Sr. Director, AI/ML Engineering

Optum Insight is improving the flow of health data and information to create a more connected system. We remove friction and drive alignment between care providers and payers, and ultimately consumers. Our deep expertise in the industry and innovative technology empower us to help organizations reduce costs while improving risk management, quality and revenue growth. Ready to help us deliver results that improve lives? Join us to start Caring. Connecting. Growing together.

Optum Insight partners with payers, providers, governments and life sciences companies to simplify and enhance clinical, administrative and financial processes through software-enabled services and analytics, while advancing value-based care. Our differentiated products, technology insights, clinical expertise and analytics support the entire health system - ultimately delivering better experiences for consumers.  

Optum Insight Technology and Engineering is a critical function in Optum Insight driving the innovation and value we provide our customers and partners. This team is focused on products, solutions, platform / enabling capability development, product development lifecycle, engineering excellence and connectivity to Optum Technology.

In this enterprise-scale role, this person will help drive the AI strategy across the Optum Insights - Payer portfolio, ensuring cross-organizational alignment and disciplined execution from concept through commercialization. The person will partner closely with senior leaders across business, product, PIDI, and Operations to coordinate priorities, establish governance and reporting, and track outcomes against our transformation roadmap. Will also lead our AI narrative-how we communicate progress, value, and impact-internally and externally. The TPM team will report to this individual providing the program leadership, cadence, and cross-team coordination required to accelerate delivery and scale commercialization and rapid AI development.

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:

• Partner closely with Optum Retail and Product leaders to define and execute an AI strategy that optimizes the product portfolio, accelerates modernization, and seamlessly integrates technology and services to deliver customer value
• Drive consistency and alignment in AI capability development across the Payer organization, including the integration of Generative AI and NLP solutions for clinical document processing and payer-focused use cases
• Collaborate with Data Science teams to expand and scale advanced AI capabilities across the organization
• Lead the design and implementation of safe, scalable LLM-driven applications, including vector databases, RAG pipelines, and governance guardrails
• Oversee and leverage modern AI and engineering technologies such as Databricks, Azure AI, PyTorch, OpenAI, GCP, backend frameworks (Node.js, Next.js, Java), serverless architectures, React, CI/CD pipelines, REST/WebSockets APIs, and database platforms

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:

• Undergraduate degree or equivalent experience
• 10+ years of experience in technology leadership, with a focus on large-scale engineering or transformation initiatives
• Experience with AI/ML engineering, including the implementation of Vector databases, RAG pipelines, and safety guardrails for LLM-driven applications
• Proven experience leading and managing high-performing Technical Program Management (TPM) or engineering teams
• Experience working with Databricks, Azure AI, or GCP cloud environments
• Proven ability to partner with senior business and product leaders to translate business needs into technical execution roadmaps

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience with OpenAI, PyTorch, and serverless architectures
• Experience with React, CI/CD pipelines, and REST/WebSocket APIs
• Experience in AI model commercialization and tracking ROI for AI initiatives
• Deep understanding of the healthcare payer landscape and digital worker transformation
• Proven track record of driving cross-organizational alignment in a matrixed enterprise environment

#OptumTechPJ

*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 $159,300 to $273,200 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.