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 inclusion, talented peers, comprehensive benefits and career development opportunities. Come make an impact on the communities we serve as you help us advance health optimization 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

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.

Primary 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 

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:

• PhD or Master’s degree in Machine Learning, Artificial Intelligence, Computer Science, or a related field
• 10+ 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
• Solid and current programming skills in Python or other relevant programming languages
• Proven ability to build and scale AI infrastructure and operations
• 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

Preferred Qualifications:

• 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
• Demonstrated exceptional leadership, communication, and executive presence skills

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

The salary range for this role is $150,200 to $288,500 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.