UnitedHealth Group is seeking a Principal Data Scientist to join our Strategic Insights team. This role reports to the Director of Data Science and is responsible for shaping and advancing enterprise-level analytics that connect customer experience, brand, and business performance outcomes.
This position will lead the development of scalable analytical frameworks aligned to the Enterprise Performance Management (EPM) system, enabling measurement of leading indicators, experience metrics, and business outcomes across key value chains. The role will apply advanced statistical and AI-driven approaches to identify drivers of performance, quantify impact across quartiles, and translate complex data into actionable insights that inform executive decision-making.
As a senior individual contributor, this role will operate with a high degree of autonomy, influencing senior leadership and cross-functional stakeholders to drive customer-centric strategies, growth, and long-term value creation.
If you live near Eden Prairie, MN, you will enjoy the flexibility of a hybrid-remote role as you take on some tough challenges.
Primary Responsibilities:- Lead enterprise analytics that connect customer experience (e.g., NPS, CAHPS), brand perception, and business performance, enabling a unified view of drivers across the EPM system
- Apply and guide the use of advanced statistical and analytical methods (e.g., regression, segmentation, predictive modeling, correlation analysis) to uncover key drivers, relationships, and trends across complex datasets
- Translate complex analytical outputs into clear, compelling narratives that influence business decisions and elevate the role of data-driven insights across stakeholders
- Drive the development and standardization of analytical frameworks, approaches, and reusable methodologies to ensure consistency, scalability, and quality across insights work
- Integrate multiple data sources (e.g., experience measurement, brand, market, and operational data) to enable connected analytics and more holistic understanding of customer and business performance
- Support the application of AI-driven approaches (including synthetic data, simulation, and AI-assisted analytics) to enhance the depth, speed, and flexibility of insights generation
- Evaluate and partner with external vendors and internal stakeholders to assess AI-enabled capabilities, tools, and data science solutions, ensuring alignment with business needs and research rigor
- Lead experimentation and proof-of-concept efforts to test AI-driven analytical approaches, applying a structured "build, validate, scale" mindset to determine business value
- Develop and promote best practices for integrating AI into analytics workflows, ensuring output remains interpretable, reliable, and aligned with established research and governance standards
- Contribute to the evolution of scalable analytics capabilities by identifying opportunities to embed automation, standardization, and AI-assisted processes into recurring workflows
You9ll be rewarded and recognized for your performance in an environment that will challenge you and give you clear directions on what it takes to succeed in your role as well as provide development for other roles you may be interested in.
Required Qualifications:- 8+ years of experience in data science, advanced analytics, or applied statistical modeling
- 8+ years of experience in quantitative methods such as regression, segmentation, predictive modeling, and multivariate analysis
- Experience developing analytical frameworks, reusable methodologies, or standardized approaches that improve scalability and consistency
- Experience applying AI/ML techniques to business problems, including experimentation with synthetic data, simulation, or AI-assisted analytics workflows
- Advanced level of proficiency with Microsoft Suite, including Excel and PowerPoint
- Proficiency in tools such as Python, SQL, or R, and experience with data visualization and reporting tools
- Demonstrated ability to work with large, complex datasets and integrate multiple data sources for advanced analytics
- Demonstrated ability to simplify complex data into clear, actionable insights and compelling, executive-ready narratives
Preferred Qualifications:- Experience in customer experience, market research, or insights analytics (e.g., NPS, CAHPS, brand measurement)
- Experience evaluating or working with external data science or AI vendors, tools, or platforms
- Familiarity with integrating analytics into broader business strategies, including growth, retention, and customer experience optimization
- Healthcare industry experience
Soft Skills:- Strong problem-solving skills with the ability to navigate ambiguity and structure analytical approaches effectively
- Exceptional at proactively building and strengthening relationships across teams and functions to drive alignment, collaboration, and business impact
- Effective communication skills, including the ability to explain technical concepts to non-technical audiences
- Experience working across teams and functions to solve complex business problems and influence decision-making
*All Telecommuters will be required to adhere to UnitedHealth Group9s 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, you9ll find a far-reaching choice of benefits and incentives. The hourly pay for this role will range from $112,700 to $193,200 per hour based on full-time employment. This role is also eligible to receive bonuses based on sales performance. We comply with all minimum wage laws as applicable.
