Director AI/ML Engineering

Optum; Bengaluru; On-site; INR 4,200,000 - 6,500,000; Full time

Job summary

Optum is seeking a senior AI/ML leader to define and drive the strategy and roadmap for healthcare‑driven AI initiatives. You will oversee end‑to‑end delivery with a focus on scalability, reliability and measurable outcomes.

You will build and mentor high‑performing AI/ML teams, establish governance, and collaborate with cross‑functional leaders to align priorities and drive value. Experience with HIPAA compliance and healthcare data is essential.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of AI/ML engineering and solution delivery.
• Experience with healthcare data and systems (EHR, claims, clinical data).
• Understanding of HIPAA, HL7 and FHIR is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Define and drive AI/ML strategy and roadmap aligned to healthcare priorities.
• Oversee end-to-end AI/ML solution delivery with focus on scalability and impact.
• Lead adoption of NLP, deep learning, predictive analytics, and GenAI.
• Build and mentor high‑performing AI/ML teams and establish governance.
• Collaborate with cross‑functional leaders and manage client relationships.

Skills

AI/ML leadership

Team leadership

Healthcare domain experience

EHR/claims/clinical data experience

HIPAA knowledge

Education

Bachelor’s or Master’s in CS/AI/DS/Engineering

Job description

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.

Primary Responsibilities:

• Define and drive the AI/ML strategy and roadmap aligned to business and healthcare priorities
• Oversee end-to-end AI/ML solution delivery, ensuring scalability, reliability, and impact
• Lead adoption of advanced AI capabilities including NLP, deep learning, predictive analytics, and GenAI
• Ensure delivery excellence across programs with focus on quality, timelines, and outcomes
• Build, lead, and mentor high-performing AI/ML teams
• Establish clear roles, responsibilities, and performance expectations
• Foster a culture of innovation, continuous learning, and engineering excellence
• Drive talent strategy, including hiring, onboarding, and retention
• Act as a trusted advisor to stakeholders and clients
• Collaborate with cross-functional leaders to align priorities and execution
• Manage client relationships and value realization
• Present strategic insights and program updates to executive audiences
• Lead AI initiatives using healthcare data (EHR, claims, clinical text) to drive transformation
• Ensure adherence to healthcare regulations, data privacy, and compliance standards (HIPAA)
• Establish engineering best practices, MLOps, governance, and KPI tracking to ensure performance and compliance
• Comply with all applicable Company policies, procedures, and business directives, changes including those relating to work location, team assignments, work schedules, and flexible work arrangements

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, AI/ML, Data Science, Engineering, or related field (Master's preferred)
• 10+ years of overall experience, with significant experience in AI/ML engineering and solution delivery
• Healthcare Domain Experience
• Demonstrated experience working with healthcare data and systems (EHR, claims, clinical data)
• Solid understanding of:
  • Knowledge of healthcare compliance and data privacy frameworks (HIPAA)
  • Healthcare workflows and industry use cases
  • Interoperability standards (HL7, FHIR - good to have)
• Proven track record of leading teams and delivering large-scale AI/ML programs

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.