Director Data Science

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.

Own the overall AI strategy and technical vision for the team's data and AI products, aligning capability investments to business value, feasibility, and long-term platform direction Drive AI product prioritization and multi-capability roadmaps, and own portfolio-level intake, resource allocation, and cross-BIA prioritization, balancing near-term delivery with a sustainable, scalable architecture Hold end-to-end architectural ownership for data and AI products, and be accountable for scalability, accuracy, and governance of models and agentic systems in production Innovate AI products that measurably improve productivity and operational efficiency, and systematically identify and remove technical debt to keep the platform maintainable and extensible Define enterprise-grade LLM evaluation and quality programs using automated metrics plus structured human review, covering relevance, faithfulness, hallucinations, robustness, bias, readability, and offline/online evaluation strategy Own MLOps strategy including model lifecycle management, CI/CD releases, monitoring and drift detection (data/concept), data pipelines/orchestration, architecture/design documentation, and solid Python engineering practices Serve as the accountable owner for Responsible AI and enterprise governance across the portfolio, establishing guardrails (prompt-injection defense, toxicity/safety filtering, privacy/PII controls, scope/refusal behavior, adversarial testing, automation-bias mitigation) and ensuring compliance with RAI/AIRB processes, HIPAA, and regulatory requirements in partnership with Legal, Compliance, and Security Own the talent engine for the AI/DS team: attract, hire, and retain top talent; build career paths and succession; manage performance; and mentor GL27-GL29 through architecture reviews and technical coaching to raise the overall engineering bar Apply solid financial acumen, own business justification and ROI for AI investments, benefit tracking and validation, and cost, and capital tradeoffs that prioritize financial sustainability and value realization Set and evangelize a compelling AI vision, and influence senior and executive stakeholders through clear, audience-tailored communication, representing the organization in portfolio reviews, demos, and strategic forums Drive AI adoption and culture change across the organization, acting as an AI evangelist, defining and tracking adoption/engagement metrics and feedback loops, and removing barriers to scaled, responsible AI use Drive innovation and intellectual property (patents and publications) as a technical thought leader Partner with Product, Engineering, and UI/UX leadership to translate ambiguous business needs into differentiated AI capabilities, providing cross-team technical leadership while fostering an inclusive, psychologically safe, high-performing team culture 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