Lead AI Software Engineer - Remote

UnitedHealth Group; Minnetonka (MN); Hybrid; USD 113,000 - 193,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Telecommuter Policy

Benefits package

Job summary

UnitedHealth Group’s Optum Tech team is hiring a senior AI/ML leader to architect and deliver AI-powered healthcare solutions. You will drive generative AI adoption, establish governance, and align AI work with enterprise goals while mentoring engineers and ensuring production readiness.

Remote work is available nationwide with in-office presence required in Minneapolis for some roles. The salary ranges from $112,700 to $193,200 annually, with comprehensive benefits and a focus on responsible AI

Qualifications

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence, ML, Data Science, Engineering, or related field
• 12+ years of software engineering experience, including 4+ years focused on AI/ML engineering
• 4+ years delivering enterprise-scale AI, ML, Data, or Cloud platforms in production
• 3+ years in a technical leadership role - setting technical direction, leading engineering teams, mentoring engineers
• Hands-on experience with Generative AI, including 3+ years with LLMs, NLP, and AI architecture, and 2+ years of applied experience with agentic AI patterns, RAG, and AI orchestration/automation frameworks
• Experience with cloud-native AI/ML services and infrastructure across major providers
• Experience with AI governance, model lifecycle management, and production operationalization/support processes
• Strong Python development skills and familiarity with enterprise-scale AI/ML platforms

Responsibilities

• Lead AI/ML adoption for the team - designing, developing, testing, deploying, and maintaining AI-powered solutions
• Provide technical leadership for AI initiatives, partnering with product management, architecture, and engineering leadership
• Build responsible AI solutions and services for the Provider community, ensuring compliance with ethical and regulatory standards
• Evaluate and leverage emerging cloud AI/ML offerings to deliver efficient, cost-effective solutions
• Drive alignment between AI initiatives and enterprise strategy, independently prioritizing and planning work
• Own the quality and operational excellence of AI software deliverables in production
• Mentor and train team members on AI/ML technologies, frameworks, and responsible AI practices

Skills

Python

Leadership

Cloud AI/ML

Generative AI

AI governance

NLP

Production software

Education

Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science or related field

Tools

AWS Bedrock/SageMaker

Azure OpenAI Service

GCP Vertex AI

ECS/EKS

OpenSearch

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 in making healthcare work better for everyone through people-led, responsible AI whileCaring. 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

• Lead AI/ML adoption for the team - designing, developing, testing, deploying, and maintaining AI-powered solutions that combine Generative AI and traditional ML techniques

• Provide technical leadership for AI initiatives (e.g., conversational AI/chatbots, predictive analytics, intelligent automation), partnering with product management, architecture, and engineering leadership to solve healthcare-specific challenges

• Build responsible AI solutions and services for the Provider community, ensuring compliance with ethical and regulatory standards, and lead AI governance, model lifecycle management, and production support

• Evaluate and leverage emerging cloud AI/ML offerings to deliver efficient, cost-effective solutions, including integrating AI into broader cloud modernization and digital-first initiatives

• Drive alignment between AI initiatives and enterprise strategy, independently prioritizing and planning work against business objectives

• Own the quality and operational excellence of AI software deliverables in production

• Mentor and train team members on AI/ML technologies, frameworks, and responsible AI practices

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 or Master's degree in Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Data Science, Engineering, or a related technical field, or equivalent practical experience

• 12+ years of software engineering experience, including 4+ years focused on AI/ML engineering

• 4+ years delivering enterprise-scale AI, ML, Data, or Cloud platforms in production

• 3+ years in a technical leadership role - setting technical direction, leading engineering teams, and mentoring engineers (formal people-management experience is a plus, not a requirement)

• Hands‑on experience with Generative AI, including 3+ years with LLMs, NLP, and AI architecture, and 2+ years of applied experience with agentic AI patterns, RAG, and AI orchestration/automation frameworks

• Experience with cloud‑native AI/ML services and infrastructure across major providers — e.g., managed GenAI/ML platforms (AWS Bedrock/SageMaker, Azure OpenAI Service/Azure ML, GCP Vertex AI), serverless compute (Lambda/Azure Functions/Cloud Functions), container orchestration (ECS/EKS, AKS, GKE), managed search/vector stores (OpenSearch, Azure AI Search, Elasticsearch), and object storage (S3, Blob Storage, Cloud Storage)

• Experience with AI governance, model lifecycle management, and production operationalization/support processes

• Strong Python development skills and familiarity with enterprise-scale AI/ML platforms

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience scoping and delivering large, cross‑team AI initiatives (budget/program‑management experience is a plus)

• Exposure to healthcare payer, claims, provider operations, utilization management, or other regulated industries

• Experience driving enterprise cloud modernization or platform transformation initiatives

• Strong stakeholder communication and cross‑functional collaboration skills

*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 $112,700 - $193,200 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.