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.
The Senior Director, Data Science is a strategic and technical executive leader responsible for driving data science and AI/ML strategy, with a primary focus on transforming healthcare operations, particularly claims, adjudication, encounters, appeals, grievances, and related workflows related to UHC Medicare and Retirement Line of Business. This role oversees the development of advanced analytics, machine learning, and Generative AI solutions that directly enhance operational efficiency, reduce costs, and improve customer and patient outcomes.
The Senior Director leads high performing global teams, partners across business and technology functions, and sets the long-term vision for data science innovation, MLOps maturity, model governance, and enterprise adoption of AI capabilities.
You'll enjoy the flexibility to work remotely * from anywhere within the U.S. as you take on some tough challenges. MN preferred; also this job is eligible for relocation
Primary Responsibilities
- Enterprise AI/ML Strategy & Leadership
- Develop and execute an AI/ML and data strategy aligned with enterprise business goals and technology transformation initiatives
- Define a clear vision for how AI, ML, and data science will transform healthcare operations, especially the end-to-end claims lifecycle
- Influence the enterprise's analytics and AI direction by partnering with executive leadership, product, technology, operations, finance, and regulatory teams
- Present strategies, roadmaps, and impact summaries to senior leadership and board level audiences
- Technical Innovation & Delivery
- Lead hands-on development and delivery of advanced AI/ML solutions, including:
- Large Language Models (LLMs)
- Agentic AI
- Model Context Protocol (MCP)
- Agent to Agent Protocol (A2A)
- Predictive analytics, NLP, multimodal models, Generative AI, and
- Quantum Annealing
- Oversee the design and evolution of scalable ML infrastructure, MLOps pipelines, and cloud integrations (AWS, Azure, GCP)
- Ensure the delivery of production grade AI systems with measurable business value
- Champion responsible AI practices including fairness, transparency, bias mitigation, and governance frameworks
- Healthcare Claims Domain Expertise
- Apply deep understanding of claims processing, adjudication, medical billing, coding, encounters, A&G, and compliance frameworks (including HIPAA)
- Identify high value use cases where AI/ML can drive automation, accuracy, and operational excellence
- Guide teams in transforming complex healthcare claims data into actionable insights and scalable models
- Team Leadership & Organizational Development
- Build, lead, and mentor a high performing organization of data scientists, ML engineers, data analysts, and technical leaders specializing in healthcare claims data
- Foster a culture of innovation, experimentation, and continuous learning across AI/ML disciplines
- Recruit, develop, and retain top technical talent
- Cross Functional Collaboration
- Partner with Member Admin, Claims Operations, Billing, Sales/Digital, Marketing, Clinical, Quality (STARS/HEDIS), IT, Finance, Compliance, Product Engineering and business leaders to translate priorities into scalable AI/ML initiatives
- Communicate complex technical concepts to both technical and non technical stakeholders with clarity and executive presence
- Data Governance & Model Performance
- Oversee acquisition, integration, cleaning, and management of enterprise scale healthcare datasets
- Ensure data security, quality, and regulatory compliance
- Establish and track KPIs for AI/ML models to ensure performance, reliability, and continuous optimization
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
- Master's degree in Statistics, Computer Science, Mathematics, Data Science, or related quantitative discipline
- 18+ years of progressive experience in data science with significant AI/ML focus
- 5+ years in leadership roles managing and developing data science or AI/ML teams
- Proven experience delivering enterprise scale AI/ML solutions, ideally in healthcare, with measurable business value
- Deep expertise in:
- ML/AI frameworks (TensorFlow, PyTorch, scikit learn, XGBoost, Keras)
- GenAI, LLMs, Agentic AI, MCP, A2A
- Python or R
- Big data technologies (Spark, Hadoop)
- Cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, GCP)
- Solid understanding of data warehousing, SQL, ETL, SnowFlake and MLOps
- Proven excellent communication, executive presence, and stakeholder management skills
Preferred Qualifications
- Deep domain expertise in healthcare and regulatory frameworks
- Demonstrated success in scaling GenAI and enterprise-grade ML capabilities across large organizations
- Solid understanding of healthcare data governance, privacy, and HIPAA compliance
Leadership Competencies
- Strategic vision and ability to shape enterprise transformation through AI
- Ability to build and lead global, multidisciplinary teams
- Solid business acumen and ability to translate operational challenges into AI/ML solutions
- Passion for innovation, experimentation, and delivering meaningful impact
- 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 $159,300 to $273,200 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.
