[Hiring] Director of AI/ML Engineering @UnitedHealth Group

Role Description

As the Director of AI/ML Engineering within OptumRx Technology, you will lead the vision, architecture, design, and deployment of enterprise AI/ML engineering initiatives that deliver measurable business value and accelerate digital transformation. In this role, you will direct the engineering, automation, and operationalization of scalable AI/ML platforms, products, and services—including Generative AI, Large Language Models (LLMs), agentic AI systems, retrieval augmented generation (RAG), and intelligent workflow orchestration. You will build, mentor, and empower high-performing engineering teams to design and deliver secure, enterprise-grade AI solutions that optimize pharmacy benefits delivery, enhance operational efficiency, and drive continuous technology innovation.

You’ll enjoy the flexibility to work remotely from anywhere within the U.S. as you take on some tough challenges.

Primary Responsibilities:

• Design, develop, and deploy AI-powered solutions to address complex business challenges with emphasis on responsible use of AI.
• Use enterprise-approved AI tools to streamline workflows, automate tasks, and drive continuous improvement.
• Evaluate emerging trends to inform solution design and strategic innovation.
• Lead the vision, strategy, architecture, and execution of enterprise AI/ML engineering initiatives that deliver measurable business value and accelerate digital transformation.
• Direct the design, development, deployment, and operation of scalable AI/ML platforms, products, and services, including Generative AI, machine learning, predictive analytics, and intelligent automation solutions.
• Establish engineering standards, reference architectures, and best practices for AI/ML development, MLOps, model deployment, observability, reliability, and lifecycle management.
• Partner with business, product, analytics, and technology leaders to identify opportunities where AI can improve customer experiences, operational efficiency, decision-making, and revenue growth.
• Lead the adoption of emerging AI technologies, including large language models (LLMs), agentic AI systems, retrieval augmented generation (RAG), semantic search, and intelligent workflow orchestration.
• Drive cloud-native AI platform development and integration with enterprise data, applications, and technology ecosystems while ensuring scalability, security, and performance.
• Ensure compliance with enterprise AI governance, responsible AI principles, security standards, privacy requirements, and applicable regulatory obligations.

Qualifications

• 15+ years of experience in software engineering, with a significant focus on AI/ML and data-driven systems.
• 5+ years of experience designing and deploying cloud-native solutions (Azure or AWS), including scalable AI/ML workloads.
• 4+ years of experience leading large-scale AI/ML engineering organizations (20–50+ team members) with globally distributed teams.
• 2+ years of hands-on experience with implementing AI/ML solutions using Databricks technologies and frameworks.
• Experience implementing AI-enabled software development lifecycle practices (AIDLC) and related tools/frameworks using Databricks.
• Demonstrated ability to connect AI investments to measurable business outcomes (e.g., ROI, operational efficiency, revenue growth, risk reduction).
• Demonstrated ability to collaborate with global teams, including overlap with US-based stakeholders as needed.

Preferred Qualifications

• Undergraduate degree in Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence, Data Science, or a related technical field.
• Experience with enterprise MLOps platforms, automated deployment pipelines, and continuous monitoring of production AI models.
• Knowledge of pharmacy benefits management (PBM), healthcare data standards, and regulatory/privacy requirements.
• Track record of evaluating emerging AI technologies and managing vendor relationships.
• Proven ability to foster innovation, technical excellence, and AI transformation across multi-disciplinary teams.

Requirements

• *All employees working remotely will be required to adhere to UnitedHealth Group’s Telecommuter Policy.

Benefits

• 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).
• The salary for this role will range from $176,700 - $302,900 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.