Associate Director, Talent Acquisition AI ML and Emerging Tech - 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.

This leader is responsible for driving Talent Acquisition strategy and delivery for highly specialized AI/ML and emerging technology roles. The role blends execution, team leadership, and forward-looking talent strategy-ensuring the organization can compete for rapidly evolving, high-demand skillsets.

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

For all hires in the Minneapolis or Washington, D.C. area, you will be required to work in the office a minimum of four days per week.

Primary Responsibilities:

• AI/ML Talent Strategy & Market Leadership
  • Own talent strategy for AI/ML, data science, and emerging technology roles
  • Stay ahead of evolving market trends, skill adjacencies, and newly emerging roles in the AI landscape
  • Translate market intelligence into actionable hiring strategies (build vs. buy, location strategy, talent pools)
• Talent Insights & Workforce Intelligence
  • Serve as the go-to leader for insights on AI/ML talent-skills evolution, compensation trends, competitor landscape
  • Continuously assess how roles are shifting (e.g., FDEs, applied AI engineers, GenAI specialists) and guide the business accordingly
  • Partner with analytics and workforce planning to bring data-driven recommendations to leadership
• Pipeline Strategy for Competitive Talent
  • Design and execute innovative sourcing and attraction strategies to engage highly competitive AI/ML talent
  • Build proactive pipelines for critical roles rather than relying on reactive hiring
  • Partner with talent marketing, events, and sourcing teams to position Optum as an employer of choice in AI/ML
• Forward-Looking Role Design
  • Anticipate new and emerging roles as the AI/ML market continues to evolve
  • Partner with business leaders and PBPs to define, scope, and create roles that may not yet be fully standardized
  • Ensure job descriptions, leveling, and hiring approaches reflect modern skill requirements-not legacy profiles
• Talent Delivery & Execution
  • Own hiring outcomes across aligned business segments, including quality, speed, and candidate experience
  • Ensure consistent pipeline health across priority skillsets
  • Drive accountability to metrics (time to fill, acceptance rate, diversity mix, candidate NPS)
• Team Leadership
  • Lead and develop a team of recruiters aligned to AI/ML hiring
  • Set clear expectations around performance, execution rigor, and stakeholder engagement
  • Coach team on advanced recruiting strategies for niche and technical talent
  • Maintain dotted-line responsibility for AI/ML hiring across Optum Insight, ensuring alignment and consistency across teams and leaders
• Business Partnership
  • Partner with senior leaders and PBPs to align hiring priorities with business strategy and product roadmaps
  • Influence decisions on role design, hiring location, and talent strategy
  • Act as escalation point for complex or hard-to-fill roles
• Global Alignment & Collaboration
  • Partner closely with Global TA teams to ensure alignment on AI/ML talent profiles, hiring strategies, and market approaches across all countries
  • Share market insights and best practices to drive consistency and scale globally
  • Ensure global pipelines and strategies are coordinated for high-demand talent segments
• Operational Excellence
  • Identify and remove bottlenecks in the hiring lifecycle for specialized roles
  • Drive consistency in intake, calibration, and assessment practices for technical talent
  • Ensure compliance with organizational and regulatory requirements

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:

• Experience leading Talent Acquisition for technical or specialized hiring (AI/ML, engineering, data)
• Experience leveraging recruiting analytics and market intelligence tools
• Solid understanding of current AI/ML talent landscape and skill evolution
• Proven ability to influence senior stakeholders and translate market insights into hiring strategy

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience supporting emerging tech domains (GenAI, Forward Deployed Engineers, AI product roles)
• Background working in complex, matrixed, or global TA delivery models

*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 $112,700 - $193,200 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.