Senior AI & NLP Data Scientist - Applied Analytics (Remote)

Optum; Eden Prairie (MN); Hybrid; USD 92,000 - 164,000; Full time

Job summary

Optum is seeking a Senior Data Scientist to lead applied AI, NLP, and LLM initiatives across healthcare analytics. You will shape technical direction, build scalable data pipelines, and mentor a team of data scientists while partnering with business stakeholders to translate complex needs into practical AI solutions.

This role blends hands-on modeling, solution architecture, and strategic leadership. You will work on end-to-end production-ready AI capabilities, including voice analytics and

Qualifications

• 4+ years of experience in analytics or data science.
• 3+ years applying ML, NLP, optimization, OR to business problems.
• 3+ years creating dashboards using Power BI/Tableau.
• 2+ years data engineering, data modeling, SQL development.
• 2+ years designing and implementing data pipelines and production analytics.
• Experience leading projects, technical reviews, and mentoring.
• Production NLP/Generative AI/LLM, voice analytics experience.
• Advanced Python and SQL, production-quality code.
• Lead complex analytical initiatives end-to-end.
• Strategic thinking and clear communication to stakeholders.
• Navigate ambiguity and translate opportunities into technical solutions.

Responsibilities

• Lead applied AI, NLP, and LLM initiatives and set technical direction.
• Translate business needs into scalable AI architectures and workflows.
• Develop data pipelines, features, and model monitoring for production use.
• Mentor data scientists and drive knowledge sharing.
• Collaborate with stakeholders to define analytics roadmaps and deliverables.
• Ensure production readiness with documentation and governance practices.

Skills

Analytics experience

ML/NLP/OR

BI dashboards

Data engineering

Data pipelines

Project leadership

NLP/LLM production

Python SQL

Analytical leadership

Strategic communication

Ambiguity handling

Tools

Power BI

Tableau

Job description

Optum is seeking a Senior Data Scientist to lead applied AI, NLP, and LLM initiatives across healthcare analytics. You will shape technical direction, build scalable data pipelines, and mentor a team of data scientists while partnering with business stakeholders to translate complex needs into practical AI solutions.

This role blends hands-on modeling, solution architecture, and strategic leadership. You will work on end-to-end production-ready AI capabilities, including voice analytics and