Lead AI/ML Engineer Remote Nationwide or Office-Based in MN/DC

UnitedHealth Group; Eden Prairie (MN); Hybrid; USD 146,000 - 250,000; Full time

Job summary

UnitedHealth Group's Optum Tech team seeks an experienced software leader to own end-to-end AI/ML systems from discovery through deployment, delivering scalable, production-grade AI capabilities.

You can work remotely from anywhere in the U.S., but in the Minneapolis area you will be required to work in the office a minimum of four days per week.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or related quantitative field (or equivalent global degree)
• 10+ years of experience in Software Development industry
• 5+ years of experience with Java/Spring Boot
• 2+ years of experience with ReactJS or other JavaScript frameworks
• 2+ years of AI/ML engineering experience with production ML models
• Experience with Python and ML libraries
• Experience with cloud platforms (Azure, AWS, GCP) and containers (Docker, Kubernetes)
• Strong knowledge of Git, CI/CD, and unit testing

Responsibilities

• Own Discovery, technical scoping, system design, build and deploy AI-enabled software
• Lead and mentor pods of engineers building AI solutions
• Evaluate AI/ML trends to inform design and optimize models
• Collaborate with data scientists, engineers and PMs to translate requirements into AI capabilities
• Provide technical leadership and best practices across teams
• Troubleshoot and maintain deployed models and pipelines for high performance
• Utilize enterprise AI tools to streamline workflows and improve engineering lifecycle

Skills

Java/Spring Boot

ReactJS

AI/ML

Python

Docker

Kubernetes

Git

CI/CD

Cloud Platforms

Education

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science/Engineering

Tools

Docker

Kubernetes

Git

Job description

Optum Tech is a global leader in health care innovation. Our teams develop cutting-edge solutions that help people live healthier lives and help make the health system work better for everyone. From advanced data analytics and AI to cybersecurity, we use innovative approaches to solve some of health care's most complex challenges. Your contributions here have the potential to change lives. Ready to build the next breakthrough? Join us to start Caring. Connecting. Growing together.

You’ll enjoy the flexibility to work remotely * from anywhere within the U.S. as you take on some tough challenges. For all hires in the Minneapolis or Washington, D.C. area, you will be required to work in the office a minimum of four days per week.

Primary Responsibilities:

• Own Discovery, technical scoping, system Design, build, and deploy production-grade software using AI models and scalable solutions to address complex business challenges, emphasizing responsible and ethical use of AI
• Lead and mentor 1 or more pods of engineers that build software using AI Development Life Cycle (AIDLC)
• Evaluate emerging AI/ML trends, frameworks, and methodologies to inform solution design, drive strategic innovation, and continuously optimize existing models
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams, including data scientists, software engineers, and product managers, to translate complex business requirements into robust, reusable AI capabilities
• Provide technical leadership, mentorship, and guidance to junior and mid-level engineers, championing engineering best practices and architectural standards
• Troubleshoot, optimize, and maintain deployed models and pipelines to ensure high availability, scalability, and performance in production environments
• Use enterprise-approved AI tools to streamline workflows, automate tasks, and drive continuous improvement within the engineering lifecycle

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:

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or related quantitative field (or equivalent global degree)
• 10+ years of experience in Software Development industry
• 5+ years of experience with Java/Spring Boot
• 2+ years of experience with ReactJS or other JavaScript frameworks
• 2+ years of AI/ML engineering experience, with a proven track record of designing, building, and deploying ML models in a production environment
• Experience with Python and/or other ML libraries
• Experience with cloud platform environments (e.g., Azure, AWS, or Google Cloud Platform) and containerization technologies (e.g., Docker, Kubernetes)
• Solid knowledge of software engineering best practices, including version control (Git), CI/CD pipelines, and unit testing

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience with Generative AI, Large Language Models (LLMs), prompt engineering, or retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) frameworks
• Experience with distributed computing frameworks (e.g., Spark, Ray) and high-performance computing
• Experience working in the healthcare sector, specifically in clinical or behavioral health technology domains
• Solid understanding of data engineering principles, relational and non-relational databases (SQL, NoSQL, Vector databases)
• Proven excellent communication and presentation skills, with the ability to explain complex technical AI/ML concepts to non-technical stakeholders

*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 $145,500 - $249,500 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 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.

UnitedHealth Group is 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 is a drug - free workplace. Candidates are required to pass a drug test before beginning employment.