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

Optum; Tempe (AZ); On-site; USD 146,000 - 250,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Comprehensive benefits package

Equity stock purchase programs

401(k) contribution

Job summary

Optum seeks a Lead AI/ML Engineer in Tempe, AZ to lead design, development, deployment, and scaling of enterprise AI/ML solutions that improve clinical outcomes and operational efficiency. You will mentor engineers, shape architecture, and drive MLOps practices across cross-functional teams.

You will work with product management, data science, architecture, and business stakeholders to translate strategic requirements into deliverable AI capabilities, while guiding production-grade ML systems in

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in CS or related field or 5+ years in lieu of degree.
• 5+ years of software engineering/ML engineering across SDLC.
• 3+ years deploying production ML solutions in cloud environments (Azure/AWS/GCP).
• 3+ years of Python and SQL/PySpark.
• 2+ years of CI/CD pipelines for production delivery.
• Experience with large-scale distributed data and computing platforms.

Responsibilities

• Lead end-to-end design, development, deployment, and operationalization of production-grade ML models and AI-enabled software.
• Build and support scalable, cloud-based AI/ML systems, data pipelines, and feature workflows for batch and real-time workloads.
• Establish and drive MLOps: model orchestration, CI/CD automation, testing, drift detection, retraining, governance.
• Monitor and optimize production ML systems for reliability, scalability, and performance.
• Apply NLP, deep learning, computer vision, foundation models to healthcare challenges.
• Provide technical leadership and architecture guidance across teams.
• Translate strategy into deliverable AI capabilities and communicate approaches to leadership.

Skills

Python

SQL

Distributed systems

MLOps

Education

Bachelor's degree in CS or related field

Master's degree preferred

Tools

Databricks

Azure ML

Snowflake

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.

The Lead AI/ML Engineer will lead the design, development, deployment, and scaling of enterprise AI/ML solutions that improve clinical outcomes, patient engagement, operational efficiency, and regulatory compliance. This role is responsible for driving engineering best practices, MLOps excellence, and production-scale machine learning solutions while partnering with cross-functional teams to deliver innovative healthcare products leveraging structured and unstructured data. Combining deep technical expertise with technical leadership, this role involves hands‑on development, architecture guidance, and mentorship of engineers while enabling enterprise-wide AI adoption.

If you are located in MN or DC, you will have the flexibility to work remotely* as you take on some tough challenges. This position follows a office-based schedule withfour in‑office days per week.

Primary Responsibilities

• Lead the end‑to‑end design, development, deployment, and operationalization of production‑grade machine learning models and AI‑enabled software solutions
• Build and support scalable, cloud‑based AI/ML systems, data pipelines, and feature workflows for both batch and real‑time workloads
• Establish and drive MLOps practices, including model orchestration, CI/CD automation, testing, drift detection, automated retraining, and operational governance
• Manage, monitor, and optimize production machine learning systems to ensure high reliability, scalability, and performance
• Apply advanced AI/ML techniques‑such as Natural Language Processing (NLP), deep learning, computer vision, foundation models, and modern AI architectures‑to address complex healthcare challenges
• Provide technical leadership, architecture guidance, and mentorship to engineers while driving engineering excellence across cross‑functional teams
• Partner with product management, data science, architecture, and business stakeholders to translate strategic requirements into deliverable AI capabilities and communicate technical approaches to 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

• Bachelor’s degree or 5+ years of software engineering / machine learning engineering experience in lieu of degree
• 5+ years of software engineering experience across all phases of the Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC)
• 3+ years of experience designing, developing, and deploying production‑grade machine learning solutions in cloud environments (Azure, AWS, or GCP)
• 3+ years of programming experience with Python and SQL or PySpark
• 2+ years of experience implementing CI/CD pipelines and automated deployment practices for production software delivery
• Experience working with large‑scale distributed data and computing platforms

Preferred Qualifications

• Master's degree or PhD in Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Data Science, or a related quantitative field
• Experience with enterprise AI/ML platforms such as Databricks, Azure Machine Learning, or Snowflake
• Experience building and deploying Generative AI, Large Language Models (LLMs), NLP, or advanced analytics solutions
• Experience working within regulated healthcare, payer, provider, or clinical environments
• Expertise in MLOps practices including model monitoring, drift detection, model governance, and automated retraining
• Demonstrated ability to lead complex technical initiatives and influence engineering strategy across teams
• 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.