Senior Director AI/ML Engineering - Remote

Optum is a global organization that delivers care, aided by technology to help millions of people live healthier lives. The work you do with our team will directly improve health outcomes by connecting people with the care, pharmacy benefits, data and resources they need to feel their best. Here, you will find a culture guided by diversity and inclusion, talented peers, comprehensive benefits and career development opportunities. Come make an impact on the communities we serve as you help us advance health equity on a global scale. 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

As a Senior Director of AI/ML Engineering you will lead several initiatives with talented engineers and scientists in developing cutting-edge AI/ML solutions for various healthcare domains and applications. You will be responsible for setting the vision and technical strategy for our AI/ML initiatives, as well as overseeing the design, development, and deployment of AI/ML models and systems. You will also collaborate with other senior leaders, stakeholders, and customers to ensure innovative AI/ML are being developed. Balances deep subject matter expertise in AI/ML with multiple business use cases. Accountable for delivering and scaling AI. The ideal candidate will be an AI thought leader and committed to developing solutions that transform the industry.

You'll enjoy the flexibility to work remotely * from anywhere within the U.S. as you take on some tough challenges.

Primary Responsibilities:

• Develop and implement AI and machine learning strategies for several healthcare domains
• Lead AI teams and drive the development of innovative AI and machine learning solutions
• Manage the development and deployment of AI and machine learning solutions
• Stay up-to-date with the latest AI and machine learning technologies and trends
• Develop and maintain Solid relationships with stakeholders, customers, and partners internally and externally
• Evangelize the benefits of generative AI through proofs-of-concept and demos to drive adoption for employees and functional roles across the UHG enterprise including technology, operations, marketing, legal, compliance, people team, internal infrastructure, and more
• Manage matrix partners and cross-functional stakeholder strategy

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:

• Master's degree in computer science, engineering, mathematics, statistics, or a related discipline
• 10+ years of experience in Software Engineering, Data Science, AI, or Analytics
• 6+ years of experience in AI/ML engineering or related fields
• 6+ years of experience in various AI/ML techniques, such as deep learning, natural language processing, recommender systems, reinforcement learning, large language models (LLM), etc.
• 6+ years of experience with AI/ML frameworks and tools, such as MLFlow, TensorFlow, PyTorch, Keras, Scikit-learn, etc.
• Experience with cloud platforms and services, such as AWS, Azure, GCP, etc.
• Experience in mentoring, coaching, and developing AI/ML talent
• Experience leading and managing AI/ML teams and projects, from ideation to delivery and evaluation
• Proficient experience in Python, R, or other programming languages for data analysis and AI/ML development
• Proven experience with communication, presentation, and interpersonal skills, and the ability to explain complex AI/ML concepts and results to technical and non-technical audiences

Preferred Qualifications:

• PhD in computer science, engineering, mathematics, statistics, or a related discipline
• Background in Healthcare (AI)
• Proven track record of delivering high-impact AI/ML solutions for real-world problems and use cases
• Portfolio of AI/ML publications, patents, or awards
• Experience with DevOps and CI/CD tools and practices, such as Git, Jenkins, Docker, Kubernetes, etc.
• Experience in working with cross-functional and distributed teams in a global and diverse environment
• Experience in establishing and enforcing AI/ML best practices, standards, and ethics
• Demonstrated passion for learning and staying updated with the latest AI/ML trends and research
• Proven solid analytical, problem-solving, and decision-making skills, with the ability to balance innovation and pragmatism

*All employees working remotely will be required to adhere to UnitedHealth Group's Telecommuter Policy.

California, Colorado, Connecticut, Hawaii, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Maryland, Rhode Island, Washington, Washington, D.C. Residents Only: The salary range for this role is $147,300 to $282,800 annually. Pay is based on several factors including but not limited to local labor markets, education, work experience, certifications, etc. UnitedHealth Group complies with all minimum wage laws as applicable. In addition to your salary, UnitedHealth Group offers 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 UnitedHealth Group, you'll find a far-reaching choice of benefits and incentives.

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.

Diversity creates a healthier atmosphere: UnitedHealth Group is an Equal Employment Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, protected veteran status, disability status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, marital status, genetic information, or any other characteristic protected by law.

UnitedHealth Group is a drug - free workplace. Candidates are required to pass a drug test before beginning employment.

#optumtechpj