Sr. AI/ML Engineer - 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.

We are seeking a hands-on Senior AI/ML Engineer (IC) to join our AI Transformations team within Optum Technology. In this remote role, you will design, build, and deploy scalable AI solutions across the enterprise, focusing on deep technical execution and solving complex business problems using Data Science, Classical ML, NLP, and Generative AI. Working across the full AI lifecycle-from ideation to production - you will partner with engineers, product teams, and business stakeholders to translate use cases into high-impact AI solutions. You will have the opportunity to build advanced capabilities like agentic workflows, multi-step orchestration, and Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) pipelines to drive strategic enterprise transformations.

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

Primary Responsibilities:

• Design, develop, and deploy end-to-end, scalable AI/ML solutions and pipelines-from problem definition and data ingestion to production deployment and monitoring - with a strong emphasis on the responsible use of AI
• Build and productionize ML models and pipelines, incorporating feature engineering, model training, evaluation, and inference services
• Use enterprise-approved AI tools and frameworks to streamline development workflows, automate engineering tasks, and drive continuous improvement
• Implement scalable AI systems following software engineering and MLOps best practices, including CI/CD, versioning, monitoring, and observability
• Develop NLP, Generative AI, and Agentic solutions, utilizing embeddings, transformers, RAG pipelines, prompt engineering, and tool orchestration
• Apply classical ML and statistical techniques to solve predictive and analytical business challenges
• Evaluate emerging technology trends to inform strategic innovation and solution design
• Collaborate with data engineers, product teams, and architects to align AI solutions with business objectives, and mentor junior engineers through code reviews and design discussions

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:

• 8+ years of software engineering experience
• 2+ years of experience in AI/ML project implementation, covering the end-to-end lifecycle from ideation to production deployment
• Demonstrated professional experience writing production-grade Python code
• Experience with classical AI/ML algorithms and techniques (e.g., regression, classification, clustering, ensemble models like Random Forest or XGBoost)
• Hands-on experience with Natural Language Processing (NLP) tasks (e.g., embeddings, Named Entity Recognition (NER), or text classification)
• Experience with Generative AI frameworks, Large Language Models (LLMs), Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG), prompt engineering, and model APIs
• Driver's License and access to a reliable transportation

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience in the Healthcare or Insurance domain (e.g., claims, underwriting, clinical workflows)
• Experience with MLOps tools and practices (such as MLflow, CI/CD pipelines, model monitoring, and observability)
• Solid understanding of Responsible AI principles, bias detection, and model governance
  

*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 $120,100 - $214,500 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.