AI/ML Lead - IT Operations - Hybrid in MN or Remote

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.
We're seeking a visionary AI/ML Lead to drive innovation in IT Operations through intelligent automation, predictive analytics, and agentic AI. This role will lead the design and deployment of scalable machine learning systems that enhance observability, accelerate incident response, and enable self-healing infrastructure across the enterprise.
You'll enjoy the flexibility to work remotely* from anywhere within the U.S. as you take on some tough challenges. For all hires in the Minneapolis or Washington, D.C. area, you will be required to work in the office a minimum of four days per week.
Primary Responsibilities:

• Data Engineering: Build robust, scalable pipelines to ingest and process structured and unstructured data from tools like Splunk, Dynatrace, ServiceNow, and system logs
• Feature Engineering: Create and maintain high-quality features for ML models supporting anomaly detection, predictive alerting, and automated remediation
• Model Deployment: Collaborate with Data Scientists to operationalize ML models, ensuring they meet performance, scalability, and maintainability standards
• AI-Driven Automation: Integrate ML insights into orchestration platforms (e.g., Jenkins, Interlink) to enable intelligent, self-healing workflows
• Agentic AI Systems: Design autonomous agents capable of reasoning, planning, and executing tasks across IT operations-handling incident triage, root cause analysis, and resolution
• Data Governance: Uphold data integrity, lineage, and compliance with enterprise security and governance standards
• Infrastructure Enablement: Leverage cloud-native and hybrid technologies to support real-time analytics and model inference at scale
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Work closely with engineering, operations, and business teams to define requirements, document solutions, and contribute to knowledge bases for RCA and self-healing patterns
• Collaborate with research, engineering, and product teams to translate cutting-edge AI advancements into production-ready capabilities. Uphold ethical AI principles by embedding fairness, transparency, and accountability throughout the model development lifecycle.

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:

• Graduate degree in Computer Science, Data Science, or a related field
• 5+ years of experience in AI/ML engineering, with a focus on IT operations or infrastructure
• 5+ years of hands-on experience with Python, SQL, and Spark for data processing and model development
• 3+ years of experience with cloud platforms such as Azure, AWS, or GCP
• 3+ years of experience implementing ML Ops practices, CI/CD pipelines, and containerization using Docker and Kubernetes
• 3+ years of experience working with IT operations tools and concepts including CMDB, incident management, and observability platforms
• 2+ years of experience integrating ML models into production environments and supporting model lifecycle management

Preferred Qualifications:

• 2+ years of experience with NLP, LLM frameworks, and Generative AI techniques
• Experience designing and deploying agentic AI systems for autonomous decision-making in operational contexts
• Experience leading data science projects and mentoring junior team members
• Proven solid technical communication skills and experience with collaborative development using GitHub
• Proven ability to work in agile environments and deliver high-impact, scalable solutions

*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 $110,200 to $188,800 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.
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