The Role
Leads the India Data Science and AI/ML team supporting payment integrity initiatives. Sets strategy, develops talent, oversees predictive and prescriptive modeling, and drives enterprise-scale AI solutions from research through deployment. Establishes model governance, monitoring, validation, responsible AI, and value-realization frameworks while partnering with executives and cross-functional teams to identify fraud, waste, abuse, billing errors, and savings opportunities.
Summary Generated by Built In
Requisition Number: 2393655
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.
Job Description:
Primary Responsibilities:
Required Qualifications:
Preferred Qualifications:
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.
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.
Job Description:
- As Director, Data Science, this leader will oversee the Payment Integrity Decision Intelligence (PIDI) Data Science and AIML Analytics India team, driving data science and AI-led innovation, analytical excellence and strategic transformation to deliver measurable business value across clinical and non-clinical payment integrity programs through a high-performing team of data science and AIML experts
- The leader will champion a culture of innovation, scientific rigor and continuous improvement while establishing best practices for model development, validation, monitoring, performance optimization and building solid relationships with global analytics and data science teams
- Also responsible for advancing the PI organization's analytical capabilities through the development, refinement and deployment of predictive and prescriptive models that uncover actionable opportunities and generate measurable business value
Primary Responsibilities:
- Lead Data Science and AIML India team, defining the vision, strategy, priorities and execution roadmap for AI, Machine Learning and Advanced Analytics initiatives that drive payment integrity outcomes and measurable business value across clinical and non-clinical value streams
- Build, mentor and develop a high-performing team of Data Scientists and AIML experts, fostering a culture of innovation, technical excellence, continuous learning, scientific rigor, accountability and business impact
- Provide strategic Data Science and AI leadership, partnering across business, operations, clinical, product and technology organizations to support broader PIDI data science strategy, identify high-value opportunities, influence key decisions and deliver scalable analytical solutions that drive measurable business outcomes
- Drive the end-to-end development and evolution of Payment Integrity data science and AIML capabilities, including predictive and prescriptive models, advanced detection engines and analytical solutions that identify Fraud, Waste, Abuse and Error (FWAE) opportunities, outliers or aberrant billing patterns, overpayments and gaps and leakage opportunities across clinical and non-clinical programs
- Serve as a hands-on technical leader and trusted advisor, providing oversight across the full AIML lifecycle, including problem formulation, data exploration, feature engineering, model development, validation, deployment, monitoring, governance and continuous improvement
- Establish robust model performance, governance and value realization frameworks, including success metrics, monitoring strategies, financial impact assessment, model validation and optimization processes to ensure sustainable business outcomes and maximize savings opportunities
- Champion the application of advanced analytics and AI methodologies, including machine learning, deep learning, predictive and prescriptive analytics, anomaly detection, simulation and statistical modeling to solve complex healthcare and payment integrity challenges
- Lead applied research, innovation and modernization efforts, continuously evaluating emerging fraud and abuse patterns, next-generation AI technologies and advanced analytical techniques, while translating research and experimentation into scalable, production-ready solutions that enhance detection accuracy, operational efficiency and business performance
- Establish and govern Responsible AI practices, including Data Compliance, AIRB approvals, model risk management, explainability, guardrails and human-in-the-loop oversight to ensure safe, compliant, ethical and business-aligned deployment of AIML solutions
- Stay at the forefront of advancements in Data Science, AIML, Healthcare Analytics and Payment Integrity, identifying opportunities to leverage emerging technologies, strengthen organizational capabilities and drive innovation and
- Comply with the terms and conditions of the employment contract, company policies and procedures, and any and all directives (such as, but not limited to, transfer and/or re-assignment to different work locations, change in teams and/or work shifts, policies in regards to flexibility of work benefits and/or work environment, alternative work arrangements, and other decisions that may arise due to the changing business environment). The Company may adopt, vary or rescind these policies and directives in its absolute discretion and without any limitation (implied or otherwise) on its ability to do so
Required Qualifications:
- Graduate (Master's/PhD) degree in Engineering, Mathematics, Statistics, Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence, or related quantitative disciplines
- 15+ years of experience in Data Science, Advanced Analytics, AIML and predictive modeling, with at least 10+ years leading mid-sized, cross-functional teams
- 15+ years of hands-on programming experience using Python, R, SAS, SQL and distributed computing frameworks, in conducting statistical, research-minded analysis of variety of data types/forms with aim to utilize this analysis into building or optimizing predictive methods
