Principal Data Scientist – 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.

The Principal Data Scientist Machine Learning/Deep Learning is a primary driver in the design and development of state-of-the-art Artificial Intelligence solutions for medical applications. This position works closely with senior data scientists, machine learning engineers, software engineers and subject matter experts on current company technologies and forward looking projects. They are the drivers of new research and solution implementation in the creation of novel artificial intelligence approaches.

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

Primary Responsibilities:

• Enhancement of existing company NLP technologies and extension of those systems in new cloud-based applications
• Emphasis is on development of novel machine/deep learning techniques for information extraction and synthesis
• Create research code for clinical NLP solutions deployed at scale in production environments including statistical methods, deep learning, and large language model technologies
• Work will involve all aspects of methods development from initial PoC implementation to performance characterization and production launch of new methods
• The successful candidate will have a strong history of publication in Machine/Deep Learning with an emphasis on Natural Language Processing, Information Retrieval and/or Information Extraction
• Exposure to recent research literature and the ability to effectively implement new technologies is key
• The successful candidate will have proven success in taking machine/deep learning solutions to production environments
• Solid technical skills are required
   

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 or advanced degree in a computational domain 
• 5+ years of professional work experience using machine/deep learning technologies ; or publication history of machine/deep learning and NLP subject area experience
• 5+ years of experience with Python
• 3+ years of experience with LLM approaches such as RAG, agentic approaches, or fine tuning of large language models
• 2+ years of experience working with transformer architectures or similar architectures (such as state space models, BERT or GPT)
• Knowledge of algorithms and techniques within a computational domain with emphasis on text processing
• Solid Communication skills both written and verbal

Preferred Qualifications:

• PhD in a computational domain
• Demonstrated publication record in AI domain especially relating to text extraction and summarization
• Experience with PyTorch
• Experience with Azure ML and/or AWS
• Experience with Hybrid NLP solutions that combine symbolic and machine learning approaches
• Experience within the medical domain
• Experience with SQL

*All employees working remotely 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 $110,200 to $188,800 annually based on full-time employment. We comply with all minimum wage laws as applicable.

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.