Manager of AI/ML Engineering

Optum is a global organization that delivers care, aided by technology to help millions of people live healthier lives. The work you do with our team will directly improve health outcomes by connecting people with the care, pharmacy benefits, data and resources they need to feel their best. Here, you will find a culture guided by inclusion, talented peers, comprehensive benefits and career development opportunities. Come make an impact on the communities we serve as you help us advance health optimization on a global scale. Join us to start Caring. Connecting. Growing together.  

The Manager, AI/ML Engineering will lead the strategy, architecture, and delivery of enterprise-scale AI/ML, Generative AI, LLM, Agentic AI, and Intelligent Automation solutions that drive business value and operational excellence. The role is responsible for building and mentoring high-performing teams while delivering scalable, secure, and cloud-native AI platforms using Azure, Databricks, PySpark, Scala, Kubernetes, and MLOps frameworks.

The manager will partner with Data Science, Product, Architecture, Engineering, and Business stakeholders to translate strategic priorities into AI solutions, ensuring engineering excellence, platform reliability, AI governance, and successful delivery of enterprise AI initiatives. The role will also drive adoption of emerging technologies such as LLMs, RAG, Multi-Agent Systems, Vector Search, and Responsible AI practices, while influencing technology roadmaps and innovation across the organization.

Primary Responsibilities:

• Evaluate emerging AI technologies, frameworks, and tools to drive innovation and continuous improvement
• Lead and manage a team of AI/ML Engineers responsible for building and supporting enterprise AI solutions
• Define and execute the organization's AI/ML and Generative AI strategy, aligned with business objectives and technology roadmaps
• Drive architecture and implementation of LLM, RAG, Agentic AI, Predictive Analytics, and Intelligent Automation solutions
• Establish engineering standards, development frameworks, AI governance controls, and operational best practices
• Oversee end-to-end AI solution lifecycle including design, development, testing, deployment, monitoring, and optimization
• Partner with business leaders to identify opportunities for AI-driven transformation and measurable business impact
• Lead architecture reviews, code reviews, technical design sessions, and technology evaluations
• Create technical documentation and provide support for AI/ML application deployments, monitoring, and incident resolution
• Drive adoption of MLOps, CI/CD, Model Monitoring, Drift Management, and Responsible AI practices
• Manage project execution, delivery commitments, capacity planning, vendor engagement, and stakeholder communications
• Ensure enterprise AI platforms meet security, scalability, reliability, compliance, and operational requirements
• Builder Responsibilities:
  • Design, develop, and deploy AI-powered solutions using no-code, low-code, and advanced platforms, translating business needs into scalable applications that enhance products, workflows, and decision-making
• Comply with the terms and conditions of the employment contract, company policies and procedures, and any and all directives (such as, but not limited to, transfer and/or re-assignment to different work locations, change in teams and/or work shifts, policies in regards to flexibility of work benefits and/or work environment, alternative work arrangements, and other decisions that may arise due to the changing business environment). The Company may adopt, vary or rescind these policies and directives in its absolute discretion and without any limitation (implied or otherwise) on its ability to do so

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, or equivalent
• 12+ years of professional experience in AI/ML engineering, including machine learning, Generative AI, LLM-based applications, Agentic AI frameworks, and Big data platform development
• Solid hands-on experience with Python and Scala
• Hands-on experience with Snowflake and solid expertise in SQL and PL/SQL
• Hands-on experience with Docker, Kubernetes, and modern DevOps practices
• Experience building large-scale batch and streaming data processing systems
• Experience working in cloud environments, preferably Microsoft Azure
• Experience with Shell scripting for automation and operational support
• Experience developing, training, fine-tuning, and deploying AI/ML models using frameworks such as scikit-learn, TensorFlow, PyTorch, and Generative AI/LLM ecosystems
• Experience building and managing CI/CD pipelines using Jenkins, GitHub Actions, and Git-based workflows
• Experience working in Agile development environments
• Hands-on exposure to LLMs (e.g., OpenAI GPT, Azure OpenAI), including prompt design, fine-tuning concepts, and secure workflow integration
• Expertise on REST APIs and FAST API

• Expertise in Apache Spark and solid understanding of Hadoop ecosystem concepts

• Solid understanding of MLOps practices, including automated model training, deployment, monitoring, drift detection, and retraining pipelines
• Understanding of Model Context Protocol (MCP) and AI tool integration pattern
• Understanding of the ML model lifecycle, including training, evaluation, deployment, and monitoring
• Proven solid collaboration skills with cross-functional teams and stakeholders
• Proven ability to analyze complex problems and deliver solution-focused outcomes

Preferred Qualification:

• Good understanding of US healthcare domain
• Familiarity with Azure AI Search for building and deploying conversational AI solutions

At UnitedHealth Group, our mission is to help people live healthier lives and make the health system work better for everyone. We believe everyone-of every race, gender, sexuality, age, location and income-deserves the opportunity to live their healthiest life. Today, however, there are still far too many barriers to good health which are disproportionately experienced by people of color, historically marginalized groups and those with lower incomes. We are committed to mitigating our impact on the environment and enabling and delivering equitable care that addresses health disparities and improves health outcomes - an enterprise priority reflected in our mission.