Lead AI/ML Engineer (NLP) – Remote

UnitedHealth Group is hiring a Lead AI/ML Engineer (NLP) to work remotely from Atlanta, Fulton County, US. This senior role leads natural language processing projects that power Optum’s health‑technology platforms.

Key Responsibilities

• Design, develop, and deploy large‑scale NLP models for clinical text, claims data, and patient engagement tools.
• Lead a multidisciplinary team of data scientists, engineers, and product managers through the full ML lifecycle.
• Define architecture standards, code review processes, and best practices for reproducible research.
• Collaborate with clinicians and business stakeholders to translate health‑care needs into AI solutions.
• Monitor model performance, ensure compliance with HIPAA and ethical AI guidelines, and drive continuous improvement.

Required Qualifications

• 5+ years of hands‑on experience building production NLP systems, preferably in health‑care.
• Strong programming skills in Python and expertise with frameworks such as TensorFlow, PyTorch, or Hugging Face.
• Deep knowledge of transformer architectures, language model fine‑tuning, and text preprocessing pipelines.
• Experience with cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, GCP) and containerization (Docker, Kubernetes).
• Proven leadership ability, excellent communication, and a track record of delivering AI projects on schedule.

Preferred Experience

• Advanced degree (MS or PhD) in Computer Science, Computational Linguistics, or related field.
• Familiarity with medical ontologies (SNOMED CT, ICD‑10) and EHR data formats.
• Publications or patents in NLP or health‑AI.

Compensation & Benefits

Base salary: $160,732.44 annually. UnitedHealth Group offers comprehensive health benefits, 401(k) matching, tuition reimbursement, flexible remote work, and robust professional development programs.

Frequently Asked Questions

What type of projects will I work on as a Lead AI/ML Engineer (NLP) at UnitedHealth Group?

You will lead the creation of NLP models that extract insights from clinical notes, claims data, and patient communications, directly supporting Optum’s health‑care delivery solutions.

Is remote work allowed for this position?

Yes, the role is remote‑first, but you must be based in or able to work from Atlanta, Fulton County, US.

What qualifications are essential for this senior NLP role?

At least 5 years of production NLP experience, strong Python and deep‑learning skills, cloud and container expertise, and demonstrated leadership of AI teams.