead innovation through cutting-edge research, establish ethical AI governance, and ensure scalable, reliable integration of AI technologies across complex healthcare systems. Collaborating with cross-functional leaders, you will translate critical healthcare challenges into impactful AI initiatives, while mentoring top talent and presenting strategic insights to executive leadership. This is a unique opportunity to shape the future of AI in healthcare and improve outcomes at scale. 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.

Requirements

Master's degree in Machine Learning, Artificial Intelligence, Computer Science, or a related field
15+ years of experience in AI/ML with demonstrable career progression from individual contributor to technical leadership roles
Hands-on experience with machine learning libraries and frameworks
Current and extensive hands-on experience with modern AI tools, frameworks, and methodologies
Experience with data analysis tools and techniques
Experience implementing machine learning fairness and bias mitigation techniques
Public cloud experience (Azure, and/or GCP, and/or AWS)
Comprehensive knowledge of statistical methods, machine learning algorithms, and AI principles
Proven track record of hands-on development and implementation of enterprise-scale AI SaaS solutions with measurable business impact
Demonstrated ability to balance strategic leadership with hands-on technical contribution
Demonstrated solid and current programming skills in Python or other relevant programming languages
Proven ability to build and scale AI infrastructure and operations

Nice To Haves

PhD in Machine Learning, Artificial Intelligence, Computer Science, or a related field
Active practitioner with current, deep technical expertise in AI technologies and applications; Natural Language Processing (NLP) and/or Large Language Models (LLM)
Healthcare experience and FinTech solutions
Proven exceptional leadership, communication, and executive presence skills

Responsibilities

Develop and execute org-wide AI strategy and roadmap aligned with business objectives and growth initiatives
Maintain hands-on involvement in key AI projects, actively contributing to code, model development, and technical solutions
Drive innovation through research and adoption of cutting-edge AI technologies and methodologies
Establish AI governance frameworks, ethical guidelines, and best practices across the organization
Personally design, develop, and implement AI and machine learning models using statistical analysis and deep learning algorithms
Collaborate with cross-functional leadership to translate business needs into AI strategy
Collaborate with team leads in the deployment and maintenance of AI models in production environments, ensuring scalability, reliability, and cost-effectiveness
Spearhead integration of AI solutions with existing systems and applications
Establish KPIs and performance metrics for AI solutions and drive continuous improvement
Present AI vision, roadmaps, and results to executive leadership and board members
Lead research initiatives and partnerships to maintain competitive advantage in AI capabilities
Mentor, develop, and retain top AI talent while building a culture of innovation