Sr Data Scientist

Optum; Minnetonka (MN); Remote; USD 92,000 - 164,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Comprehensive benefits package

Equity stock purchase

401k contribution

Incentive and recognition programs

Job summary

Optum is seeking a Sr Data Scientist in Minnetonka, MN (remote) to analyze healthcare data and build predictive AI/ML solutions that improve operational and business outcomes. You will collaborate across teams, deploy models in real workflows, and present insights to stakeholders.

The role offers comprehensive benefits, incentive programs, and equity stock purchase opportunities, with a strong emphasis on analytics, experimentation, and continuous improvement.

Qualifications

• 3+ years of experience in Data Science, Machine Learning, AI, or Advanced Analytics
• Experience working with large-scale datasets
• Hands-on experience with ML frameworks such as Scikit-learn, TensorFlow, PyTorch, XGBoost
• Knowledge of data visualization and analytical storytelling
• Proficiency in Python, SQL, R, or similar analytical languages
• Strong foundation in statistics, predictive modeling, and machine learning
• Proven problem-solving and communication skills

Responsibilities

• Analyze structured and unstructured datasets to surface trends, opportunities and business insights
• Develop and deploy models for prediction, classification, clustering, and optimization
• Use ML, statistical analysis, and AI techniques to address business problems
• Discover hidden patterns and relationships within complex datasets
• Support experimentation, hypothesis testing and model validation
• Partner with business, operations and technology teams to define analytical requirements and solutions
• Translate business challenges into data science use cases and analytical frameworks
• Produce insights and recommendations to improve operational performance and business outcomes
• Create reusable analytical assets, models and reporting frameworks
• Apply AI/ML approaches including predictive analytics, anomaly detection, recommendation systems, NLP and generative AI
• Monitor and evaluate model performance and recommend enhancements
• Present analytical findings and insights to stakeholders
• Contribute to data science best practices and continuous improvement efforts

Skills

Data science

Large-scale datasets

Python

SQL

R

Statistics

Predictive modeling

Communication

Problem solving

Tools

Scikit-learn

TensorFlow

PyTorch

XGBoost

Job description

Optum is looking for a Sr Data Scientist in Minnetonka, MN (remote) to analyze healthcare-related structured and unstructured data and build predictive and AI/ML solutions that support better operational and business outcomes. You will collaborate across business and technology teams, deploy models into real workflows, and share insights with stakeholders. The role is backed by a comprehensive benefits package and compensation in the $91,700 to $163,700 range annually (based on full-time employment), with incentive and recognition programs and an equity stock purchase opportunity.

What you’ll do

• Analyze structured and unstructured datasets to surface trends, opportunities, and business insights
• Develop and deploy models for prediction, classification, clustering, and optimization
• Use machine learning, statistical analysis, and AI techniques to address business problems
• Discover hidden patterns and relationships within complex datasets
• Support experimentation, hypothesis testing, and model validation
• Partner with business, operations, and technology teams to define analytical requirements and solutions
• Translate business challenges into data science use cases and analytical frameworks
• Produce insights and recommendations to improve operational performance and business outcomes
• Create reusable analytical assets, models, and reporting frameworks
• Apply AI/ML approaches including predictive analytics, anomaly detection, recommendation systems, NLP, and generative AI when appropriate
• Monitor and evaluate model performance, recommending enhancements as needed
• Present analytical findings and insights to stakeholders
• Contribute to data science best practices and continuous improvement efforts

What you bring

• 3+ years of experience in Data Science, Machine Learning, AI, or Advanced Analytics
• Experience working with large-scale datasets
• Hands-on experience with ML frameworks such as Scikit-learn, TensorFlow, PyTorch, XGBoost, or equivalent
• Knowledge of data visualization and analytical storytelling
• Proficiency in Python, SQL, R, or similar analytical languages
• A strong foundation in statistics, predictive modeling, and machine learning
• Proven problem-solving and communication skills

Tech stack you’ll use

Python, SQL, R, Scikit-learn, TensorFlow, PyTorch, XGBoost, NLP, generative AI, predictive analytics, anomaly detection, recommendation systems

Preferred qualifications

• Experience with Generative AI, Large Language Models (LLMs), Agentic AI, or related technologies
• Experience building predictive or decision intelligence solutions
• Experience with anomaly detection, recommendation engines, or intelligent automation solutions
• Experience working in large enterprise environments
• Familiarity with cloud-based analytics platforms

Benefits and compensation

• Comprehensive benefits package
• Incentive and recognition programs
• Equity stock purchase
• 401k contribution (all benefits subject to eligibility requirements)
• Salary range: $91,700 to $163,700 annually (based on full-time employment)

Application timeline

• Posted for a minimum of 2 business days or until a sufficient candidate pool has been collected
• May come down early due to volume of applicants