AI/ML Engineer - Hybrid in Hartford, CT

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.

The AI/ML Engineer - Generative AI will play a key role in designing, building, and scaling enterprise grade GenAI solutions across Optum Technology platforms. This role focuses on large language models (LLMs), retrieval augmented generation (RAG), and agentic AI patterns that power real time proactive assist support, automation, and intelligent user experiences.

You will partner closely with AI Architects, Platform Engineers, Cloud Engineers, and Product teams to operationalize GenAI capabilities in production-balancing innovation with responsible AI, reliability, performance, and regulatory requirements in a healthcare environment. This role is ideal for engineers who enjoy working on Google tech stack at the intersection of LLMs, system design, and real world business workflows.

This position follows a hybrid schedule with three in-office days per week.

Primary Responsibilities

• Design, develop, and deploy Generative AI solutions using large language models (LLMs) and enterprise AI platforms
• Implement and optimize retrieval augmented generation (RAG) pipelines, including document ingestion, embeddings, ranking, and context assembly
• Build prompting, orchestration, and agentic workflows to support multi step reasoning, tool use, and automation
• Fine tune, evaluate, and continuously improve GenAI models for accuracy, latency, cost, and safety
• Partner with AI Architects and Cloud Engineers to integrate GenAI solutions into production systems and enterprise platforms
• Implement model evaluation, guardrails, monitoring, and feedback loops to support responsible and explainable AI usage
• Troubleshoot GenAI system issues across prompts, retrieval, model behavior, and downstream integrations
• Document GenAI architectures, prompts, evaluation strategies, and operational runbooks to support audits and long term maintainability
• Stay current with emerging GenAI patterns, tools, and frameworks and assess applicability to enterprise use cases

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

• Bachelor's degree or 4+ years of equivalent professional experience
• 3+ years of experience in AI/ML engineering, with hands on experience building Generative AI solutions
• 3+ years of experience in Python for AI/ML and GenAI development
• 2+ years of experience deploying AI solutions on cloud platforms, Google Cloud Platform (GCP)
• Solid experience working with large language models (e.g., Gemini, GPT class models)
• Proven understanding of prompt engineering, RAG architectures, embeddings, and vector search
• Proven understanding of model evaluation, hallucination mitigation, and AI safety considerations
• Ability to collaborate effectively with cross functional engineering, product, and architecture teams

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience building production GenAI systems in a regulated or large scale enterprise environment
• Demonstrated familiarity with agentic frameworks, tool calling patterns, or workflow orchestration for LLMs
• Experience integrating GenAI into CRM or enterprise applications (e.g., Salesforce, Pega)
• Proven knowledge of Responsible AI, governance, and compliance practices
• Experience with MLOps / LLMOps, model monitoring, and feedback driven improvement
• Experience in healthcare, payer, or clinical domains
• Proven solid communication skills with the ability to explain GenAI concepts to non technical stakeholders

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. The salary for this role will range from $98,547 to $175,978 annually based on full-time employment. We comply with all minimum wage laws as applicable

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.