Senior Director, Applied AI & Data Science

UnitedHealth Group•Minnetonka, MN

About The Position

Optum Tech is a global leader in health care innovation, developing cutting-edge solutions to improve health and the health system. The Senior Director, Applied AI & Data Science is a strategic business and technology leader responsible for identifying, shaping, and delivering AI-driven transformations across the Medicare & Retirement business. This role involves partnering with senior business leaders to uncover high-impact opportunities where AI (Data Science, Machine learning, and Agentic AI) can significantly improve cost, operational efficiency, and member outcomes, and translating these into funded, enterprise-scale initiatives. The leader will curate and prioritize a portfolio of AI use cases, define clear value propositions and success metrics, and build executive-ready proposals based on business value, risk, and feasibility. Strong executive presence is required to influence investment decisions, secure funding, and champion initiatives from concept through approval and scaled delivery.

Requirements

15+ years of experience in IT industry
8+ years of enterprise leadership experience defining strategy, architecture, and delivery across multiple teams
4+ years of experience in Senior Director / VP level positions, leading largescale applied AI/ML engineering organizations (30 to100+ team consisting of engineers, data scientists, and ML engineers, across shores) delivering Data Science, Machine learning and Agentic AI solutions end-to-end production software platforms
Proven success building and operating AI enabled software products, from full stack application development to AI/ML integrated solution with $15M+ annual budgets in healthcare or similarly regulated environments
Solid business acumen with ability to link AI investments to ROI, risk, and strategic outcomes
Demonstrated executive communication skills and ability to influence funding and prioritization decisions

Nice To Haves

Deep domain expertise in healthcare and regulatory frameworks
Demonstrated success in scaling GenAI and enterprise-grade ML capabilities across large enterprises
Solid understanding of Medicare regulatory needs including data governance, privacy, and HIPAA compliance
Proficiency in solving combinatorial optimization challenges through AI, and integrating them into mainstream solutions

Responsibilities

Define and lead AI/ML strategy for Medicare & Retirement, driving end-to-end AI enabled software delivery aligned to business transformation with measurable outcomes
Partners with business leaders to identify and shape high impact opportunities where AI can drive transformative outcomes. Develops executive ready use cases with clear value propositions and presents them to senior leadership to secure alignment and funding. Requires strong business acumen, executive presence, and the ability to position AI as a lever for transformation—not just technology
Own end-to-end lifecycle delivery of Software Engineering — from problem framing and design through development, deployment, scaling, and optimization of production grade Data Science, Machine learning and Agentic AI solutions
Provide end-to-end technical leadership for building AI-native applications integrating AI/ML within core application architecture, data strategy, model development, and develop core products, ensuring scalable, secure, and resilient production-ready systems
Embed responsible and secure AI practices across the delivery lifecycle, including governance, fairness, transparency, compliance, and adherence while adhering to enterprise security standards
Build and lead high performing greenfield AI engineering teams, fostering a culture of innovation, continuous learning, team mentorship and engineering excellence
Partner cross-functionally across product, finance, compliance, infrastructure, security, and business leaders to deliver integrated, enterprise-aligned AI solutions
Communicate AI strategy, delivery progress, and business impact with clarity and executive presence to senior leadership and board level stakeholders