Lead Data Scientist

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 highly skilled Lead AI/ML Engineer to drive data-driven transformation across our contact center ecosystem. This role will focus on unlocking insights from complex customer journey and contact center data to improve call flows, optimize operational efficiency, and elevate overall customer experience.

You will work at the intersection of AI/ML, customer analytics, and contact center platforms, shaping how we leverage data to guide decision-making and automation at scale.

Primary Responsibilities:

• Data Insight & Analytics
  • Analyze large-scale contact center and customer journey datasets to uncover actionable insights and trends
  • Identify opportunities to optimize call flows, self-service experiences, and agent performance
  • Develop models to improve cost efficiency, containment rates, and customer satisfaction
• AI/ML Development
  • Design, develop, and deploy machine learning models to enhance customer experience and operational performance
  • Apply NLP and conversational AI techniques for voice and digital interaction analysis
  • Leverage AI platforms and tools (e.g., Snowflake Cortex, United AI Studio) for scalable model development
• Contact Center Data Engineering
  • Work across multiple data domains including:
    • Agent state and workforce metrics
    • Interaction-level data (voice, chat, messaging)
    • IVR and call flow telemetry
  • Integrate and normalize data across platforms to create unified datasets
• Platform Integration & Optimization
  • Collaborate with engineering and data teams to pipeline data from contact center platforms such as:
    • Genesys Engage
    • Amazon Connect
    • Google Dialogflow / CCAI
    • Amazon Lex
    • NICE CXone
    • Traditional IVR systems
  • Optimize data pipelines for performance and scalability
• Data Preparation & Architecture
  • Design and maintain data pipelines in Snowflake and Azure Databricks
  • Leverage Snowflake data cataloging and governance for AI readiness
  • Prepare structured datasets for consumption by United AI Studio and other AI platforms
• Leadership & Collaboration
  • Serve as a technical leader and mentor within the AI/ML and analytics space
  • Partner closely with operations, product, and CX teams to translate insights into action
  • Drive best practices in ML lifecycle, experimentation, and deployment
• Comply with the terms and conditions of the employment contract, company policies and procedures, and any and all directives (such as, but not limited to, transfer and/or re-assignment to different work locations, change in teams and/or work shifts, policies in regards to flexibility of work benefits and/or work environment, alternative work arrangements, and other decisions that may arise due to the changing business environment). The Company may adopt, vary or rescind these policies and directives in its absolute discretion and without any limitation (implied or otherwise) on its ability to do so

Required Qualifications:

• 7+ years of experience in AI/ML engineering, data science, or advanced analytics
• Hands-on experience with contact center data domains and platforms
• Experience building and deploying ML models in production environments
• Experience with at least one of the following:
  • Genesys Engage
  • Amazon Connect
  • Google Dialogflow / Bot platforms
  • Amazon Lex
  • NICE CXone
  • Traditional IVR systems
• Solid experience analyzing:
  • Agent state/workforce data
  • Interaction-level datasets (voice & digital channels)
• Proficiency in Snowflake for data storage and analytics
• Solid programming skills (Python, SQL, etc.)

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience working with both voice and digital contact center channels (chat, messaging, bots)
• Experience leveraging Azure Databricks for data preparation and ML workflows
• Experience with Rally for agile project management
• Understanding of data cataloging, governance, and AI-ready data architecture
• Familiarity with GitHub Copilot and modern developer productivity tools
• Familiarity with:
  • Snowflake Cortex
  • United AI Studio

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.