Director - AI/ML Engineering - Enterprise Digital Experience - Remote

Optum; Eden Prairie (MN); Remote; USD 177,000 - 303,000; Full time

Job summary

Optum is a global healthtech leader delivering care through technology. We seek a senior AI/ML leader to build and grow a high-performing engineering organization responsible for LLMs, RAG, AI agents, and decision-support tools across the Enterprise Finance domain.

You will partner with Finance, Security, Compliance, and Architecture to deliver trusted, governed AI capabilities. You’ll define strategy, lead a team of engineers and technical leaders, establish standards for prompt engineering and

Qualifications

• Undergraduate degree or equivalent experience.
• 10+ years of experience in software engineering, AI/ML engineering, data science, or related technical fields.
• 5+ years leading engineering organizations and developing technical leaders.
• Experience delivering enterprise-scale AI and machine learning solutions in production.
• Experience leading cross-functional initiatives involving business, technology, security, compliance, and risk stakeholders.
• Solid understanding of generative AI, LLMs, AI agents, RAG architectures, model evaluation, and AI governance.
• Proven excellent executive communication, organizational leadership, and strategic planning skills.

Responsibilities

• Define and execute the AI/ML engineering strategy and roadmap supporting Enterprise Finance
• Build, lead, and develop a high-performing team of AI/ML engineers and technical leaders
• Drive the design, development, and scaling of AI solutions including LLMs, RAG, agentic workflows, and decision-support applications
• Establish engineering standards for prompt engineering, model evaluation, observability, governance, and Responsible AI
• Partner with Finance, Data Engineering, Security, Privacy, Compliance, and Architecture teams to deliver trusted, governed AI capabilities
• Ensure AI solutions are built on trusted enterprise data and aligned with enterprise risk requirements
• Oversee AI operations, monitoring, model performance, drift detection, and continuous improvement
• Communicate AI strategy, business value, risks, and investment priorities to senior leadership

Skills

AI/ML leadership

Executive communication

Strategy planning

Cross-functional work

LLMs/RAG expertise

Software engineering

Education

Bachelor's degree or equivalent

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 in making healthcare work better for everyone through people-led, responsible AI while Caring. Connecting. Growing together.

This leader will build and develop a high-performing AI/ML engineering organization responsible for delivering large language model (LLM) applications, retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) solutions, AI agents, classification models, summarization capabilities, and intelligent decision-support tools. The role requires strong technical leadership, organizational leadership, and the ability to partner effectively with finance, technology, risk, and compliance stakeholders.

You’ll enjoy the flexibility to work remotely * from anywhere within the U.S. as you take on some tough challenges.

Primary Responsibilities

• Define and execute the AI/ML engineering strategy and roadmap supporting Enterprise Finance
• Build, lead, and develop a high-performing team of AI/ML engineers and technical leaders
• Drive the design, development, and scaling of AI solutions including LLMs, RAG, agentic workflows, and decision-support applications
• Establish engineering standards for prompt engineering, model evaluation, observability, governance, and Responsible AI
• Partner with Finance, Data Engineering, Security, Privacy, Compliance, and Architecture teams to deliver trusted, governed AI capabilities
• Ensure AI solutions are built on trusted enterprise data and aligned with enterprise risk requirements
• Oversee AI operations, monitoring, model performance, drift detection, and continuous improvement
• Communicate AI strategy, business value, risks, and investment priorities to senior leadership

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 software engineering, AI/ML engineering, data science, or related technical fields
• 5+ years of experience leading engineering organizations and developing technical leaders
• Experience delivering enterprise-scale AI and machine learning solutions in production environments
• Experience leading cross-functional initiatives involving business, technology, security, compliance, and risk stakeholders
• Solid understanding of generative AI, LLMs, AI agents, RAG architectures, model evaluation, and AI governance
• Proven excellent executive communication, organizational leadership, and strategic planning skills

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience supporting Finance, FP&A, Accounting, Treasury, Tax, or other corporate finance functions
• Experience building and scaling enterprise AI platforms and engineering organizations
• Experience in highly regulated industries with strong governance requirements
• Solid knowledge of Responsible AI, model governance, and AI risk management practices
• 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 $176,700 - $302,900 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 help make the health system work better for everyone. Together, we are shaping the future of healthcare by harnessing technology and innovation to make care simpler to navigate, more affordable and more connected for the people we serve. We are committed to creating an inclusive workplace where everyone feels welcomed, valued, heard and respected, empowering people to bring their authentic selves to work and strengthening our collective impact through diverse talents, backgrounds, experiences and perspectives.

UnitedHealth Group and its affiliated brands are 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 and its affiliated brands are a drug-free workplace. Candidates are required to pass a drug test before beginning employment.

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