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're looking for a sharp, curious, and driven Data Scientist - someone who doesn't just crunch numbers but genuinely obsesses overturning data into impact. If you're passionate about Machine Learning, Generative AI, and Advanced Analytics and want to solve complex business challenges, this role offers the opportunity to lead data-driven innovation and shape strategic outcomes. You'll work alongside seasoned Data Scientists, Data Engineers, and Software Engineers - collaborating directly with business stakeholders across verticals to build predictive models, generate actionable insights, and ship AI/ML solutions that operate on a scale. From forecasting and optimization to automation and GenAI applications - you'll get hands-on exposure to the full spectrum of modern Data Science.

Primary Responsibilities:

• Independently scope, design, and deliver ML/AI and Analytics solutions end-to-end - grounded in deep Ops/business context, not abstract problems
• Translate ambiguous business problems into clear DS, Analytics workstreams
• Work with DE and SWE teams to build advanced real-time dashboards & client-grade custom reports as durable analytical assets
• Drive data-driven decisions: frame ambiguous asks → rigorous analysis → crisp recommendation
• Build, productionize, and monitor classical ML, DL, and GenAI/LLM solutions
• Design A/B tests, causal experiments, and statistical analyses
• Build RAG, fine-tuning, and agentic pipelines as applicable
• Mentor Associate DS; contribute to team's technical bar
• Partner with DE and SWE on deployment, monitoring, scaling
• Champion Responsible AI and model governance practices
• Present results to business stakeholders and influence decisions
• 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:

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Mathematics, or equivalent experience
• 2+ years of experience building and deploying production-grade AI/ML systems
• Hands-on experience building backend services using FastAPI/Flask
• Experience working with ETL/ETA pipelines and handling large datasets using frameworks such as NumPy, Pandas and SnowPark
• Experience with machine learning and deep learning frameworks including scikit-learn, XGBoost, LightGBM, PyTorch, TensorFlow, and statsmodels
• Experience with agentic architectures and orchestration approaches using frameworks such as LangGraph, Autogen and protocol/standard such as MCP
• Experience with Transformers, LangChain, LlamaIndex, and TRL framework
• Experience in maintaining CI/CD pipelines using GitHub Actions/Jenkins
• Practical experience with SQL and NoSQL databases such as PostgreSQL, MySQL, MongoDB, and Elasticsearch
• Knowledge of observability and experiment tracking tools such as MLflow, TensorBoard, and Weights & Biases
• Knowledge of guardrails in AI systems
• Working knowledge of AWS cloud services and deploying AI applications in cloud environments using Sagemaker and containers (Docker/ECS)
• Understanding of fundamental system design concepts such as scalability, reliability, and performance
• Understanding of responsible AI principles including fairness, bias mitigation, and explainability
• Solid understanding of statistics and statistical inference
• Solid understanding of Large Language Models (LLMs) and their applications
• Solid programming skills in Python and proficiency in SQL
• Basic understanding of security practices such as OAuth2 and JWT
• Proven ability to translate business requirements into AI/ML solutions
• Proven excellent communication, problem-solving, and collaboration skills with cross-functional teams

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.

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