Lead Software Engineer - AI

Humana Inc; Washington (District of Columbia); On-site; USD 129,000 - 178,000; Full time

Job summary

Humana Inc. is seeking a Lead Software Engineer to architect and own AI systems, including LLM-based tools, RAG pipelines, and agent orchestration, across care workflows.

You will collaborate with product, clinicians, and data teams, ensuring HIPAA compliance and responsible AI practices while delivering scalable production solutions. Applicants should have 8+ years in software engineering with 4+ years in production AI/ML and strong Python/Typescript skills.

Qualifications

• BS or MS in CS, Engineering, or related field (or equivalent experience).
• 8+ years software engineering with 4+ years in production AI/ML.
• Hands-on with large language models and orchestration frameworks (LangChain, LlamaIndex, or equivalent).
• Strong Python, Typescript, and ML tooling experience (Hugging Face, PyTorch).
• Experience designing and deploying RAG pipelines and vector search in production.

Responsibilities

• Own end-to-end AI system architecture including LLMs and RAG pipelines.
• Develop and fine-tune foundation models with safety and accuracy focus.
• Collaborate with product, clinicians, and data teams to translate care workflows.
• Ensure HIPAA compliance and responsible AI practices in production.

Skills

Python

Typescript

LangChain

LlamaIndex

Hugging Face

PyTorch

RAG pipelines

Agent orchestration

Education

Bachelor's/Master's degree in CS or related field

Tools

Claude Code

Pi Agent

Cursor

Codex

Job description

Become a part of our caring community

The Lead Software Engineer codes software applications based on business requirements. The Lead Software Engineer works on problems of diverse scope and complexity ranging from moderate to substantial.

The Lead Software Engineer standardizes the quality assurance procedure for software. Oversees testing and debugging and develops fixes. Researches complaints and makes necessary adjustments and/or recommendations to resolve complex software related issues. Advises executives to develop functional strategies (often segment specific) on matters of significance. Exercises independent judgment and decision making on complex issues regarding job duties and related tasks, and works under minimal supervision, Uses independent judgment requiring analysis of variable factors and determining the best course of action.

Key Responsibilities

• Technical Architecture and Ownership:** Design and own the end-to-end architecture of Centerwell's AI systems, including LLM-powered clinical tools, RAG pipelines, harnesses, agent-based workflows, and intelligent automation. Make and communicate foundational technical decisions in close collaboration with the broader engineering team.
• Model Development and Fine-Tuning:** Evaluate, select, and where appropriate guide the fine-tuning of foundation models. Establish model evaluation frameworks that prioritize safety, accuracy, and clinical relevance.
• Clinical and Product Partnership:** Collaborate closely with product managers, designers, clinicians, and data stakeholders to understand care delivery workflows and translate them into well-scoped, high-impact AI features.
• HIPAA Compliance and Responsible AI:** Ensure all AI systems are designed, deployed, and monitored in compliance with HIPAA and Humana's Responsible AI standards, including participation in AIRB and Responsible AI Council review processes where applicable.

Use your skills to make an impact

Required Qualifications

• B.S. or M.S. in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field (or equivalent experience)
• 8+ years of software engineering experience, with 4+ years focused on production AI/ML systems
• Deep, hands-on experience building with large language models and orchestration frameworks (LangChain, LlamaIndex, or equivalent)
• Strong proficiency in Python, Typescript and modern ML tooling (Hugging Face, PyTorch, or similar)
• Proven experience designing and deploying RAG pipelines and vector search systems in production
• Working knowledge of model fine-tuning approaches (LoRA, RLHF, instruction tuning, or equivalent)
• Experience designing and implementing custom LLM and agent evaluation frameworks, including automated eval pipelines, benchmark construction, and output quality assessment at scale
• Experience designing and building multi-agent AI systems, including agent orchestration, tool use, and sandboxed execution environments
• Demonstrated ownership of complex AI systems end-to-end, from architecture through production operation
• Understanding of HIPAA requirements and secure handling of protected health information (PHI)
• Strong written and verbal communication skills across technical and non-technical audiences
• Hands-on experience with AI-assisted development tools and LLM coding harnesses (Claude Code, Pi Agent, Cursor, Codex, or similar)

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in healthcare, clinical informatics, or other highly regulated industries
• Exposure to clinical NLP, medical coding, or EHR/FHIR data standards
• Experience operating AI systems at scale on cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, or GCP)

Additional Information

The candidate must live close to one of our designated IT locations: NYC, NY; Louisville, KY; Tampa, FL; Fort Lauderdale, FL; Dallas/Frisco, TX; Boston, MA; Washington, D.C: Atlanta, GA, Nashville, TN, Chicago, IL, or Charlotte, NC.

Scheduled Weekly Hours

40

Pay Range

The compensation range below reflects a good faith estimate of starting base pay for full time (40 hours per week) employment at the time of posting. The pay range may be higher or lower based on geographic location and individual pay will vary based on demonstrated job related skills, knowledge, experience, education, certifications, etc.$129,300 - $177,800 per yearThis job is eligible for a bonus incentive plan. This incentive opportunity is based upon company and/or individual performance.

Description of Benefits

Humana, Inc. and its affiliated subsidiaries (collectively, “Humana”) offers competitive benefits that support whole-person well-being. Associate benefits are designed to encourage personal wellness and smart healthcare decisions for you and your family while also knowing your life extends outside of work. Among our benefits, Humana provides medical, dental and vision benefits, 401(k) retirement savings plan, time off (including paid time off, company and personal holidays, paid parental and caregiver leave), short-term and long-term disability, life insurance and many other opportunities.

About Us

About Humana: Humana Inc. (NYSE: HUM) is a leading U.S. healthcare company. Through our Humana insurance services and our CenterWell healthcare services, we make it easier for the millions of people we serve to achieve their best health – delivering the care and service they need, when they need it. These efforts are leading to a better quality of life for people with Medicare and Medicaid, families, individuals, military service personnel, and communities at large. Learn more about what we offer atHumana.comand atCenterWell.com.

Equal Opportunity Employer

It is the policy of Humana not to discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment because of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, marital status, genetic information, disability or protected veteran status. It is also the policy of Humana to take affirmative action, in compliance with Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act and VEVRAA, to employ and to advance in employment individuals with disability or protected veteran status, and to base all employment decisions only on valid job requirements. This policy shall apply to all employment actions, including but not limited to recruitment, hiring, upgrading, promotion, transfer, demotion, layoff, recall, termination, rates of pay or other forms of compensation and selection for training, including apprenticeship, at all levels of employment.