- 10+ years of deep, hands-on experience with machine Learning applied to the healthcare or other high-stakes domains (direct experience in a cloud environment is highly valued)
- Proven experience designing and delivering enterprise-scale AIML solutions from concept through production deployment and business adoption
- Solid experience with cloud-based AIML platforms such as Azure AI, Azure Databricks or equivalent
- Deep expertise in Machine Learning, Statistical Modeling, Deep Learning, Natural Language Processing (NLP) and Generative AI technologies
- Solid understanding of MLOps, Model Governance, Responsible AI, Model Monitoring and AI Risk Management and AIRB frameworks
- Proven ability to partner with executive leadership and business stakeholders to translate complex business problems into scalable AI solutions
- Proven solid communication, stakeholder management and executive presentation skills with the ability to influence senior leadership decisions
Preferred Qualifications:
- Experience leading Generative AI, Large Language Models (LLMs), Agentic AI, Copilot, Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG), AI Automation initiatives, ML engineering tools and frameworks such as TensorFlow, PyTorch, Hugging Face, LangChain, LangGraph
- Experience with AIML system design, solution architecture, enterprise integration patterns, APIs and microservices-based deployments
- Experience in deploying machine learning models at scale with CI/CD, automated monitoring, observability and model lifecycle management
- Experience leading AI-driven product development, innovation programs and research-to-production initiatives
- Experience in Lean Six Sigma (Green belt/Kaizen)
- Solid knowledge of data platforms and big data technologies including Snowflake, Databricks, Spark, Synapse Analytics, Microsoft Fabric and Hadoop ecosystems
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.
Skills Required
- Master's or PhD in Engineering, Mathematics, Statistics, Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence, or a related quantitative discipline
- 15+ years of experience in Data Science, Advanced Analytics, AI/ML, and predictive modeling
- 10+ years leading mid-sized, cross-functional teams
- 15+ years of hands-on programming experience with Python, R, SAS, SQL, and distributed computing frameworks
- 10+ years of hands-on machine learning experience in healthcare or other high-stakes domains
- Experience designing and delivering enterprise-scale AI/ML solutions from concept through production deployment and business adoption
- Experience with cloud-based AI/ML platforms such as Azure AI, Azure Databricks, or equivalent
- Expertise in machine learning, statistical modeling, deep learning, NLP, and generative AI
- Understanding of MLOps, model governance, responsible AI, model monitoring, AI risk management, and AIRB frameworks
- Ability to partner with executive leadership and business stakeholders to translate complex problems into scalable AI solutions
- Strong communication, stakeholder management, and executive presentation skills
- Experience leading generative AI, LLM, agentic AI, Copilot, RAG, or AI automation initiatives
- Experience with TensorFlow, PyTorch, Hugging Face, LangChain, or LangGraph
- Experience with AI/ML system design, solution architecture, APIs, and microservices deployments
- Experience deploying machine learning models at scale with CI/CD, automated monitoring, observability, and model lifecycle management
- Experience leading AI-driven product development, innovation programs, or research-to-production initiatives
- Lean Six Sigma Green Belt or Kaizen experience
- Knowledge of Snowflake, Databricks, Spark, Synapse Analytics, Microsoft Fabric, and Hadoop ecosystems
Optum Compensation & Benefits Highlights
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Leave & Time Off Breadth — PTO is generally described as decent or good, and many note it as a strong part of the package. Actual ability to take time off can depend on workload and team coverage.
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Retirement Support — Offerings include a 401(k) with employer match and access to an employee stock purchase plan, which are highlighted as meaningful components of total rewards. These programs are consistently referenced among core benefits.
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Parental & Family Support — Parental and caregiver leave, along with adoption assistance, are publicly highlighted and viewed as notable elements of the package. Availability can be role-specific, but these supports contribute to overall breadth where offered.
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The Company
What We Do
Optum, part of the UnitedHealth Group family of businesses, 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. At Optum, we support your well-being with an understanding team, extensive benefits and rewarding opportunities. By joining us, you’ll have the resources to drive system transformation while we help you take care of your future. We recognize the power of connection to drive change, improve efficiency and make a difference in health care. Join a team where your skills and ideas can make an impact and where collaboration is key to creating technology that produces healthier outcomes.
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Optum Offices
Hybrid Workspace
Employees engage in a combination of remote and on-site work.
Optum has three workplace models that balance the needs of the business and the responsibilities of each role. These models, core on‑site (5 days/week), hybrid (4 days/week) and telecommute or fully remote, vary by country, role and location.
Typical time on-site:
Not Specified
