Lead AI/ML Engineer - Remote

Optum / UnitedHealth Group
Eden Prairie, MN, USA / remotely from anywhere within the U.S. / Minneapolis, MN, USA

About the job

As a Lead AI/ML Engineer, you will drive end to end ownership - shaping problem statements with the business, designing and implementing AI/ML solutions, and ensuring they integrate seamlessly into existing platforms and workflows. You will influence technical direction, mentor other engineers, and play a key role in operationalizing AI responsibly within a regulated healthcare environment.

Responsibilities

Design, develop, and maintain full stack applications using Next.js, React, and modern TypeScript patterns

Build and integrate LLM powered capabilities (e.g., summarization, search, assistants, decision support) using industry standard AI frameworks and APIs

Design and optimize backend services and APIs, ensuring scalability, reliability, and security

Develop and manage data models and queries using PostgreSQL, focusing on performance and data integrity

Deploy, monitor, and operate applications on Microsoft Azure (App Services, Containers, Functions, Storage, AI services, etc.)

Implement best practices for cloud architecture, CI/CD pipelines, observability, and cost optimization

Collaborate with architects and AI engineers on system design, model integration, and platform capabilities

Write clean, testable, and well documented code; lead by example in code reviews and technical standards

Mentor junior engineers and contribute to technical decision making and solution direction

Qualifications

Minimum

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or related role or 4+ years of equivalent experience

8+ years of professional software engineering experience, including full stack development

4+ years of experience with CI/CD pipelines, automated testing, and cloud native deployment models

4+ years of experience with Next.js / React, TypeScript, and modern frontend architectures

4+ years of backend development experience with Node.js (or equivalent server side frameworks)

4+ years of experience working with PostgreSQL or other relational databases

4+ years of experience building and deploying applications on Microsoft Azure

2+ years of experience integrating AI/LLMs into applications (prompting, orchestration, APIs, etc.)

2+ years of experience working with RESTful APIs, authentication/authorization, and secure application design

Preferred

Proven excellent problem solving skills and ability to work across ambiguous problem spaces