Machine Learning Engineer Jobs in Illinois

INTRODUCTION

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.

ROLE AND RESPONSIBILITIES

As a Lead AI/ML Engineer within Optum Rx, you will lead the design, development, and scaling of advanced machine learning systems and artificial intelligence solutions that directly impact pharmacy benefits, patient care, and clinical workflows. You will serve as the technical lead for complex AI/ML initiatives, designing conversational virtual assistants and driving modern engineering practices across cross-functional teams. This role collaborates with enterprise architecture, capability teams, and vendors to architect robust, secure, and scalable solutions for our core conversational chatbot platform utilized by both internal and external stakeholders.

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:

• Lead the design, development, and production deployment of AI/ML solutions, translating models and algorithms into scalable, secure, and reliable software used in enterprise systems
• Serve as a technical lead for complex AI/ML initiatives, owning end-to-end implementation from design through deployment and operational support
• Use enterprise-approved AI tools to streamline workflows, automate tasks, and drive continuous improvement across teams
• Apply advanced knowledge of machine learning, deep learning, statistics, and experimental methodologies to build high-quality, data-driven solutions
• Partner closely with product, business, and engineering stakeholders to identify high value use cases and deliver AI solutions that solve real OptumRx business problems
• Lead AI solution architecture and design in collaboration with the Enterprise Architecture team, core capability teams, and major platform vendors (including Microsoft, Palantir, and MongoDB) to identify optimal designs for our core conversational chatbot platform
• Maintain comprehensive solution architecture and network architecture diagrams for our core conversational chatbot platform utilized by multiple internal and external stakeholders
• Drive modern engineering practices across teams, including automation-first development, code reuse, observability, and CI/CD adoption for AI systems
• Champion AI/MLOps best practices, ensuring models and pipelines are production-ready, monitored, and continuously improved
• Influence architectural decisions by applying broad domain and technology expertise to balance performance, scalability, security, and maintainability
• Enforce and promote enterprise security, privacy, and quality standards within AI/ML solutions, proactively identifying and mitigating risk
• Mentor and guide engineers across teams, acting as a subject-matter expert and escalation point for AI/ML engineering challenges
• Communicate complex AI/ML concepts and results clearly to technical and non-technical audiences, including senior leadership
• Evaluate emerging trends to inform solution design, optimize architecture, and drive strategic enterprise innovation

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.

BASIC QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience; 4+ years of software engineering experience may substitute for a degree
• 5+ years of professional software engineering experience using Python, Java, Scala, or similar programming languages
• 3+ years of experience designing, training, and deploying machine learning or deep learning models into production systems
• 2+ years of experience building and managing MLOps frameworks, continuous integration/continuous deployment (CI/CD) pipelines, and containerized deployments (e.g., Docker, Kubernetes)
• 2+ years of experience writing SQL and working with relational or non-relational database systems (such as MongoDB)

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Master's or PhD degree in Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence, Data Science, or a related technical field
• Experience architecting, designing, and maintaining solution/network architecture diagrams for conversational chatbot solutions, virtual assistants, or natural language processing (NLP) applications
• Experience collaborating with enterprise architecture teams and leading technical design discussions with cloud and platform vendors (e.g., Microsoft, Palantir, MongoDB)
• Experience with Large Language Models (LLMs), prompt engineering, fine-tuning, and retrieval-augmented generation (RAG)
• Proven solid understanding of data privacy, model governance, and ethical AI practices within the healthcare sector
• Excellent communication and collaborative problem-solving skills, with a proven ability to lead technical initiatives and mentor team members

All employees working remotely will be required to adhere to UnitedHealth Group's Telecommuter Policy.

COMPENSATION

• Salary Range: $145,500 to $249,500 annually based on full-time employment

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. 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.