Sr Data Scientist

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.
Optum Insight partners with payers, providers, governments and life sciences companies to simplify and enhance clinical, administrative and financial processes through software-enabled services and analytics, while advancing value-based care. Our differentiated products, technology insights, clinical expertise and analytics support the entire health system - ultimately delivering better experiences for consumers.

Optum Insight Technology and Engineering is a critical function in Optum Insight driving the innovation and value we provide our customers and partners. This team is focused on products, solutions, platform / enabling capability development, product development lifecycle, engineering excellence and connectivity to Optum Technology.

The Sr Data Scientist is a key technical contributor in the design and development of state-of-the-art NLP for medical applications. The Sr Data Scientist works closely with other NLP engineers, research linguists, software engineers and subject matter experts on current company technologies and forward looking projects.

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

Primary Responsibilities

• Enhance existing company Natural Language Processing (NLP) technologies
• Extend NLP systems into new cloud-based applications
• Incorporate machine learning and deep learning techniques into clinical NLP solutions
• Develop and deploy NLP solutions at scale in production environments

• Participate in all phases of software development, including:

• System requirements definition

• Design and implementation

• Integration and testing

• Apply expertise in Machine Learning, Deep Learning, Natural Language Processing, Information Retrieval, and Information Extraction

• Deliver machine/deep learning solutions successfully into production
• Demonstrate solid technical and problem-solving skills
• Leverage enterprise-approved AI tools to streamline workflows, automate tasks, and drive continuous improvement

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

• 3+ years of experience with Python (PyTorch/TensorFlow, pandas/polars, NumPy)
• 2+ years of related professional work experience using machine/deep learning technologies or academic publication history in machine learning/deep learning field
• 1+ years of experience implementing transformer architectures (BERT, GPT, or related)
• Proven solid communication skills

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with LLM frameworks (Agentic workflows, RAG, LLM fine tuning)
• Experience with PyTorch
• Experience with Hybrid NLP solutions that combine symbolic and machine learning approaches
• Experience within the medical domain
• Experience with SQL
• Exposure to additional model types (state space, RNN, GNN)
• Azure ML and/or AWS
• Demonstrated ability to synthesize and produce publications in the AI domain
• 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 $89,900 to $160,600 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 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.
UnitedHealth Group is 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 is a drug-free workplace. Candidates are required to pass a drug test before beginning employment.