Director of AI Data & Research

At UnitedHealthcare, we’re simplifying the health care experience, creating healthier communities and removing barriers to quality care. The work you do here impacts the lives of millions of people for the better. Come build the health care system of tomorrow, making it more responsive, affordable and equitable. Ready to make a difference? Join us to start Caring. Connecting. Growing together.

 

The Director of AI Data & Research is a leadership role responsible for overseeing the strategic implementation and management of artificial intelligence, data science, and research initiatives within Provider Operations.  Focuses on analyzing and interpreting complex data to develop AI models that can predict, classify and generate insights. 
 

This role demands a strategic and technical mindset, with a focus on modern data solutions, cloud data services, and emerging technologies in the data and AI space. 
 

You will be a part of an innovative team, working closely with our product owners, data engineers, and software engineers to build new AI/ML solutions and productionize them. 
 

We are looking for someone with a passion for data, ML, and programming, who can build ML solutions at-scale with a hands-on approach with detailed technical acumen.

 

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

Primary Responsibilities:

• Analyze and interpret complex data to help develop AI models. Responsible for data exploration, data cleaning, and statistical analysis
• Responsible for the management and manipulation of  structured and unstructured data, with a focus on conducting analysis to distinguish patterns and recognize trends, performing normalization operations and assuring data quality
• Creating specifications to bring data into a common structure, creating product specifications and models, developing data solutions to support analyses, performing analysis, interpreting results, developing actionable insights and presenting recommendations for use across the company
• Conducting fundamental research in AI, including areas such as machine learning, deep learning, natural language processing, computer vision, and reinforcement learning
• Perform advanced analytics and exploratory data analysis to extract actionable insights, develop predictive, prescriptive, and descriptive analytics to inform decision-making, work with structured and unstructured data to uncover trends and patterns
• Partner with data engineering teams to ensure the availability of robust data pipelines, data infrastructure and tools
• Recommend and implement data tools, frameworks, and platforms to enhance workflows
• Devise and utilize algorithms and models to mine big data stores, perform data and error analysis to improve models, and clean and validate data for uniformity and accuracy
• Serve as a subject matter expert on a wide range of ML techniques and optimizations
• Execute data science and statistical analytical experiments methodically to help solve various problems and make a true impact across various healthcare domains
• Focuses on designing and implementing machine learning algorithms and models
• Work closely with data scientists to turn prototypes into scalable solutions
• Collaborate with technology and ML Ops teams to deploy models into production. Design performance metrics and use data visualization tools to monitor model results
• Stay informed about AI trends, particularly those that may impact the business, and communicate these developments to the team
• Develop tools and models such as segmentation, dashboards, data visualizations, decision aids and business case analysis to support the organization
• Staying updated with the latest research and advancements in AI by reading academic papers, attending conferences, and collaborating with other researchers. Stay current with industry developments and advancements in machine learning and deployment methodologies. Stays updated with the latest research and advancements in AI. They explore new methodologies and algorithms to enhance the AI capabilities of the project
• Develop new algorithms and models that can improve the efficiency, accuracy, and functionality of AI systems
• Ensure that the data used for model training is accessible, clean, and well-structured
• Provide in-depth knowledge of ML algorithms, frameworks, and techniques
• Enhance ML workflows through advanced proficiency in large language models (LLMs) and related techniques
• Employ visualization tools for model testing, results presentation, and data pattern analysis. Design metrics for model selection and performance monitoring
• Stay abreast of AI research advancements, industry best practices, to ensure all AI initiatives remain at the forefront of innovation and compliance. Actively contribute to proof-of-concept tests for new processes and technologies

 

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:

• 5+ years of experience in AI and ML techniques to solve business problems
• Deep understanding of Natural Language Processing (NLP) and Large Language Model (LLM) techniques, including Agents, Planning, Reasoning, and other related methods
• Solid background in Natural Language Processing (NLP) and Large Language Models (LLMs)
• Experience in advanced applied ML areas such as GPU optimization, finetuning, embedding models, inferencing, prompt engineering, evaluation, RAG (Similarity Search)
• Experience in machine learning algorithms approaches including  unsupervised, supervised and reinforcement learning
• Familiarity with AI frameworks like TensorFlow, PyTorch, or Keras
• In-depth understanding of Search/Ranking, Recommender systems, Graph techniques, and other advanced methodologies

 

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience in healthcare industry
• A proven track record of published research and/or contributions to the AI community
• Demonstrated leadership in working effectively with engineers, product managers, and other ML practitioners
• Ability to align technical innovation with business goals, ensuring the successful delivery of impactful AI products
• Passion for innovation and continuous learning, with a commitment to staying current with the latest advancements in AI and related technologies

 

*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.

 

 

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.