VP AI ML Engineering

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.

Define and lead the strategic vision, architecture, and implementation of AI solutions across our consumer-facing digital experiences. Partner closely with business and product teams to identify and prioritize strategic opportunities for leveraging AI within web, mobile, chat messaging, voice messaging, and search channels. Oversee the development of scalable, secure, and innovative AI solutions designed to enhance consumer engagement and deliver personalized, intuitive self-service experiences that transform our current digital experiences into conversational experiences.

• Define, communicate, and execute the architectural vision and strategic roadmap for AI applications across all consumer engagement channels, ensuring alignment with overall business goals and consumer experience objectives
• Collaborate closely with product management, engineering, user experience, and business stakeholders to identify, prioritize, and implement high-impact AI opportunities across web, mobile, chat messaging, voice messaging, and search platforms
• Lead the architectural design and implementation of advanced AI solutions, including conversational AI/chatbots, virtual assistants, personalized content generation, and search enhanced with conversational capabilities that transform our existing digital experiences into conversational experiences
• Champion the integration of AI best practices throughout the software development lifecycle (SDLC), from ideation and prototyping through deployment, monitoring, and continuous optimization
• Provide technical leadership, mentorship, and guidance to architects and engineering teams, fostering a culture of innovation, collaboration, and continuous learning
• Establish and enforce architectural standards, guidelines, and governance processes for AI solutions, ensuring scalability, performance, security, regulatory compliance, and adherence to data privacy best practices
• Continuously monitor emerging AI technologies, tools, and industry trends, proactively recommending innovative approaches to enhance digital consumer interactions and experiences
• Represent the organization in technical discussions, strategic partnerships, and industry forums related to AI, consumer engagement, and digital innovation
• Evangelize AI capabilities and opportunities internally and foster the development of AI talent by actively identifying, mentoring, and developing talent within the consumer engineering organization

• 10+ years of progressive experience in software architecture and engineering
• Proven experience leading the architectural vision, strategy, and successful delivery of AI solutions at scale (ideally within conversational AI, virtual assistants, content generation, and/or dynamic consumer engagement)
• Hands‑on technical expertise in AI technologies and frameworks, including large language models (LLMs), natural language generation (NLG) including voice and chat, and conversational interfaces
• Demonstrated experience with consumer‑facing digital solutions across multiple channels (web, mobile, chat, voice, and search)
• Excellent communication, leadership, and collaboration skills
• Track record of success effectively influencing and inspiring cross‑functional teams and senior stakeholders to drive change
• Experience ensuring solutions adhere to regulatory compliance, ethical considerations, data privacy, and security best practices

• Proven experience implementing AI solutions within consumer-focused industries, particularly in self‑service digital…