AI Architect – 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.

We are seeking an experienced AI Architect to lead the design, development, and implementation of cutting-edge artificial intelligence solutions across the organization. The successful candidate will play a pivotal role in shaping our AI strategy, defining architecture standards, and ensuring the creation of scalable, secure, and high-performance AI-driven products and services.

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

Primary Responsibilities:

• Architecture & Standards:
  • Design end-to-end AI/ML architectures aligned to business and technical goals
  • Develop, maintain, and enforce AI/ML architecture guidelines, standards, and comprehensive review checklists
  • Keep documentation current and ensure all AI projects align with established architecture best practices and compliance requirements
• Governance & Review:
  • Proactively review and assess AI solution architectures across projects
  • Provide actionable feedback, coaching, and guidance to teams implementing AI/ML solutions
  • Approve solution designs and ensure adherence to architecture standards before implementation
• Innovation & Prototyping:
  • Stay abreast of emerging advancements in AI and machine learning, evaluating their potential through hands-on development
  • Build rapid prototypes, proof-of-concepts, and accelerators to assess and demonstrate new technologies or approaches
  • Publish point-of-view papers, technical blogs, and thought leadership content to guide internal and external stakeholders
• Collaboration:
  • Work closely with product managers, data scientists, engineers, and other business stakeholders to drive the development and deployment of AI solutions
• Leadership & Mentorship:
  • Foster a culture of excellence and continuous learning within the AI/ML engineering community
  • Mentor and upskill team members in architecture best practices, new technologies, and design patterns
  • Solid leadership, coaching, and communication skills
  • Proven experience in developing technical guidelines and governance frameworks
  • Ability to work collaboratively and influence cross-functional teams
  • Self-driven and passionate about innovation and emerging technology
• Compliance & Security:
  • Ensure all AI systems follow data governance, privacy standards, and ethical AI principles
  • Collaborate with the Responsible Use of AI (RUAI) team to ensure that the solutions are compliant with company policies and standards 

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 
• 10+ years of experience in the IT industry experience in designing & developing complex enterprise software applications.
• 5+ years of hands-on experience in AI/ML, including architecting, designing, developing and deploying production-grade AI solutions using techniques such as regression, classification, and deep neural networks, with experience using frameworks like PyTorch or TensorFlow
• 3+ years of experience working with at least one major cloud AI platform (AWS, Azure, or Google Cloud)
• 2+ years of experience developing and deploying production AI solutions utilizing Generative AI, including Large Language Models, Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG), text embeddings, and vector databases
• 2+ years of experience with MLOps processes, including managing end-to-end machine learning deployment and monitoring
• Solid knowledge of Exploratory data analysis, data engineering and building data pipelines 
• Understanding of data privacy, security, and ethical considerations in AI system design
• Willingness to lead and manage global teams, including teams based in India

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

The salary range for this role is $124,500 to $239,400 annually based on full-time employment. 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.

UnitedHealth Group is an Equal Employment Opportunity employer under applicable law and qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, national origin, religion, age, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, or protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by local, state, or federal laws, rules, or regulations.

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