Principal Software Engineer - AIML or Cloud

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 Senior AI/ML Engineer with solid expertise in Deep Learning and Conversational AI, particularly Google and AWS Platforms. The ideal candidate will design, develop, and deploy scalable AI solutions leveraging modern cloud-native architectures. This role requires deep technical proficiency, solid critical thinking, and the ability to collaborate effectively with stakeholders to solve complex business problems.

Primary Responsibilities:

• Design, develop, and deploy end-to-end AI/ML solutions with a focus on deep learning and conversational AI systems
• Build, configure, and optimize chatbots and voice assistants using Google and AWS
• Develop scalable ML pipelines with CI/CD integration
• Implement and manage microservices using Google Cloud Run and Google Cloud Functions
• Leverage Google Cloud Platform (GCP) services for model training, deployment, and lifecycle management
• Ensure system reliability through telemetry, logging, monitoring, and observability frameworks
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams including Product, Engineering, and Business stakeholders
• Perform data analysis, model evaluation, and continuous improvements
• Apply best software engineering practices including code reviews, version control, testing, and documentation
• Troubleshoot and resolve production issues efficiently
• 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:

• Technical Skills
  • Hands-on expertise in Deep Learning frameworks (TensorFlow, PyTorch, or equivalent)
  • Experience with Google Cloud Platform (GCP):
    • Cloud Run
    • Cloud Functions
    • IAM, Pub/Sub, API Gateway (preferred)
    • Experience designing and implementing CI/CD pipelines (GitHub Actions, GitLab CI, Jenkins, etc.)
    • Experience in observability tools (logging, monitoring, tracing - e.g., Stackdriver, Prometheus, Grafana)
    • Solid understanding of REST APIs, microservices architecture
    • Familiarity with MLOps practices
  • Solid experience in Python (3.x) for AI/ML development
  • Proven experience with Google Dialogflow CX
  • Solid knowledge of Conversational AI design patterns (intent classification, entity extraction, dialog management)
• Behavioral & Core Competencies
  • Proven excellent critical thinking and analytical skills
  • Proven excellent problem-solving ability in complex, ambiguous environments
  • Proven stakeholder management skills with the ability to communicate effectively across technical and non-technical teams
  • Proven excellent ownership mindset and ability to drive initiatives independently
  • High attention to detail and commitment to quality

Preferred Qualifications:

• Certifications in GCP / ML engineering 
• Experience with Generative AI / LLM integrations (e.g., Vertex AI, OpenAI, etc.)
• Experience in enterprise-scale AI deployments

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.