Optum is seeking a Lead AI/ML Engineer to design, develop, and implement enterprise-scale machine learning systems and artificial intelligence solutions. The ideal candidate will have experience working on highly impactful datasets, architecting production-ready ML pipelines, and collaborating with cross-functional partners. This role offers the flexibility to work remotely from anywhere within the U.S.

Company: Optum

Role: Lead AI/ML Engineer

Location: Remote Nationwide or Hybrid in MN/DC (Eden Prairie)

Experience:

10+ years of experience in Software Development industry
2+ years of AI/ML engineering experience
2+ years of experience with Python and core ML libraries
2+ years of experience building and automating end-to-end MLOps pipelines

Key Skills:

Python
MLflow
Kubeflow
Airflow
Azure
AWS
Google Cloud Platform
Docker
Kubernetes
Git
CI/CD pipelines
unit testing

Qualification:

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or related quantitative field

Role Focus:

Design, develop, and deploy production-grade machine learning models and scalable AI solutions
Design and implement end-to-end MLOps pipelines
Evaluate emerging AI/ML trends, frameworks, and methodologies
Collaborate with cross-functional teams
Provide technical leadership, mentorship, and guidance to junior and mid-level engineers
Troubleshoot, optimize, and maintain deployed models and pipelines

Nice to have:

Experience with Generative AI, Large Language Models (LLMs), prompt engineering, or retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) frameworks
Experience with distributed computing frameworks (e.g., Spark, Ray) and high-performance computing
Experience working in the healthcare sector, specifically in clinical or behavioral health technology domains
Solid understanding of data engineering principles, relational and non-relational databases (SQL, NoSQL, Vector databases)
Proven excellent communication and presentation skills

Other:

Comprehensive benefits package
Incentive and recognition programs
Equity stock purchase
401k
UnitedHealth Group's Telecommuter Policy

Lead AI/ML Engineer

Skills Required

Description