Sr AI/ML Engineer - Remote

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 while Caring. Connecting. Growing together.

As a Sr AI/ML Engineer within Optum, you will be part of an innovative engineering team dedicated to transforming healthcare delivery and operational efficiency through advanced machine learning and artificial intelligence capabilities. In this role, you will design, build, and operationalize enterprise-scale AI solutions, models, and intelligent workflows that solve complex business and healthcare challenges. You will collaborate closely with cross-functional technical teams, leveraging modern cloud infrastructure and robust MLOps practices to deploy high-impact, reliable, and responsible AI systems at scale.

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:

• Design, develop, and deploy AI-powered solutions to address complex business challenges with an emphasis on the responsible use of technology
• Leverage enterprise-approved AI tools and developer assistants to streamline workflows, automate repetitive tasks, and drive continuous improvement
• Evaluate emerging trends, modern frameworks, and advanced tools to inform software solution design and strategic innovation
• Collaborate as an active team player with cross-functional engineering, product, and business partners to build scalable and high-performance applications
• Adapt proactively to rapid changes in the technology landscape, integrating modern developer tools and agentic capabilities into engineering practices
• Lead and participate in architecture design reviews, system planning, and security evaluations
• Mentor and provide technical guidance to associate and junior software engineers, fostering a collaborative and inclusive learning environment
• Troubleshoot, debug, and optimize complex software systems across multiple environments
• Design, develop, and deploy AI-powered solutions to address complex business challenges with emphasis on responsible use of AI

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: 

• 5+ years of professional software engineering experience or data/machine learning engineering experience delivering production-grade systems
• 3+ years of experience with modern programming languages (preferably Java, Python, Angular)
• 2+ years of experience with cloud platform technologies (such as AWS, Azure)
• 2+ years of experience working in an Agile development team environment
• 2+ years of experience with relational or non-relational databases
• Experience designing or integrating AI-powered capabilities, developer assistants (such as Codex), or agentic models (such as Claude)

Preferred Qualifications:  

• Bachelor's degree or higher in Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence, Data Science, or a related technical field
• Experience with generative AI technologies, Large Language Models (LLMs), prompt engineering, or vector databases (e.g., LangChain, LlamaIndex, Pinecone)
• Familiarity with containerization and orchestration technologies (e.g., Docker, Kubernetes)
• Experience working with healthcare data standards (e.g., FHIR, HL7) or operating within regulated compliance frameworks (e.g., HIPAA)

*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 $120,100 - $214,500 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.