As an
Associate AI/ML Engineer within the Surest team under UHC Technology at Optum Technology, you will be part of an innovative team dedicated to designing, developing, and deploying cutting-edge artificial intelligence and machine learning solutions to simplify healthcare and enhance health outcomes. In this role, you will leverage advanced Generative AI frameworks, cloud services (AWS), containerization, and modern analytical tools to build scalable model APIs and end-to-end intelligent pipelines for Surest offerings. You will collaborate closely with cross-functional technical and business stakeholders to drive continuous software delivery improvements, automate workflows, and deliver impactful, data-driven solutions across our healthcare platforms.
You will enjoy the flexibility to telecommute* from anywhere within the U.S. as you take on some tough challenges.
Primary Responsibilities:- Design, develop, and validate machine learning models using Generative AI (LLMs, agentic frameworks) and traditional ML techniques on cloud platforms (AWS)
- Write and deploy scalable Python APIs (FastAPI) for model inference running on Kubernetes, ensuring efficient containerization and orchestration of agentic flows
- Develop and optimize Python-based analytical and machine learning solutions, leveraging libraries such as Pandas, NumPy, Scikit-learn, and Databricks to perform data analysis, build predictive models, and generate actionable business insights from large-scale datasets
- Design, develop, and deploy AI-powered solutions to address complex healthcare business challenges with an emphasis on responsible use of AI
- Evaluate emerging technology trends and best practices to inform solution design, architecture, and strategic innovation
- Leverage enterprise-approved AI tools to streamline developer workflows, automate tasks, and drive continuous software delivery improvement
- Utilize agentic coding and version control tools (e.g., GitHub Copilot, Claude) and Git/GitHub for efficient code creation, repository management, and technical collaboration
- Maintain rigorous coding standards, thorough documentation, and effective performance monitoring across all deployed AI/ML pipelines
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:- Bachelor's degree
- 1+ years of experience in software development, machine learning, data science, analytics, or AI/ML engineering
- 1+ years of professional experience in Python using core data science, analytics, and machine learning libraries (e.g., Pandas, NumPy, Scikit-learn, Databricks)
- 1+ years of advanced SQL experience, including complex query development, data analysis, performance optimization, data validation, and deriving business insights from large-scale datasets
- 1+ years of experience building, deploying, and maintaining RESTful APIs for machine learning or Generative AI model inference
- 6+ months of experience using Gen AI tools and technologies
Preferred Qualifications:- 1+ years of experience applying machine learning techniques in enterprise environments, including supervised learning, unsupervised learning, statistical modeling, feature engineering, and model evaluation
- 6 months+ years of experience developing and deploying NLP or Generative AI solutions, including Transformers, GPT models, Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG), vector databases, embeddings, and prompt engineering in production environments
- Strong analytical, quantitative, problem-solving, and critical thinking skills
- Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to present detailed technical analyses to diverse technical and business stakeholders
- Experience with vision and speech models in Generative AI (multimodal architectures)
- Background in healthcare data analytics (e.g., claims, eligibility, enrollment) and working within regulated compliance environments
- Hands-on experience with containerization and container orchestration technologies such as Docker and Kubernetes
- Experience utilizing AI-assisted developer and coding tools to accelerate software production and technical documentation
- Demonstrated familiarity with agentic frameworks, Model Context Protocol (MCP), and Agent-to-Agent (A2A) architectures
- Experience working with large structured and unstructured datasets, performing exploratory data analysis, data quality assessments, and root-cause investigations
*All Telecommuters 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 $77,000 to $137,600 annually based on full-time employment. We comply with all minimum wage laws as applicable.
Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.
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.
#RPO #GREEN
