Associate AI/ML Engineer

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.

As an Associate AI/ML Engineer in Optum Technology, you will be part of the Employee Virtual Agent (Eva) team-a key AI initiative designed to save time and improve the experience for hundreds of thousands of employees. In this role, you will help develop and deploy a cutting-edge multi-agent platform based on Google's Gemini Enterprise, designed to answer employee questions and automate common administrative tasks. This is an exciting opportunity to work with state-of-the-art Generative AI technologies and build scalable solutions that make a tangible impact across the entire enterprise.

You will enjoy the flexibility to telecommute* from anywhere within the U.S. as you take on some tough challenges.

Primary Responsibilities:

• Assist in designing, developing, and deploying AI-powered solutions to address complex business challenges, with an emphasis on the responsible use of AI
• Leverage enterprise-approved AI tools to streamline workflows, automate tasks, and drive continuous improvement
• Assist in building, training, and evaluating machine learning and deep learning models to solve healthcare business problems
• Collaborate with engineering and product teams to integrate AI/ML models into scalable, production-ready capabilities
• Support data preprocessing, feature engineering, and pipeline development to ensure high-quality training data
• Evaluate emerging trends in artificial intelligence and machine learning to inform solution design and strategic innovation
• Write clean, maintainable, and efficient code in Python, R, or other relevant languages
• Participate in code reviews, model testing, and troubleshooting to ensure reliability and scalability of ML systems
•  Design, develop, and deploy AI-powered solutions to address complex business challenges with emphasis on responsible use of AI 

You'll be rewarded and recognized for your performance in an environment that will challenge you and give you clear directions on what it takes to succeed in your role as well as provide development for other roles you may be interested in.

Required Qualifications:

• High School Diploma/GED
• 1+ years of experience with software development, machine learning, or data science
• 1+ years of experience programming in Python
• 1+ years of experience with machine learning concepts, libraries and frameworks
• 1+ years of experience working with SQL and relational databases

Preferred Qualifications:

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, Data Science, AI, or a related field
• Experience using version control systems (such as Git)
• Experience deploying machine learning models in a cloud environment (e.g., AWS, Azure, GCP)
• Understanding of GenAI concepts, LLMs (Large Language Models), or natural language processing (NLP)
• Understanding of agentic AI concepts, including effective prompt building, agentic loops, A2A, Google ADK
• Experience with CI/CD pipelines (such as Jenkins or GitLab CI)
• Strong problem-solving and communication skills with a passion for continuous learning in AI

*All Telecommuters will be required to adhere to UnitedHealth Group's Telecommuter Policy.        

Pay is based on several factors including but not limited to local labor markets, education, work experience, certifications, etc. In addition to your salary, we offer 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 us, you'll find a far-reaching choice of benefits and incentives. The salary for this role will range from $77,000 - $137,600 annually based on full-time employment. We comply with all minimum wage laws as applicable.

Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records. 

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.

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