Lead Scientist Visa Sponsorship Jobs in Washington
Lead scientist roles in Washington draw international candidates to employers across biotechnology, aerospace, and environmental research. Companies like Novo Nordisk, Bristol Myers Squibb, and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory actively sponsor visas in Seattle, Bothell, and the Tri-Cities. Washington's concentration of biotech firms and federally funded research institutions makes it one of the stronger states for lead scientist sponsorship.
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INTRODUCTION
Optum Tech is a global leader in health care innovation. Our teams develop cutting-edge solutions that help people live healthier lives and help make the health system work better for everyone. From advanced data analytics and AI to cybersecurity, we use innovative approaches to solve some of health care's most complex challenges. Your contributions here have the potential to change lives. Ready to build the next breakthrough? Join us to start Caring. Connecting. Growing together.
Optum AI is UnitedHealth Group's enterprise AI team. We are AI/ML scientists and engineers with deep expertise in AI/ML engineering for health care. We develop AI/ML solutions for the highest impact opportunities across UnitedHealth Group businesses including UnitedHealthcare, Optum Financial, Optum Health, Optum Insight, and Optum Rx. In addition to transforming the health care journey through responsible AI/ML innovation, our charter also includes developing and supporting an enterprise AI/ML development platform.
Optum AI team members:
- Have impact at scale: We have the data and resources to make an impact at scale. When our solutions are deployed, they have the potential to make health care system work better for everyone
- Do ground-breaking work: Many of our current projects involve cutting edge ML, NLP and LLM techniques. Generative AI methods for working with structured and unstructured health care data are continuously being developed and improved. We are working in one of the most important frontiers of AI/ML research and development
- Partner with world-class experts on innovative solutions: Our team members are developing novel AI/ML solutions to business challenges. In some cases, this includes the opportunity to file patents and publish papers about the methods we develop. We also collaborate with AI/ML researchers at some of the world's top universities
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:
- Build Machine Learning models, perform proof-of-concept, experiment, optimize, and deploy your models into production; work closely with software engineers to assist in productionizing the ML models
- Perform hands-on analysis and modeling of healthcare data sets to develop insights that increase business value
- Run A/B experiments, gather data, and perform statistical analysis
- Establish scalable, efficient, automated processes for large-scale data analysis, machine-learning model development, model validation and serving
- Research and implement innovative machine learning approaches
- Mentor and help recruit AI/ML scientists and machine learning engineers to the team
- Present findings and insights to senior leadership and at internal venues
- Be the thought leader in cutting-edge AI research and proactively pursue IP submissions
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:
- PhD in AI, computer science, data science, applied math or related technical fields
- 10+ years of industry/academic experience in machine learning or a related field
- 5+ years of building models for business application experience
- 5+ years of Python programming skills and experience with deep learning frameworks such as PyTorch or TensorFlow
- Advanced understanding of Deep Learning with applications in Speech Processing, NLP and multimodal modeling
PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:
- Experienced mathematical background, especially in optimization theory, stochastic algorithms, and/or numerical methods
- Experience with state-of-the-art algorithms and topologies including, but not limited to: VAR, GNNs, GANs, Transformers, deep and wide, SSMs, LLMs among others
- Proven in-depth knowledge in Generative AI technology and Large Language Models (LLM)
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). The salary for this role will range from $154,900 - $193,600 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.
Lead Scientist Job Roles in Washington
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Search Lead Scientist Jobs in WashingtonLead Scientist Jobs in Washington: Frequently Asked Questions
Which companies sponsor visas for lead scientists in Washington?
Washington's biotech and research sectors include active sponsors for lead scientist roles. Companies such as Juno Therapeutics, Immunomedics, and Adaptive Biotechnologies in the Seattle area, along with federally operated facilities like Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in Richland, have histories of sponsoring H-1B visa petitions for senior scientific positions. Large pharmaceutical and life sciences firms with Washington operations also sponsor regularly for specialized research leadership roles.
Which visa types realistically fit lead scientist roles in Washington?
Lead scientist positions typically qualify as specialty occupations requiring a directly related bachelor's degree or higher, making the H-1B the primary pathway. H-1B1 visa applies if you are a Chilean or Singaporean national. The E-3 visa applies to Australian nationals. For highly credentialed researchers with peer-reviewed publications or national recognition, the O-1A for extraordinary ability is worth exploring. Employer-sponsored EB-2 or EB-3 green cards are common long-term pathways for lead scientists at research institutions and biotech firms.
Which cities in Washington have the most lead scientist sponsorship jobs?
Seattle and its surrounding suburbs, including Bothell, Redmond, and Kirkland, account for the majority of lead scientist sponsorship activity in Washington, driven by the region's dense biotech and pharmaceutical cluster. The Tri-Cities area, anchored by Richland, sees significant demand from Department of Energy contractors and national laboratories. Spokane and Pullman offer additional opportunities through university-affiliated research programs, particularly in agriculture and environmental science.
How to find lead scientist visa sponsorship jobs in Washington?
Migrate Mate lists Washington employers with verified sponsorship history for lead scientist and senior research roles, so you can focus your search on companies that have already sponsored similar positions rather than applying broadly. The platform covers biotech hubs in Seattle and Bothell as well as research-focused employers in the Tri-Cities. Filtering by role type and location helps identify which organizations are actively hiring sponsored candidates at the lead scientist level.
What state-specific factors should lead scientists consider when pursuing sponsorship in Washington?
Washington's lack of a state income tax can be a practical consideration when evaluating offers, though federal obligations still apply. The state's proximity to University of Washington and Washington State University creates active pipelines between academia and industry, and many lead scientist roles in biotech expect candidates familiar with FDA-regulated research environments. Federal contractors at national laboratories in eastern Washington may have additional compliance requirements affecting international employee sponsorship timelines.
What is the prevailing wage for sponsored lead scientist jobs in Washington?
U.S. employers sponsoring a visa must pay at least the prevailing wage, which is what workers in the same role, area, and experience level typically earn. The Department of Labor sets this rate to make sure companies aren't hiring foreign workers simply because they'd accept lower pay than a U.S. worker. It varies by job title, location, and experience. You can look up current prevailing wage rates for any occupation and location using the OFLC Wage Search page.