Senior Data Scientist, OI Payment Integrity - 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.
Optum's Payment Integrity Decision Intelligence division is expanding and seeking a Sr. Data Scientist to help drive our mission of achieving accurate and effortless claims payments through advanced analytics and machine learning. We are looking for a disciplined, self-motivated professional with expertise in large language models (LLMs), predictive modeling, and healthcare data analytics. The ideal candidate will have a solid portfolio of projects and a passion for solving complex problems using data.
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:

• Utilize large language models (LLMs) to enhance and expand analytic methodologies across core product lines
• Design and implement end-to-end data science pipelines, encompassing data ingestion, feature engineering, model development, deployment, and performance monitoring
• Collaborate with engineering and product teams to deploy robust, scalable machine learning models in production environments
• Effectively communicate complex technical concepts, insights, and recommendations to both technical and non-technical stakeholders
• Lead innovation initiatives in machine learning and AI, identifying and executing opportunities to enhance model performance, operational efficiency, and business value
• Operate independently to solve complex, high-impact problems and drive strategic data science initiatives across teams
• Mentor and support junior data scientists by promoting technical excellence, code quality, and collaborative best practices across the team
• Drive cross-functional alignment between data science, engineering, product, and business teams to ensure models are aligned with strategic goals and deliver measurable impact
• Evaluate and integrate emerging technologies and methodologies (eg, foundation models, retrieval-augmented generation) to maintain a cutting-edge data science practice

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 professional experience developing and deploying predictive models using machine learning, deep learning, NLP, or related techniques OR PhD in a related field with solid applied research experience
• 3+ years of experience using machine learning libraries and frameworks such as Scikit-learn, PyTorch, TensorFlow, and SparkML in applied modeling
• 3+ years of experience programming in Python or R for data science, machine learning
• Familiarity with large language model (LLM) frameworks (e.g., Hugging Face Transformers, LangChain, LangGraph, OpenAI APIs)

*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 $91,700 to $163,700 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.