Lead AI/ML Engineer - Schaumburg, IL or Eden Prairie, MN

Optum Tech is a global leader in health care innovation. Our teams develop cutting-edge solutions that help people live healthier lives and help make the health system work better for everyone. From advanced data analytics and AI to cybersecurity, we use innovative approaches to solve some of health care's most complex challenges. Your contributions here have the potential to change lives. Ready to build the next breakthrough? Join us to start Caring. Connecting. Growing together.

As a Senior AI/ML Engineer within the Optum Rx Technology team, you will drive the design, development, and delivery of innovative full-stack and AI-powered solutions. In this role, you will build scalable applications and integrate advanced LLM capabilities-such as summarization, intelligent search, decision support, and virtual assistants-that improve pharmacy benefit operations and enhance health outcomes. Working alongside cross-functional engineering and architecture teams, you will champion modern engineering standards, cloud-native architecture on Microsoft Azure, and responsible AI practices to transform complex business challenges into resilient, enterprise-grade capabilities.

Primary Responsibilities: 

• Design, develop, and deploy AI-powered solutions to address complex business challenges with an emphasis on responsible use of AI
• Build and integrate LLM-powered capabilities (e.g., summarization, search, assistants, decision support) using industry-standard AI frameworks and APIs
• Design, develop, and maintain full stack applications using Next.js, React, and modern TypeScript patterns
• Design and optimize backend services and APIs, ensuring scalability, reliability, and security
• Develop and manage data models and queries using PostgreSQL, focusing on performance and data integrity
• Deploy, monitor, and operate applications on Microsoft Azure (App Services, Containers, Functions, Storage, AI services, etc.)
• Implement best practices for cloud architecture, CI/CD pipelines, observability, and cost optimization
• Collaborate with architects and AI engineers on system design, model integration, and platform capabilities
• Write clean, testable, and well-documented code; lead by example in code reviews and technical standards
• Mentor junior engineers, evaluate emerging tech trends, and contribute to technical decision-making and solution direction

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: 

• Bachelor's degree or 4+ years of equivalent software engineering experience
• 8+ years of professional software engineering experience, including full-stack application development
• 4+ years of experience with CI/CD pipelines, automated testing, and cloud-native deployment models
• 2+ years of hands-on experience integrating LLMs and building AI-powered application capabilities

Preferred Qualifications: 

• Proven excellent problem-solving skills and ability to work across ambiguous problem spaces
• Experience with Agentic AI, Deep Learning, Model Evaluation Techniques, and Natural Language Processing (NLP)
• Experience with Python and data manipulation libraries (e.g., Pandas, Matplotlib, ggplot2)
• Experience with prompt engineering for BOT integration with LLMs and working with Model Context Protocol (MCP)
• Experience with Microsoft Azure AI/cloud services or AWS Services / Amazon Lex BOT Development
• Experience with Application Analytics, observability, and security best practices

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 $145,500 - $249,500 annually based on full-time employment. We comply with all minimum wage laws as applicable.

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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